Head coach Jack Cribbin of the Lindenwood University women’s lacrosse program confirmed to USA Lacrosse Magazine on Wednesday that the Lions have accepted an invitation to join the ASUN Conference, with a formal announcement to come as early as Thursday.

Lindenwood becomes the seventh women’s lacrosse member of the ASUN, joining current members Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Coastal Carolina, Stetson and Delaware State. Reports circulated earlier this week that Queens (N.C.) University may also be joining the ASUN as it elevates its athletic program to NCAA Division I.

Lindenwood announced its reclassification from NCAA Division II to Division I in February, with most of its athletic programs set to compete in the Ohio Valley Conference, which does not sponsor men’s and women’s lacrosse.

Last month, the Lindenwood men’s lacrosse program also accepted an invitation to join the ASUN, which sponsors 21 sports. Cribbin said that the women’s program considered all opportunities prior to landing with the ASUN.

“We feel like this is an awesome fit for us and will certainly help us to grow our brand,” Cribbin said Wednesday. “We definitely wanted to find a stable conference home where we could compete for championships and have our athletes win awards. Ultimately, this worked out well to have us in the same conference as our men’s program. It’s full steam ahead.”

Per NCAA rules on transitioning to Division I, Lindenwood will be able to compete for conference titles but will be ineligible to participate in NCAA championships until a four-year transition process is completed.

Lindenwood is the defending NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse champion and defeated Queens 14-12 in the 2021 NCAA final. Currently ranked fourth in the NCAA’s Midwest Region rankings, the Lions (14-3 overall) face Rockhurst on Friday in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament.