Six geographically aligned schools ? Furman, High Point, Jacksonville, Mercer, VMI and Richmond ? have submitted an application to the NCAA to play as a lacrosse-only league and announced Monday that they'll play as full or affiliate members of the Atlantic Sun, which houses Mercer and Jacksonville as full members.
High Point and Mercer will play this season as independents, while VMI and Jacksonville are members of the MAAC for lacrosse only. In 2014, Richmond and Furman will begin their first seasons of Division I lacrosse.
Momentum for the conference is said to have taken a step forward after Richmond, originally exploring its options with other conferences, agreed to at least a short-term membership with the league.
While the NCAA has traditionally mandated that conferences operate with six members for two full seasons before receiving an automatic qualifier in the third season, the A-Sun release said: "The six teams will play a single round-robin schedule, along with the championship to be scheduled in May of 2014. As a multi-sport conference, the A-Sun is immediately eligible for automatic qualification into the NCAA championship. The NCAA Championships Cabinet determines the format for NCAA championships."
Bellarmine, which scored an impressive 9-8 season-opening win over Robert Morris on Saturday, has often been rumored as a target for a potential southern lacrosse conference, but has been a member of the ECAC since 2010 (and were members of the GWLL before that); a source told Inside Lacrosse that officials from the Louisville university have not been in contact with the group organizing the application and won?t be a part of the prospective league.
This year, the Northeast Conference champ will receive an AQ for the first time, though the conference is in flux after Quinnipiac?s and Monmouth?s athletic departments announced in December their departure to join the MAAC for the 2013-14 school year. Monmouth announced the addition of DI men?s lacrosse last March to begin in the 2014 season.
The NEC?s AQ is good through 2015 regardless of whether they find a sixth team prior to then, as is the Big East?s (or whatever it would be called) despite its departures, so an Atlantic Sun automatic bid would be the ninth AQ in DI men's lacrosse, which would necessitate a play-in game for the NCAA Tournament because of a bylaw that no more than 50% of the tournament field could gain entry via an automatic bid.
Like the women?s NCAA Tournament did before it expanded last summer, a play-in game would likely pit the winners of two of the lowest-rated RPI conferences in a matchup prior to the first weekend of Tournament play.
Atlantic Sun Release
MACON, Ga. ? The Atlantic Sun Conference will debut men?s lacrosse as an NCAA Division I championship sport in the spring of 2014, adding its third new sport in as many years and the 20th sport overall to its roster.
?We are very proud to continue a tradition of growth in the Atlantic Sun Conference with the addition of men?s lacrosse as our newest championship sport,? said A-Sun Commissioner Ted Gumbart. ?The A-Sun continues to be a leader in building opportunities for student-athletes and we are very excited about working with the distinguished institutions who will be joining us to provide this additional conference championship. From our debut as the first Division I conference to sponsor sand volleyball last spring, to this spring?s initial women?s lacrosse championship and on to men?s lacrosse next spring, we are committed to expanding competitive opportunities and forging partnerships that will allow us to meet that goal.?
Consistent with its mission and efforts to build alliances that increase competitive opportunities for student-athletes, the A-Sun will coordinate conference competition for the following group of men's lacrosse programs: Jacksonville, Mercer, Furman (affiliate), High Point (affiliate), Richmond (affiliate) and VMI (affiliate). Furman and Richmond will play their inaugural seasons in 2013-14.
The A-Sun becomes the 10th conference in NCAA Division I to sponsor men?s lacrosse as a championship sport, joining the America East, Atlantic Coast, Big East, Colonial Athletic Association, ECAC Lacrosse League, Independents, Ivy League, Metro Atlantic Athletic, Northeast Conference, and the Patriot League. For the 2012-13 academic year, there are 61 NCAA-sanctioned Division I men's lacrosse teams.
?The A-Sun welcomes the addition of men?s lacrosse and the outstanding institutions who will be affiliate members,? said Dr. Wilson Bradshaw, FGCU President and A-Sun Presidents Council Chair. ?We are pleased to continue the expansion of A-Sun competition and the growth in opportunities for our student-athletes.?
The six teams will play a single round robin schedule, along with the championship to be scheduled in May of 2014. As a multi-sport conference, the A-Sun is immediately eligible for automatic qualification into the NCAA championship. The NCAA Championships Cabinet determines the format for NCAA championships.
The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun footprint reaches into seven of the top media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, Northern Kentucky University, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
st louis university mario manningham mario manningham williams syndrome hoya casa de mi padre corned beef and cabbage
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.