RICHMOND, Ind. – The Earlham College Athletics Department continues to broaden its programming. Effective in the 2017-18 academic year, Earlham will sponsor men's and women's lacrosse as varsity sports.
"Adding men's and women's lacrosse on campus and to our department allows Earlham to be attractive to yet another population of prospective and current students," Director of Athletics Mike Bergum said. "More varsity lacrosse programs are popping up in the Midwest, and Earlham wants to be part of that progression. The vision on campus is to grow, and adding lacrosse is a great way to move forward."
Women's lacrosse, which was a varsity sport at Earlham from 1972-2003, returns to the College as a varsity sport while men's lacrosse will be sponsored at the varsity level for the first time. Men's and women's lacrosse will also be the 19th and 20th varsity programs in the athletics department, marking the second consecutive year the department has grown, as men's and women's golf will begin competition in the 2016-17 academic year. The continued growth of the Athletics Department gives prospective student-athletes yet another option for extracurricular activities at the College.
"The addition of women's lacrosse provides an exciting opportunity for many prospective student-athletes who have played lacrosse and field hockey at the high school level," said Heather Moore, head coach of women's field hockey. "Offering both sports will allow both programs to add depth to their rosters and continue to allow student-athletes to enhance their experience at Earlham through athletics."
Vince Punzo, Earlham faculty athletic representative, also believes the addition will be a great fit at the College.
"In recent years, the sport of lacrosse has demonstrated remarkable growth in both popularity and participation rates, especially across the Midwest," said Punzo. "I believe that lacrosse will prove to be an excellent fit for many of our students, and that our entire community will enjoy watching fast-paced and intensively played games."
Earlham will be the 265th NCAA Division III institution to sponsor women's lacrosse at the varsity level. On the men's side, the Quakers will be the 241st team to add lacrosse at the varsity level.
The lacrosse teams will call Darrell Beane Stadium home. The Stadium, when remodeled in 2011, allowed for the addition of lacrosse lines. Once painted, Darrell Beane Stadium will be able to host collegiate lacrosse contests.
The Quakers will compete in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference, a lacrosse-only league with institutions from the President's Athletic Conference and the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Defiance, Hanover, and Transylvania sponsor men's lacrosse with Franklin, Hanover, Mount St. Joseph, and Transylvania participating in women's lacrosse. Along with Earlham, Anderson will also be adding lacrosse for the 2017-18 academic year.
A search to find head coaches for both programs will begin immediately.
