LaxTV Forums | A Forum About The MCLA

Just wanted to start a new thread full of hypotheticals.

With CIF sanctioned lacrosse exploding across the state and the tremendous growth within the largest section in CA (the CIF Southern Section, greater LA/OC) "connecting" the traditional hotbeds in California, college athletic directors must be at least discussing varsity lacrosse possibilities. I wanted to know who you think could be the next teams popping up in California?

The initial programs will inevitably be from the D II and DIII ranks.
Likely within the next 2-3 years: Dominican (hopefully gets D II status...come on Ned!)
Chapman (has everything in place for a VERY successful program...except for an eligibility offic...err nevermind)

Next Up: Somebody from the D III SCIAC conference...will Claremont, Pomona, Occidental or somebody else follow the lead of their women's team and join Whittier's conference? what's holding them back in the coming years?...D III football?


D II: I just don't think anyone from the CCAA conference will offer varsity lacrosse soon. Sonoma, Chico, UCSD the only possible candidates.
What's holding them back? They are all state schools with tight budgets.
What works in their favor? Lack of scholarship football.
Menlo College?

D I: wow...may not happen for 15 plus years. Likely candidates: UCSB, UC Irvine...big schools with NO big football...would take an ambitious AD not afraid to take a chance. Can't see any of the PAC-10 schools adding men's lax for a WHILE, especially after the UCLA NCAA women's lacrosse debacle in '01.

Non-Cal related: Pacific West Candidates...with NDNU, soon to be varsity Grand Canyon U and most likely member Dominican in the men's lax ranks will any other Pac West teams add men's lax. The Hawai'i schools? no chance...Utah's Dixie State a possibility?

Title IX is the big stumbling block. None of these schools, except the couple that are already in the process of doing so, will be varsity....at least in our lifetime.

Title IX is the great thing ever, it has only done good things for the sports community.

(Said in a robotic, blank-stare voice)

Title IX is not the stumbling block in all cases.

Yes in the big football schools (ie: Pac 10) it is a very major stumbling block as to how to offset the money for another big ticket sport and how to offset the roster size of 30-40 additional male players.

For the smaller schools like a Santa Clara without a cash cow program to subsidize the athletic department, it is purely a financial issue. The direct operating costs of equipment, travel, recruiting, fields, etc and then the soft costs of scholarships (even at the minimum) is prohibitive to an athletic budget who is already trying to balance it current array of sports.

I see lacrosse being added for women first as the demand increases as most athletic programs need the roster size of a women's teams to help balance out their numbers. The men's program will be added only when there is a documented need probably felt through the admissions departments and alumni houses that prospective students are going elsewhere due to the lack of the program offering.

Another, more rare possibility would be for an athletic conference, like the West Coast Conference, to expand the list of sponsored sports for their member institutions.

Are there any all male institutions in Cali with lacrosse programs?? That is always an easy way around Title IX........

Are there any all male institutions in Cali with lacrosse programs?? That is always an easy way around Title IX........

Good luck finding lacrosse players who want to go to that school...if one even exists.