College lacrosse

Lacrosse in the United States is played at the collegiate level in both the club and sanctioned team sport. There are currently 58 NCAA sanctioned Division I men's lacrosse teams, 32 Division II men's lacrosse teams, and 131 Division III men's lacrosse teams. There are also currently 83 Division I women's lacrosse teams, 37 Division II women's lacrosse Teams, and 154 Division III women's lacrosse teams. Almost 200 collegiate men's club teams compete at the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association level, including most major universities in the United States. Another 100 schools have club teams in the National College Lacrosse League.

History of college lacrosse

The first U. S. intercollegiate game was played on November 22, 1877 between New York University and Manhattan College. Lacrosse had been introduced in upstate New York in the 1860s. Lacrosse was further introduced to the Baltimore area in the 1890s. These two areas continue to be the hotbeds of college lacrosse in the U.S. The first intercollegiate lacrosse tournament was held in 1881, with Harvard beating Princeton, 3-0, in the championship game.

NCAA Division I men's lacrosse

From 1934 through 1970 The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) awarded the Wingate Memorial Trophy to the NCAA annual champion based on regular season records. Beginning in 1971, the National Collegiate Athletic Association began holding an annual NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Institution	Mascot	Affiliation	Enrollment
Duke University	Blue Devils	Private	12,842
University of Maryland	Terrapins	Public	35,102
University of North Carolina	Tar Heels	Public	28,234
University of Virginia	Cavaliers	Public	20,190

America East

Institution	Mascot	Affiliation	Enrollment
University at Albany	Great Danes	Public	29,053
Binghamton University	Bearcats	Public	14,523
University of Hartford	Hawks	Private	4,545
Stony Brook University	Seawolves	Public	37,527
UMBC	Retrievers	Public	11,184
University of Vermont	Catamounts	Public	11,351

Colonial Athletic Association

Institution	Mascot	Affiliation	Enrollment
University of Delaware	Fighting Blue Hens	Private	16,548
Drexel University	Dragons	Private	18,976
Hofstra University	Pride	Private	13,067
Robert Morris University	Colonials	Private	5,100
Sacred Heart University	Pioneers	Private	4,600
Towson University	Tigers	Public	18,921
Villanova University	Wildcats	Private	9,490

ECAC Lacrosse League

Institution	Mascot	Affiliation	Enrollment
Fairfield University	Stags	Private	4,600
Georgetown University	Hoyas	Private	14,148
Hobart College	Statesmen	Private	2,790
Loyola College	Greyhounds	Private	3,501
University of Massachusetts	Minutemen	Public	24,648
Penn State University	Nittany Lions	Public	42,914
Rutgers University	Scarlet Knights	Public	42,149
St. John's University	Red Storm	Private	14,983

Great Western Lacrosse League

Institution	Mascot	Affiliation	Enrollment
Air Force	Falcons	Federal	4,000
Bellarmine University	Knights	Private	2,561
University of Denver	Pioneers	Private	10,482
University of Notre Dame	Fighting Irish	Private	8,325
Ohio State University	Buckeyes	Public	52,568
Quinnipiac University	Bobcats	Private	7,400

Ivy League

Institution	Mascot	Affiliation	Enrollment
Brown University	Bears	Private	5,821
Cornell University	Big Red	Private	13,510
Dartmouth College	Big Green	Private	4,085
Harvard University	Crimson	Private	6,715
University of Pennsylvania	Quakers	Private	10,163
Princeton University	Tigers	Private	4,678
Yale University	Bulldogs	Private	5,275

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Institution	Mascot	Affiliation	Enrollment
Canisius College	Golden Griffins	Private	3,468
Manhattan College	Jaspers	Private	2,600
Marist College	Red Foxes	Private	5,054
Mount St. Mary's University	The Mount	Private	2,100
Providence College	Friars	Private	3,600
Saint Joseph's University	Hawks	Private	7,454
Siena College	Saints	Private	2,900
Virginia Military Institute	Keydets	Federal	1,377
Wagner College	Seahawks	Private	2,335

Patriot League

Institution	Mascot	Affiliation	Enrollment
Army	Black Knights	Federal	4,100
Bucknell University	Bison	Private	3,455
Colgate University	Raiders	Private	2,800
College of the Holy Cross	Crusaders	Private	2,817
Lafayette College	Leopards	Private	2,403
Lehigh University	Mountain Hawk	Private	6,729
Navy	Midshipmen	Federal	4,400

Division I Independents

Institution	Mascot	Affiliation	Enrollment
Johns Hopkins University	Blue Jays	Private	4,478
Presbyterian College	Blue Hose	Private	1,419
Syracuse University	Orange	Private	19,028
University of Detroit Mercy	Titans	Private	5,600
Bryant University	Bulldogs	Private	4,983
Jacksonville University	Dolphins	Private	3,100

Notes

Will be playing in the newly formed Men's lacrosse division of the Northeast Conference in 2011
Will be playing in the newly formed Men's lacrosse division of the Big East Conference in 2010
Will be playing in Men's lacrosse division of the Colonial Athletic Association in 2010
Will be playing in Men's lacrosse division of the ECAC in 2010

NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse

Conference Carolinas

Belmont Abbey
Lees-McRae
Limestone
Pfeiffer
Queens
St. Andrews

Deep South Conference

Catawba College
Mars Hill College
Rollins College
Saint Leo University
Wingate University

East Coast

NYIT
Dowling
C.W. Post
Mercyhurst
Molloy
Dominican (N.Y.)

Northeast 10

Institution	Mascot	Affiliation	Enrollment
Adelphi University	Panthers	Private	7,932
American International College	Yellow Jackets	Private	1,673
Assumption College	Greyhounds	Catholic	2,475
Bentley University	Falcons	Private	5,557
Franklin Pierce University	Ravens	Private	1,700
Le Moyne College	Dolphins	Catholic	2,290
Merrimack College	Warriors	Catholic	2,019
Pace University	Setters	Private	14,177
Saint Anselm College	Hawks	Catholic	2,136
Saint Michael's College	Purple Knights	Catholic	2,650
Southern New Hampshire University	Penmen	Private	2,570

NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse

Club Lacrosse

The Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA), formerly known as the US Lacrosse Men’s Division of Intercollegiate Associates (USL MDIA), is a national organization of non-varsity, college men's lacrosse programs. The MCLA was created by the MDIA Board of Directors and its creation was announced by US Lacrosse on August 24, 2006. The MCLA oversees play and conducts national championships for almost 200 non-varsity men's lacrosse programs in nine conferences throughout the country.

Conferences:

Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association
Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference
Lone Star Alliance
Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League
Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League
Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference
SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference
Upper Midwest Lacrosse League
Western Collegiate Lacrosse League

The National College Lacrosse League is a Men's lacrosse league comprised of mostly Eastern US college lacrosse clubs (non-varsity). There are approximately 80 teams divided into 12 conferences. The programs are split into Division I and Division II. Many of the clubs are at schools that currently have varsity NCAA Men's lacrosse programs.

Conferences:

Blue Ridge Conference
Capitol Conference
Chesapeake Conference
Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
Empire East Conference
Empire West Conference
Keystone Conference
Liberty Conference
Midwest North Conference
Midwest South Conference
NY Metro Conference
Tidewater Conference

Other US college club lacrosse leagues:

References

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Last updated on Monday October 06, 2008 at 09:53:35 PDT (GMT -0700)
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