‘Battle for the Bucks-Mont Hammer’ will be staged in spring when @DelValMLAX meets @ArcadiaMLAX for first time

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 9/17/15
From Press Release

The Delaware Valley University and Arcadia University men’s lacrosse teams are proud to announce a new rivalry series between the two programs.

The series will be named the “Battle for the Bucks-Mont Hammer” and the first game is set to take place on Wednesday, March 23, 2016 in Glenside. Both schools anticipate the annual game occurring on a Saturday in April beginning in 2017.

The name refers to the location of the two schools (Delaware Valley in Bucks County and Arcadia in Montgomery County), and the sledgehammer was chosen to represent the blue-collar mentality of the two young programs.

Both programs are in their infancy, with DelVal entering its second season in 2016 and Arcadia beginning its fourth. While the teams compete on different sides of the Middle Atlantic Conference (Delaware Valley in the MAC Freedom, Arcadia in the MAC Commonwealth), the two schools wanted to begin a new tradition that will be a cornerstone for both programs for years to come. Toss in the short distance between the two schools, which are separated by less than 20 miles, and the series is a no-brainer.

“This rivalry game and its trophy are symbolic of the principles upon which we are currently building our program,” said DelVal head coach Gary Mercadante. “We instill toughness in our student-athletes and carry the mentality of outworking and outfighting our opponents every time we take the field. As a young program, the primary thing we can control is exactly what the sledgehammer represents; hard work.”

Arcadia head coach Nick Taylor echoed similar sentiments.

“We really wanted to make this game something more for our student-athletes,” Taylor said. “Instead of being just a regular non-conference game, it becomes a lot more for both Universities. We feel it’s going to help our recruiting and enhance the experience for our student-athletes. We’re excited to get it going this year, and hope this grows into a premiere Division III rivalry.”

The Aggies and Knights faced off for the first time in 2015, in which the squads entered the fourth quarter tied at eight before DelVal came away with an 11-9 victory.