Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/23/22 – From Press Release
The Atlantic 10 Conference will add men’s lacrosse as the league’s 22nd sport, with conference play and the initial championship taking place in the 2022-23 academic year, league officials announced Monday.
Currently four A-10 institutions sponsor men’s lacrosse as a varsity sport, and will participate in the inaugural A-10 season: Saint Joseph’s, Massachusetts, Richmond and St. Bonaventure. The league has also accepted men’s lacrosse affiliate member applications from High Point University and Hobart College, bringing the number of conference teams to six, the minimum number the NCAA requires of a league for postseason eligibility.
In the last 10 years, the six men’s lacrosse programs have combined to make 10 NCAA Tournament appearances.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for our men’s lacrosse program,” Director of Athletics Jill Bodensteiner said. “To build on the momentum created by our first NCAA tournament appearance, we are thrilled to be adding men’s lacrosse to our home conference. The Atlantic 10 has put together some of the best teams in the country, and we cannot wait to compete for a championship. We also want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the leadership and members of the NEC for providing a tremendous home to our Hawks over the years.”
The Hawks are fresh off claiming the NEC Championship and the conference’s automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament. Led by six-time NEC Coach of the Year Taylor Wray, nationally ranked St. Joe’s narrowly fell to fourth-seeded Yale, 18-16, in the NCAA Tournament First Round. The Hawks’ season will go down as the best yet in program history with a record 14 victories and the program’s first-ever NCAA berth.
“We are thrilled with the announcement about A-10 Men’s lacrosse,” Wray said. “We are excited to be able to compete alongside the rest of the varsity sports here on Hawk Hill in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The A-10 has a national brand in college sports and I believe this is another big step forward for Division I Men’s lacrosse.”
