Mercer to add varsity lacrosse

Mercer becomes the 2nd ASun school with lacrosse after Jacksonville. What school will be next? Stetson? Belmont?

Any school that has football aspirations probably wouldn't add lacrosse.

(06-18-2009 10:57 PM)NoDak Wrote:  Mercer to add varsity lacrosse

Mercer becomes the 2nd ASun school with lacrosse after Jacksonville. What school will be next? Stetson? Belmont?

Any school that has football aspirations probably wouldn't add lacrosse.

If Belmont and/or Lipscomb add Lacrosse, they'd have a short road trip and natural out-of-conference rivalry with Vanderbilt. At least since Mercer added both Men's and Women's Lacrosse, they didn't paint themselves into a corner with regards to Football.

Lacrosse would be good for Stetson. I hope they consider it.

Do they even have a team?

This is pretty random, but at least shows the department has money to throw around. Lacrosse could be fun to watch....

(06-20-2009 10:43 PM)MercerFan Wrote:  This is pretty random, but at least shows the department has money to throw around. Lacrosse could be fun to watch....

Because Mercer isn't offering scholarships, adding M&W lacrosse can actually be a net financial gain for Mercer. The tuition lacrosse athletes would pay (70 athletes on M&W teams, mostly from surburban Atlanta or the Northeast who almost certainly wouldn't attend Mercer if DI lacrosse wasn't available) easily exceed the costs of running a lacrosse program, especially if travel is limited. With a soccer field already there and with soccer being played in the fall, it makes sense all-around. But with no scholarships, Mercer and Jacksonville are effectively offering DIII lacrosse.

Mercer to offer lacrosse

Quote:Mercer will be fairly lonely. Jacksonville is the only A-Sun program to participate in lacrosse, offering both men’s and women’s. Next spring will be the first season for both Jacksonville teams.

The men’s schedule for next spring for Jacksonville includes North Carolina, Providence, Duke and Rutgers for the men. The closest opponent is Presbyterian, in Clinton, S.C.

“They had big numbers at Jacksonville when they announced,” Pope said. “I think with us being the first (Division I) school in the state of Georgia to announce it that we’ll have a lot of interest, especially with students in the Atlanta area, where it’s a growing sport.”

Pope said Jacksonville had nearly 70 student-athletes on the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams, and that Stetson was among the A-Sun schools considering adding the sport.

Mercer’s soccer field will soon double as lacrosse’s home.

“We’re doing some major renovations on our soccer field,” Pope said. “There are also plans underway to build additional practice fields, as well.”

The standard lacrosse field is 110 yards long and 60 yards wide, and goals are six feet by six feet. Each team fields 10 players, including the goalkeeper.

wow...just....wow

Jealous! I love lacrosse.

Bit of a dodgy sport, that one.

Lacrosse is really picking up in Florida. It was big at my HS in Orlando and at several others in the area. If Stetson does add it, they could do well just off the local players. They won't challenge Syracuse, Hopkins, Virginia, and the like, but there's talent enough to be relevant I'd think.

I've heard nothing about lacrosse, nobody I know has heard anything about lacrosse, and we're pretty decently tied in to goings on in the Edmunds Center. (Yes, having connections to something like Stetson Athletics does fall into the "tallest midget" kind of category, I'm aware, thanks).

I think we'd have to 86 the crew teams to make this happen, speaking theoretically and financially. I doubt crew is very expensive - lacrosse is. Maybe one day at Stetson but not likely any time soon.

It'd make sense for a school like Stetson to try to bring some other Florida schools on board at the same time. Florida State, USF, and Miami would likely be forced to play in their native conferences, but the others could form a Florida/Georgia lacrosse-only conference:

Mercer
Stetson
Jacksonville
Florida
Central Florida
Florida Atlantic
Florida International

(06-26-2009 11:04 PM)HatterFan Wrote:  I've heard nothing about lacrosse, nobody I know has heard anything about lacrosse, and we're pretty decently tied in to goings on in the Edmunds Center. (Yes, having connections to something like Stetson Athletics does fall into the "tallest midget" kind of category, I'm aware, thanks).

I think we'd have to 86 the crew teams to make this happen, speaking theoretically and financially. I doubt crew is very expensive - lacrosse is. Maybe one day at Stetson but not likely any time soon.

How is lacrosse more expensive than crew? Crew needs boats and a boathouse, which requires a lot of maintenance and are expensive. Lacrosse needs some goals, some sticks, and some helmets.

(06-27-2009 08:05 AM)chargeradio Wrote:  It'd make sense for a school like Stetson to try to bring some other Florida schools on board at the same time. Florida State, USF, and Miami would likely be forced to play in their native conferences, but the others could form a Florida/Georgia lacrosse-only conference:

Mercer
Stetson
Jacksonville
Florida
Central Florida
Florida Atlantic
Florida International

Lacrosse is not on the radar at UCF for the moment. A few years back, I thought it might be, but at present if we were able to add a sport, we'd bring back Men's Track first and foremost. Men's Track would be offset by Sand (Beach) Volleyball.

travel, for one - crew goes in vans, lacrosse needs a bus. I'm not entirely sure how many rowers travel with a crew team, but lacrosse would be approx. 25 players, at least 2 coaches, an athletic trainer and maybe a manager and/or SID as well. For Stetson crew, it's the kids and the one coach (volunteer assistant maybe too). Plus, lax has way more contests than crew - where road games would be a long way away for any FL based team. Plus there are insurance costs to consider. Lax - heavy hitting contact sport; crew - 4 or 8 kids rowing a boat gently down the stream, merrily merrily merrily...

KSU has a club team that competes against other universities. I don't see (hope) KSU goes that route. Football, football, football.

All I was asked at interviews was, "oh KSU is supposed to get a football team, right?" Then I'd lie to them, "YEAH! It's coming soon, just give me a job."

(06-18-2009 10:57 PM)NoDak Wrote:  Any school that has football aspirations probably wouldn't add lacrosse.

You're probably correct. How disappointing.