Calvin To Join MIAA in Adding Men’s, Women’s Lacrosse As Varsity Sports in 2012-13
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Calvin College will be adding men’s and women’s lacrosse as varsity sports effective with the 2012-13 academic year. The announcement is made in conjunction with the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association which announced today that the league will add men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse as varsity conference sports, effective with the 2012-13 season, the 125th anniversary season for America’s oldest collegiate athletic conference. Calvin has been a member of the MIAA since the 1953-54 academic year.
Calvin has sponsored men’s and women’s lacrosse at the club level for several years. The last time a club sport made the transition into a varsity sport at Calvin was in 1988 when women’s soccer moved up to varsity status after competing for a number of years at the club level.
Competition in MIAA men’s and women’s lacrosse will begin with the fall non-traditional season in 2012 and conclude with conference regular season and tournament play in the spring of 2013, MIAA Commissioner David Neilson said.
The addition of these sports brings to 20 the number of varsity sports the MIAA will sponsor in 2012-13, and marks the first new sports to be added to the conference’s lineup since it added women’s golf in 1991.
Seven MIAA member schools will sponsor men’s and women’s lacrosse in the 2012-13 season – Adrian, Albion, Alma, Calvin, Hope, Olivet and Trine, Neilson said.
With the minimum of seven participating conference schools, the MIAA will receive an automatic qualification to NCAA Division III postseason competition.
Founded in 1888, the MIAA is the nation’s oldest collegiate athletic conference. Member institutions are Adrian College, Albion College, Alma College, Calvin College, Hope College, Kalamazoo College, Olivet College, Saint Mary’s College and Trine University.
In adding men’s and women’s varsity lacrosse, Calvin will now sponsor 21 varsity sports which include the fall sports of men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf and women’s volleyball; the winter sports of men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and men’s and women’s indoor track and field; and the spring sports of men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s lacrosse, baseball and softball.
CALVIN AD’S ON VARSITY LACROSSE AT CALVIN:
Director of Women’s Athletics Dr. Nancy Meyer:
“We are committed to giving lacrosse the full support that we give all of our varsity sports teams. Both teams have been longtime club sports at Calvin so we are excited to make the transition with lacrosse to the varsity level. We are eager to begin the process of seeking out candidates for the head coaching positions of both teams. That search will begin immediately. We will also be looking to actively recruit talented athletes to promote this exciting sport at Calvin.”
Director of Men’s Athletics Dr. Jim Timmer Jr.:
“Lacrosse is an emerging sport and we are looking forward to the impact that the sport will have in the Calvin College community. In addition to our league, several of the colleges outside the MIAA in West Michigan are now sponsoring the sport so it will be exciting to share in the growth of lacrosse locally.”
