According to an article in Today’s U Sports Despite Utah News, Potential New Lacrosse Programs Face Roadblocks, DU’s trademarked ‘Lacrosse Capital of the West’ slogan will remain both symbolic and real over the immediate term.
The article posits that while a number of schools, particularly in the east, will be moving up to women’s and men’s Division I lacrosse across the country, there isn’t likely to be a mass outbreak of new Power Five (PAC 12, Big 10, Big 12, ACC, and SEC) members adding lax anytime soon. The reason? Money and Title IX requirements which stipulate athletic teams mirror the student body male and female composition which, essentially, puts the lid on expansion for many schools – with the exception of Utah which has made their intentions clear to add men’s DI lacrosse to their sports menu.
While Utah may be the first to get men’s lacrosse going in the Pac-12, the focus at this point for the conference is adding women’s lacrosse teams. “Arizona State is adding women’s lacrosse in 2018, joining Cal, Stanford, USC, Colorado and Oregon. The Sun Devils are adding men’s hockey, too, making it nearly impossible to add another large men’s program.
“The additional women’s lacrosse programs could make it especially difficult to for any of those schools add a men’s team and meet Title IX requirements. Even in Denver, where Major League Lacrosse is popular and the Denver Pioneers won an NCAA title, the Colorado Buffaloes — situated in nearby Boulder — might not be in position to add a men’s team.”
Another outlier in the west may be BYU which is flush with cash and would be a willing partner for Utah and well as Denver-area foes. However, they seem to be focused more on football and potential, though seemingly unlikely admittance into the Big 12 for football – so most of their public attention is focused on that issue at this time.
The most unusual entrant may be Grand Canyon University. Currently a member of the WAC, GCU is the only for-profit school participating in Division I. Continued expansion of their Phoenix campus with new dorms and improved athletic facilities show the school is trying to attract more conventional students and offer a more traditional college experience. Lacrosse may provide them with a branding opportunity to move away from the online, for-profit model of operation.
Frequent LetsGoDU commenter “cddunks” has suggested that men’s lacrosse may be an ideal sport for the West Coast Conference, which is a possible long-term conference landing spot for the Pioneers. Of course, this may require the elimination of baseball, a costly sport with big rosters and a lot of travel. Still, California is a baseball hotbed so it’s uncertain if the schools would truly consider adding men’s lacrosse.
So while it looks like there will be some growth going forward for lacrosse, growth west of the Mississippi will likely mostly involve women’s lacrosse.
My WCC lax thoughts mainly concerned St. Mary’s women’s lax.. They are currently in a women’s lax league with us. With the Pac 12 forming their own league, they will be left out in the cold. Our ladies will be joining the Big East for lax. It’s a pretty wide spread geographical league. We should posture for St. Mary’s to join the Big East for women’s lax. Let’s do all we can to get the WCC to find us attractive to join their league in all overlapping sports should BYU depart. Truth be told, our joining the WCC does a lot more for us then it does for the WCC. GO DU!
I would not minimize DU – we offer a major market, a mid-major athletic powerhouse, and we are an ideal academic match with top-notch facilities. There could be some great academic collaboration that would be of value to their presidents.
Even if one college out west started a D1 men’s lax program it wouldn’t be a threat to DU’s program. Why would a brand-new program threaten an established one that’s already won a national title?
Some of the Pac-12 schools such as Stanford or Cal could build fairly quickly with their reputations and a fertile recruiting ground in California. True, it would take some time but they would be formidable over time.
Lighten up anonymous.. Don’t take a headline so literally. By the way, USC woman’s lacrosse had already surpassed DU woman’s lax in its ability to recruit and is more prestigious. .
My WCC lax thoughts mainly concerned St. Mary’s women’s lax.. They are currently in a women’s lax league with us. With the Pac 12 forming their own league, they will be left out in the cold. Our ladies will be joining the Big East for lax. It’s a pretty wide spread geographical league. We should posture for St. Mary’s to join the Big East for women’s lax. Let’s do all we can to get the WCC to find us attractive to join their league in all overlapping sports should BYU depart. Truth be told, our joining the WCC does a lot more for us then it does for the WCC. GO DU!
I would not minimize DU – we offer a major market, a mid-major athletic powerhouse, and we are an ideal academic match with top-notch facilities. There could be some great academic collaboration that would be of value to their presidents.
Great artwork of covered wagon with lax stick on the side. I want that on my house wall.
Even if one college out west started a D1 men’s lax program it wouldn’t be a threat to DU’s program. Why would a brand-new program threaten an established one that’s already won a national title?
Some of the Pac-12 schools such as Stanford or Cal could build fairly quickly with their reputations and a fertile recruiting ground in California. True, it would take some time but they would be formidable over time.
Lighten up anonymous.. Don’t take a headline so literally. By the way, USC woman’s lacrosse had already surpassed DU woman’s lax in its ability to recruit and is more prestigious. .
Great artwork of covered wagon with lax stick on the side. I want that on my house wall.
Dunker, then what’s the point of the blog post?
Don’t compare women’s lax with men’s. Two different animals.
I didn’t create post. Probably started so we could discuss DU’s influence in lax out west and what might change in the future. XANEX will help you anonymous.
Dunker, then what’s the point of the blog post?
Don’t compare women’s lax with men’s. Two different animals.
I didn’t create post. Probably started so we could discuss DU’s influence in lax out west and what might change in the future. XANEX will help you anonymous.
i think new lacrosse programs out west (like Cal, Stanford) would be very competitive after about 3 years. Hate to say it, but Colorado’s women’s program is on the same level of DU’s women’s program after just a couple of years. Maybe men’s lacrosse is a little different, maybe it would take a little longer. Also, you can’t underestimate the importance of Tierney at Denver—there aren’t any other legends like him that Cal and Stanford could hire. But stilll….I don’t think it would take long for those programs to reach the top 8 in the country. It could hurt DU a bit, as we’d have more battles for the western and Canadian recruits.
i think new lacrosse programs out west (like Cal, Stanford) would be very competitive after about 3 years. Hate to say it, but Colorado’s women’s program is on the same level of DU’s women’s program after just a couple of years. Maybe men’s lacrosse is a little different, maybe it would take a little longer. Also, you can’t underestimate the importance of Tierney at Denver—there aren’t any other legends like him that Cal and Stanford could hire. But stilll….I don’t think it would take long for those programs to reach the top 8 in the country. It could hurt DU a bit, as we’d have more battles for the western and Canadian recruits.