NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Atlantic 10 Conference will add men’s lacrosse as the league’s 22nd sport, with conference play and the initial championship taking place in the 2022-23 academic year. Currently four A-10 institutions sponsor men’s lacrosse as a varsity sport and will participate in the inaugural A-10 season: UMass, Richmond, St. Bonaventure and Saint Joseph’s.
The Atlantic 10 has also accepted men’s lacrosse affiliate member applications from High Point University and Hobart College, bringing the number of conference teams to six, the minimum number the NCAA requires of a league for postseason eligibility. In the last 10 years, the six men’s lacrosse programs have combined to make 10 NCAA tournament appearances.
USA Lacrosse Magazine contributor Jeremy Fallis first reported that the Atlantic 10 would add men’s lacrosse in a tweet on March 1.
The Atlantic 10 is exploring options to add men’s lacrosse, sources tell USA Lacrosse Magazine’s @JeremyFallis3.
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) February 2, 2022
Richmond, St. Joe’s, St. Bonaventure and UMass are A10 schools. Conference could target Hobart, Fairfield and/or High Point as affiliates.https://t.co/yY7cecfFNM
“Adding men’s lacrosse to the portfolio of Atlantic 10 sponsored sports provides a home for our four full-time members, who have requested this for several years. Welcoming both High Point and Hobart College as affiliate members rounds out a strong collection of teams that have been nationally competitive, playing in the NCAA postseason multiple times, with multiple national championship appearances,” stated Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade.
UMass has sponsored men’s lacrosse since 1954, and has advanced to the NCAA tournament 19 times, including 2006 when the Minutemen were the national runners up. Richmond began its program in 2014 and has reached the NCAA tournament four times in just eight full seasons. Like Richmond, St. Bonaventure’s program is relatively new, being established as a varsity sport in 2019. Saint Joseph’s program began in 1993 and has played in seven conference championship finals and advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2022.
High Point University is a Division I institution located in High Point, N.C. The Panthers have sponsored men’s lacrosse since 2013 and have played in the NCAA tournament twice, including in 2021.
Hobart College is a Division III institution that participates in Division I for men’s lacrosse. Located in Geneva, N.Y., the Statesmen program began in 1898 and have won 16 national championships at the Division II, Division III and USILA levels prior to ascending to Division I in 1995. Hobart has played in the NCAA Division I tournament five times.