I'm pretty sure Michigan State had a LAX team when I was on campus, but we've since not fielded a team. What's the likelihood with a renewed focus on LAX by conference other Big Ten tens are added?


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it is my understanding that MSU has title 9 in the way.

Couldn't they just start up men's and women's LAX then together? The startup costs of doing both as opposed to one or the other are only marginally higher.

(05-28-2014 11:53 AM)brista21 Wrote:  Couldn't they just start up men's and women's LAX then together? The startup costs of doing both as opposed to one or the other are only marginally higher.

i dunno they should.

but TBH a strong lax program depends entirely on two things

1. your presence in the northeast

2. the lax popularity in your immediate area.

MSU has some northeast presence, but lets be real here, they play 4th fiddle to osu, michigan, & psu among b10 teams.

And I haven't heard a whole lot about East lansing lacrosse.

MSU is at a bigger competition disadvantage as opposed to the other schools.

(05-28-2014 11:53 AM)brista21 Wrote:  Couldn't they just start up men's and women's LAX then together? The startup costs of doing both as opposed to one or the other are only marginally higher.

They already play 12 men's sports, including five men's team sports, which is as many as any other Big Ten school except the three biggest budget schools (OSU, TSUN & Penn State).

That suggests if they had extra money to spend on men's sports, they'd be more likely to up their investment in their existing sports.

(05-28-2014 11:26 AM)john01992 Wrote:  it is my understanding that MSU has title 9 in the way.

Title IX is definitely why they dropped it as a Division 1 sport. I think you've pretty much pegged why they don't pick it up again.

As the sport grows in the midwest, I could see Sparty, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Minnesota adding Lacrosse Programs for men and women. Have a hard time seeing Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska adding programs. Other than Lincoln, those are more bucolic areas I just can't see Lacrosse gaining traction, but maybe I'm wrong.

My guess would be MSU or Northwestern.

MSU could see it as another connection with the rest of the B10 Eastern schools and a great way to interact with some other east coast universities that they otherwise wouldn't play in basketball or football. Many D1 lax programs are very strong universities.

Northwestern could build on the success of its women's program and also use it as a connection point for east coast universities (see above).

(05-29-2014 10:51 PM)Big Ron Buckeye Wrote:  As the sport grows in the midwest, I could see Sparty, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Minnesota adding Lacrosse Programs for men and women.

There's also the influence of other sports that different schools focus on ~ MSU, Wisconsin and Minnesota all play ice hockey, and one of the way that the other schools stay up with the three big stadium schools is by focusing their resources.

If LAX continues to grow at its current pace in the Greater Chicago area, Northwestern would seem the likeliest prospect. The challenge is TitleIX, since it can't start a women's team at the same time (already having one).

Quote: Have a hard time seeing Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska adding programs. Other than Lincoln, those are more bucolic areas I just can't see Lacrosse gaining traction, but maybe I'm wrong.

There's an ice hockey angle in there as well, since Nebraska is building ice making facilities into its new arena, so when that is finished, would have a lower cost to start up a hockey program than most other schools. And we just saw Nebraska and Indiana as #1 v #2 seed playing in the Big Ten baseball championship in front of nearly 20,000 in Omaha ... Nebraska and Indiana might prefer to focus on baseball in any event.

Purdue looks to Chicago quite a bit, so if LAX continues to grow at the same pace in the greater Chicago area, they might consider it. And Notre Dame might give them a game in Lacrosse, which they seem likely to do less frequently in football.

And of course, there is no urgency to expansion ... six is a fine number for a Lacrosse conference.

Not Iowa.

If Iowa adds anything else, I'd LOVE to see men's hockey.

(05-31-2014 11:10 AM)Waterloo Wrote:  Not Iowa.

If Iowa adds anything else, I'd LOVE to see men's hockey.

They have similar facilities hurdles as most schools looking at D1 ice hockey, so it could hinge on getting a wealthy backer to pay for a big chunk of the facilities (like at Penn State) ...
... but if Nebraska started a conference ice hockey program, it would surely be attractive to Iowa to play in the same sport as the three other Western schools.

Plus with the development efforts of the pro ice hockey franchise in Iowa (I forget what level they play at ~ I don't really follow the sport unless my MAC alma mater is doing well), they would be likely to have a better local pipeline for talent in ice hockey than in Lacrosse.

Iowa Wild, Minnesota's AHL team

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(06-01-2014 01:57 PM)DexterDevil Wrote:  Iowa Wild, Minnesota's AHL team

Man, I'll remember that just about until I get to the top of the stairs ... the only reason I follow MiamiU Redhawks ice hockey when they do well is there were some hockey players in our dorms at Western College when I went there ... they were studying architecture and the architecture program was using the Western College core courses for their University requirement.

Northwestern would need to add women's rowing (8 conference schools already counting incoming Rutgers) or women's water polo (Indiana, Michigan) to be able to add men's lacrosse. Sand volleyball or bowling (Nebraska is the only Big 10 school in both sports) could be options as well.

(06-05-2014 09:29 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  Northwestern would need to add women's rowing (8 conference schools already counting incoming Rutgers) or women's water polo (Indiana, Michigan) to be able to add men's lacrosse. Sand volleyball or bowling (Nebraska is the only Big 10 school in both sports) could be options as well.

I'd think rowing, since they have a small river running into a big (indeed, Great) lake, and they could row against the Ivy League.

Plus rowing allows up to 20 FTE scholarships, while Men's Lacrosse has a limit of 12.6, so rowing offers plenty of Title IX flexibility.

Six is a good size, but eight would be OK as well, a seven week conference season of four games per round and divide up for a rivalry week at the climax ~ UMd / JHU, Rutgers / Penn State, OSU / TSUN, NW / ???

NU adding Men's Lacrosse is only a matter of time. Women's Lacrosse has been hugely successful in Evanston. Adding women's Beach Volleyball and/or bowling to compensate for the increased men's Lacrosse scholarships would be the Title iX workaround.

Beach Volleyball and Bowling have a chance of drawing some fans, rowing and women's water polo not so much.

(06-07-2014 09:33 AM)Policiious Wrote:  Beach Volleyball and Bowling have a chance of drawing some fans, rowing and women's water polo not so much.

Its a university ... its not only about drawing fans. I was serious about NW considering rowing against Ivy League schools as a possible plus.

Not to mention it is already a Big 10 sport. Adding sand volleyball or bowling really only helps Nebraska.

And also, we haven't even played the first Big Ten conference game yet in the coming six team competition. Doubling in size with three new Lacrosse playing members isn't enough to take on for now?

I don't foresee any additional members for the time being. However, if the Big Ten were to add a seventh lacrosse member (or sixth full-time member, depending on how you look at it) then I think it would be one from Purdue, Northwestern, Indiana or Illinois.

(06-10-2014 02:07 AM)Transic_nyc Wrote:  I don't foresee any additional members for the time being. However, if the Big Ten were to add a seventh lacrosse member (or sixth full-time member, depending on how you look at it) then I think it would be one from Purdue, Northwestern, Indiana or Illinois.

Since the existing six make a good three pairs for a conference season ending rivalry weekend, it seems like the best pair might be NW & the Illini.

I think Indiana is going to keep concentrating on baseball in the Spring, but NW & Purdue seems like the second most likely pair. Either the Illini or Purdue could start Men & Women's at the same time, for Title IX, but like NW it would seem likely to depend on what happens with conference revenues, as either only seem likely to start it up if they cover the operating costs out of growth in conference payout and only need to go to donors for the facilities improvements.

I don't see that the conference would be eager to have seven in the men's competition, but since NW plays in the new Women's competition, that would leave the Maryland women's team looking for an OOC rival during rivalry weekend. OTOH, while Title IX can be binding on the Men's Lacrosse side, it can be a boost on the Women's Lacrosse side ... if UNL were to start an ice hockey program (they have ice making facilities in their new arena), then they'd need a Title IX offset, and a single ice hockey team can be easier to find ice practice facilities for than a pair.