- NAIA lacrosse
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There are numerous men's and women's college lacrosse teams at schools that are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which is an alternate athletic organization for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The vast majority of these lacrosse programs participate either in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) for men or the Women's Collegiate Lacrosse Associates (WCLA) for women.
Both the MCLA and WCLA were specifically founded to organize lacrosse clubs that lacked varsity teams that officially represent the college or university and that generally receive direct school funding. However, because the NAIA does not currently organize the sport of lacrosse for its member institutions, many of their schools have begun organizing new varsity lacrosse teams through the MCLA or WCLA instead, where the school administers the program through their athletic department. Typically, these varsity programs, like their NCAA counterparts, provide athletic scholarships to some of their players, often after a public ceremony that includes an official "letter of intent" signing by the new recruit and official publicity from the school about the event. Further, the official school athletic department usually hires and fires the coaching staff and provides uniforms, equipment and covers travel expenses, among other things. They also generally pay the MCLA or WCLA dues for the team as an expense of the athletic department.
This has become somewhat controversial within both the MCLA and WCLA, because these varsity teams seem to have unfair advantages over student-run and financed club teams. Generally, it's obvious when an NAIA team is "varsity" or college or university-run, because it appears on the official athletics website for the school alongside other varsity programs for basketball or track & field, for example. Club teams typically are not included at all on official school athletics websites or are clearly labeled as "club" teams, often for liability purposes. See the references below for documentation of this phenomenon.
Lastly, it is hoped in the future that the NAIA will eventually organize lacrosse for its member schools and thus separate varsity teams from club teams that are currently mixed together in the MCLA and WCLA. However, the NAIA process for recognizing new sports is lengthy and complicated, so this make take a number of years to accomplish.[1] One step in this direction is the establishment in September 2010 of the National Women's Lacrosse League, which is an attempt to organize varsity NAIA competition in lacrosse.
Contents
Men's programs
Varsity men's teams at NAIA schools
Institution Nickname Location Enrollment Aquinas College[2] Saints Grand Rapids, Michigan 2,100 Davenport University[3] Panthers Grand Rapids, Michigan 12,471 Dordt College[4] Defenders Sioux Center, Iowa 1,300 Indiana Institute of Technology[5] Warriors Fort Wayne, Indiana 3,500 Judson University[6] Eagles Elgin, Illinois 1,132 Missouri Baptist University[7] Spartans St. Louis, Missouri 4,614 Reinhardt University[8] Eagles Waleska, Georgia 1,057 Roberts Wesleyan College**[9] Raiders Rochester, New York 1,928 Savannah College of Art and Design[10] Bees Savannah, Georgia 11,897 Shorter University**[11] Hawks Rome, Georgia 3,500 Siena Heights University[12] Saints Adrian, Michigan 2,307 Southern Virginia University[13] Knights Buena Vista, Virginia 752 Tennessee Wesleyan College[14] Bulldogs Athens, Tennessee 1,000 Walsh University**[15] Cavaliers Canton, Ohio 2,500 Westminster College, Salt Lake City[16] Griffins Salt Lake City, Utah 2,900 ** NAIA school reclassifying to NCAA Division II.
Club men's teams at NAIA schools
Institution Nickname Location Enrollment Biola University Eagles La Mirada, California 3,924 University of California, Merced Bobcats Merced, California 4,381 The College of Idaho Coyotes Caldwell, Idaho 1,010 Concordia University Irvine Eagles Irvine, California 2,853 Holy Cross College (Indiana)*** Saints Notre Dame, Indiana 492 Marymount College, Palos Verdes Mariners Rancho Palos Verdes, California 800 University of Michigan-Dearborn Wolves Dearborn, Michigan 8,634 Northwestern College (Iowa) Red Raiders Orange City, Iowa 1,206 Simon Fraser University** Clan Burnaby, British Columbia 32,940 Southern Oregon University Red Raiders Ashland, Oregon 4,560 Taylor University Trojans Upland, Indiana 2,333 ** NAIA school reclassifying to NCAA Division II.
*** Member of the Great Lakes Lacrosse League, which is not affiliated with MCLA.Women's programs
National Women's Lacrosse League
Institution Nickname Location Enrollment Aquinas College Saints Grand Rapids, Michigan 2,100 Davenport University Panthers Grand Rapids, Michigan 11,733 Indiana Institute of Technology Warriors Fort Wayne, Indiana 3,500 Midland University Warriors Fremont, Nebraska 2,000 Missouri Baptist University Spartans St. Louis, Missouri 4,500 Reinhardt University Eagles Waleska, Georgia 1,057 Robert Morris University (Illinois) Eagles Chicago, Illinois 7,000 Savannah College of Art and Design Bees Savannah, Georgia 8,478 Shorter University Hawks Rome, Georgia 3,500 Siena Heights University Saints Adrian, Michigan 2,307 Tennessee Wesleyan College Bulldogs Athens, Tennessee 1,000 Other women's teams at NAIA schools
Institution Nickname Location Enrollment Ave Maria University Gyrenes Ave Maria, Florida 825 Houghton College Highlanders Houghton, New York 1,200 Notre Dame College** Falcons South Euclid, Ohio 2,100 Oklahoma Baptist University Bison Shawnee, Oklahoma 1,800 Roberts Wesleyan College**[9] Raiders Rochester, New York 1,928 SUNY Canton*** Roos Canton, New York 4,000 Taylor University Trojans Upland, Indiana 2,500 Westminster College, Salt Lake City[17] Griffins Salt Lake City, Utah 2,900 ** NAIA school reclassifying to NCAA Division II.
*** NAIA school reclassifying to NCAA Division III.References
- ^ "NAIA Emerging Sports Report". NAIA. http://naia.cstv.com/member-services/championships/EmergingSports/EmergingSportReport.htm. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Aquinas College official athletics website". Aquinas College. http://www.aquinas.edu/athletics/mens_lacrosse.html. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Davenport University official athletics website". Davenport University. http://www.dupanthers.com/index.aspx?path=mlax. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Dordt College official athletics website". Dordt College. http://www.dordt.edu/athletics/lacrosse/. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Indiana Institute of Technology official athletics website". Indiana Institute of Technology. http://www.indianatech.edu/Athletics/mlax/Pages/default.aspx. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Judson University official athletics website". Judson University. http://www.judsoneagles.com/sport/8/21.php. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Missouri Baptist University official athletics website". Missouri Baptist University. http://www.mbuspartans.com/sport/0/22.php. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Reinhardt University official athletics website". Reinhardt University. http://www.reinhardteagles.com/sport/8/19.php. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ a b Bradley, Steve (July 13, 2011). "Roberts Wesleyan moving up to Division II athletics". Democrat and Chronicle. http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20110713/SPORTS09/107130333/Roberts-Wesleyan-moving-up-Division-II-athletics. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
- ^ "Savannah College of Art and Design official athletics website". Savannah College of Art and Design. http://www.scadathletics.com/index.aspx?path=mlax. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Shorter University official athletics website". Shorter University. http://goshorterhawks.com/sports/m-lacros/index. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
- ^ "Siena Heights University official athletics website". Siena Heights University. http://www.shusaints.com/sports/ath_specific.aspx?SportsCategoryID=45. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Southern Virginia University official athletics website". Southern Virginia University. http://athletics.svu.edu/sports/mlax/index. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Tennessee Wesleyan College official athletics website". Tennessee Wesleyan College. http://www.twcbulldogs.com/sport/8/5.php. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Walsh University official athletics website". Walsh University. http://www.walsh.edu/lacrosse. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Westminster College official athletics website". Westminster College. http://www.westminstergriffins.com/index.aspx?path=mlax. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
- ^ "Westminster College official athletics website". Westminster College. http://www.westminstergriffins.com/index.aspx?path=mlax. Retrieved 2010-09-16.
Categories:- Lacrosse
- National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
- College lacrosse in the United States
- College lacrosse leagues in the United States
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