Newswise — Beginning in the 2007-2008 academic year, Adrian College will offer an opportunity for athletes unlike any other college or university in Michigan: the chance to play NCAA varsity lacrosse.
Adrian's president announced on Nov. 2 that the College is adding men's and women's lacrosse to its NCAA Div. III athletic programs. The teams will play in a new $5.5 million performance stadium that will be ready next fall.
"Lacrosse will help Adrian to capitalize on the great history of the sport, and to take advantage of growing nationwide interest," President Jeffrey Docking said. "It will allow us to extend and develop the playing careers of high school lacrosse players from across the country, and is an excellent opportunity for us to build enrollment."
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHSA), lacrosse has the fastest growth rate of any high school sport over the past 10 years, at 188.6 percent. The Michigan High School Athletic Association recently adopted men's and women's lacrosse as fully endorsed sports, and awarded statewide championships last year.
Adrian College and others have club teams, but no institution in Michigan is currently competing as a fully qualified men's or women's NCAA varsity team.
The College will soon begin a national search for head coaches for both the men's and women's lacrosse teams, and will make selections by March or April of 2006. In addition, it will hire a coach for women's field hockey, another sport that the new stadium will make possible. Field hockey makes a comeback at Adrian for the first time since 1990.
Adrian College is a private, residential college located in the city of Adrian in southeast Michigan. It currently has an enrollment of about 1,000 students. The College aims to raise the number to 1,400 over the next few years, and the new stadium and athletic programs are one part of that plan.
In addition to lacrosse and field hockey, the multisport performance stadium will be used for men's and women's soccer and for football.
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