Flagler Already a Threat in Suddenly Stacked South

One of the big storylines in NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse over the past several years is the emergence of championship-caliber programs in the South Region.

For many years, Limestone loomed as the South’s premier program, earning 11 NCAA tournament berths between 2004-21 and serving as the region’s undisputed bellwether. The Saints finished as national runners-up in 2011 and 2013.

The balance of power began to shift to the Sunshine State Conference beginning in 2015, with the rise of powerhouse programs at Florida Southern, Tampa and Rollins. Florida Southern became the first South Region team to reach the NCAA mountaintop, winning the national championship in 2016, followed by national runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2018.

But now, as the sport continues to re-establish its footing in the wake of the global pandemic, we’re seeing new contenders emerge in the South. Wingate, Lynn and Embry-Riddle are among the teams that have become consistent Top 20 squads in the past couple of seasons, and all are seemingly positioned to continue their rise in 2024.

Within that landscape, perhaps no South Region program has had a quicker ascent than Flagler, which earned an NCAA tournament berth as a second-year team in 2023 and began the 2024 campaign on the fringes of the national top 10. The Saints, located in St. Augustine, Fla., have a 28-10 record through their first two seasons, including a 17-2 mark last year, fueling high expectations for this spring.

“We’re attracting kids who are buying into the vision here at Flagler,” said coach Grant Kelam, who has built a roster that features players from 13 different states, as well as Canada and England. “We think we are a great destination for kids that want to compete against the best and pursue championships.”

Picked as the favorite in the 2024 Gulf South Conference coaches poll, Flagler is off to a 2-0 start heading into Wednesday’s home showdown (5 p.m. Eastern) against No. 2 Florida Southern. The game is a rematch of last year’s NCAA tournament opener in which the Mocs posted a 19-15 win by outscoring Flagler 5-2 over the final 10 minutes.

Despite that loss, Kelam, the 2023 GSC Coach of the Year, believes his players had some valuable takeaways from lining up against FSC.

“Obviously, they are a very talented team, and they don’t get rattled. They play for a full 60 minutes,” he said. “But I think we learned that we can play with them and that we belong.”

Kelam’s experience against Florida Southern dates back to his tenure as coach at Mount Olive from 2013-20, where he built a Top 20 program — but his teams finished 0-4 against the Mocs.

“Anybody who has been watching knows that Florida Southern has been the blue-chip program in the South since around 2015,” Kelam said. “They are the team you want to go after.”

To coach Kara Reber’s credit, her Mocs are not looking for the easy path back to the NCAA tournament. Coming off the program’s fourth appearance in the national semifinals last year, FSC has amassed what is projected by Lacrosse Reference to be the second-toughest schedule in the nation this season.

Wednesday’s game at Flagler is the first of seven non-conference matchups against Top 20 opponents over the next four weeks. Following Wednesday’s game, the Mocs have a neutral-site meeting with No. 7 UIndy on Friday as part of its three-game road trip to start the year.

Conference play then begins in mid-March, when hard battles loom with Tampa, Rollins, Lynn and Embry-Riddle.

“We don’t shy away from good competition,” said Reber, who’s beginning her 13th season as head coach at Florida Southern. “We’ll play whoever we can get on our schedule.”

While expectations are high for FSC, which begins the year ranked No. 2 in the USA Lacrosse Top 20, Reber is eager to see how her team responds to a rash of preseason injuries. Without citing individual names, she said Monday that the Mocs will be travelling this week without 16 players, all of whom are currently sidelined.

“Having a 48-player roster has been a blessing,” Reber said. “We need to have a next-woman-up mentality.”

There’s no doubt that a victory Wednesday would be a defining win in Flagler’s young history, but Kelam is confident that win or lose, his program will remain a tangible presence in the crowded South Region landscape. The Saints are in for the long haul.

“Lacrosse in the South, including high school lacrosse, is exploding, and the region is producing a lot of local talent,” Kelam said. “It’s getting very competitive, with the number of teams at the top growing every year.”