Sponsorship of the sport at its premier level has never been as strong. For many in the lacrosse world, “60” is no longer just the length in seconds of some penalties, but rather a milestone  — in the 2010 season, 60 teams will compete in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse.

It’s never been as tenuous, either. With increasing roster sizes, equipment, recruiting and travel expenses, and as many as 12.6 scholarships to fund, Division I men’s lacrosse can come at a considerable expense — making it a target for elimination when schools need to trim athletic budgets (witness Butler in 2007). In the midst of the current economic downtown, many colleges instituted cost-cutting measures, which included the elimination of some varsity sports.

Men’s lacrosse has thus far made it through unscathed.

Women’s lacrosse presents an attractive option, particularly at colleges in need of stricter compliance with Title IX.

With that in mind, LM took a trip around the country and stopped at those D-I colleges that could realistically add the sport in the not-so-distant future.

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Boston University

Location: Boston, Mass.

Men’s lax, women’s lax or both: Men’s

Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
We don’t want just any yokels adding lacrosse — we want someone who will do it right and be competitive. In the 2009 Director’s Cup rankings, BU placed 68th out of 271 for the winningest all-around athletic department, the highest ranking for a school without a football program. The Terriers want to be competitive in every sport, and lacrosse would make a great addition. BU plays in the America East, and could compete for an AQ. BU has a thriving men’s club program and is in Boston, a hotbed area. It would be an attractive school for recruits academically and socially, and there are plenty of programs in New England to flesh out the Terriers’ nonconference schedule.

Why it’s not there already:
Title IX could be an issue — that is why the school unceremoniously pulled the plug on football mid-season in 1997. Also, since BU is so competitive in many sports across the board, there’s not really a struggling men’s program you could cut in favor of lacrosse. Nickerson Field has hosted NCAA championships, Major League Lacrosse and even President George H.W. Bush, but it’s not much to look at.

—Clare Lochary

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University of Colorado

Location: Boulder, Colo.

Men’s lax, women’s lax or both: Men’s

Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
With a total of 14 varsity programs, including just six for men, this 30,000-student campus would appear to have the room to add another men’s varsity sport. Men’s lacrosse has been a very successful CU club program, with top five rankings in four of the past six years. Additionally, the program already has a national presence, with 12 different states represented on its 45-player roster and a 2009 schedule that included road games at Michigan, Michigan State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida State and BYU, among others. The campus is situated in an ideal spot, just one hour from downtown Denver, to capitalize on the rapid growth of the game in Colorado, and the team would have immediate natural rivalries with in-state foes University of Denver and the Air Force Academy.

Why it’s not there already:
The most obvious answer, as it is for nearly all D-1 schools offering scholarships and funding, is gender equity. Can the school justify the addition of more men’s scholarships and the needed financial commitment (travel, coaching salaries, facilities, support staff) that comes with a varsity program? The athletics department has had financial troubles in the past that forced it to drop programs (baseball, wrestling, swimming), so it may be gun-shy about adding new programs. And even if CU were in a financial position to add new teams, lacrosse would have to win out over other popular and less expensive options that include ice hockey, men’s soccer, volleyball and golf.

—Paul Ohanian

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University of Connecticut

Location: Storrs, Conn.

Men’s lax, women’s lax or both: Men’s

Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
It did once. UConn fielded a varsity men’s lacrosse team from 1966 to 1982, and with the advent of the Big East in 2010, the time is ripe for a return. Connecticut boasts over 13,000 youth and high school players, sixth-most among states whose flagship institutions sponsor NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse. UConn has the facilities in place — including Joseph J. Morrone Stadium, an 8,574-seat, natural-grass facility in which the Huskies’ D-I women’s team competes, and the Mark R. Shenkman Training Center, an indoor facility with a 120-yard FieldTurf playing surface and 45-foot high catwalk wired for video. There’s also a groundswell of support for the cause. Lax4ct.com, a Web site lobbying UConn to reinstate men’s lacrosse, boasts several hundred boosters and over 4,000 Facebook followers.

Why it’s not there already:
Title IX, presumably. And unlike other axed programs like N.C. State and Boston College, UConn was never all that competitive. There’s not much history to harp on. For instance, Army was an annual game on UConn’s schedule. The Black Knights owned the Huskies from 1976 to 1981, winning all six games by an average margin of 14 goals. Connecticut’s in-state talent is now of a much higher caliber, however, and with the right administrative support, recruits would flood its world-class facilities.

—Matt DaSilva

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Davidson College

Location: Davidson, N.C.

Men’s lax, women’s lax or both: Men’s

Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
Davidson ranks as the ninth best liberal arts college in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report. Lacrosse is one of the few sports where the true academic heavyweights have proven they can legitimately compete on a national level. Davidson is a very desirable place to recruit to — academics, great weather, good facilities, beautiful campus, proximity to a metro area (Charlotte) — and would be primed for success if given appropriate resources.

Why it’s not there already:
Realistically, Davidson would probably have to drop football in order to add lacrosse. Football dates to the 19th century at Davidson, so the program has historical significance at the college. However, Davidson is an orphan in Division I football. The Wildcats play in a non-scholarship league that features teams from eight states, including California, Florida, Iowa, and New York — hardly an ideal situation.

—Brian Logue

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DePaul University

Location: Chicago, Ill.

Men’s lax, women’s lax or both: Men’s

Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
The men’s lacrosse answer to Northwestern. The Wildcats proved that lacrosse can survive and thrive in the Midwest, and the prospect of living in such a cool city has lured many East Coasters out to Chicago. Thanks to a Big East Conference affiliation, the Blue Demons could have a great schedule up and running quickly and would at least be able to compete for an AQ. No football program at DePaul to compete with for Title IX compliance. If Title IX was an issue, DePaul might consider ditching its men’s golf program, which GolfWeek ranked 155 out of 298 total programs at the end of the 2009 season.

Why it’s not there already:
Scheduling nonconference opponents would difficult, given the school’s geographic constraints. There’s a minimal (if growing) grassroots interest in lacrosse, and DePaul’s urban campus could make it difficult to find space for practice and games.

—Clare Lochary

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Florida State University

Location: Tallahassee, Fla.

Men’s lax, women’s lax or both: Both

Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
The addition of the two Seminole squads would add a southern anchor for the ACC in both sports and capitalize on the growth on the game in the Sunshine State. The men’s program is already one of the nation’s stronger MCLA teams, with nearly 100 wins over the past six years and five appearances in the national tournament. The 50-player roster features a good blend of transplants from the Northeast as well as homegrown talent. The women’s club team is not quite as developed and relies primarily on in-state products, but it has the potential to become an attractive destination for many northerners. A healthy rivalry against the University of Florida’s new women’s program should serve as a catalyst to spur the team’s development in a climate that lends itself to year-round outdoor play.

Why it’s not there already:
It’s likely that the school would want to add both programs at the same time, and that takes a sizeable commitment. Despite the addition of varsity teams at Jacksonville and UF, there’s still a dearth of D-I programs in the state, making multiple road trips north a financial reality for every season. FSU’s athletics director has already stated that, based on an evaluation of potential expenses and needed resources, women’s bowling will be the next sport added to the varsity lineup. He has also said recently that due to the state’s current budget crisis, which forced FSU to trim its athletics budget by $3.5 million, it’s likely that it will be several years before the school considers adding any other sports.

—Paul Ohanian

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University of Michigan

Location: Ann Arbor, Mich.

Men’s lax, women’s lax or both: Both

Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
In a 2007 interview with LM, associate AD Mike Stevenson said the university wants “teams that represent what’s offered in the Michigan public schools.” The base is growing — 4,249 boys and 2,136 girls played at Michigan high schools in 2009, compared with 3,032 boys and 1,435 girls in 2005, the first year the MHSAA sanctioned the sport. Participation in boys’ lacrosse passed ice hockey — a UM varsity offering — in 2008. The Wolverines operate men’s and women’s lacrosse teams at “varsity club” status, so they already get some funding from the athletic department. Construction of a nifty three-field soccer complex, including a 2,200-seat game stadium, is wrapping up, and the complex sure could use some tenants in the spring. Adding varsity lacrosse also would give UM another leg up on little brother Michigan State, which dropped its varsity men’s team in 1997. Club games between the two have drawn 4,000 fans to various high school stadiums.

Why it’s not already there:
With 13 women’s sports and 12 men’s, the university’s athletic offerings are at gender equity. Despite the free fall (pun intended) of sponsoring schools of NCAA Division I men’s gymnastics (16, down from 42 in 1986-87) and its lack of sponsorship in the MHSAA, Michigan has yet to pull the trigger to deep-six the sport — likely a must before varsity lacrosse can be added.

—Paul Krome

North Carolina State University

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Location: Raleigh, N.C.

Men’s lax, women’s lax or both: Both

Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
It may not have been “worst to first,” but from 1973 to 1982, N.C. State’s varsity men’s team went from a laughing stock to an NCAA tournament team. Using Canadian imports is in vogue these days, but State was decades ahead of the curve. Led by Canadian Hall of Famer Stan Cockerton, a three-time All-American who graduated in 1980 as the NCAA’s career goals leader with 193, the Wolfpack finished as ACC runner-up twice and qualified for the 1979 NCAA tournament. The sport is on the rise in the Tar Heel State, as evidenced by the recent sanctioning of boys’ and girls’ lacrosse by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Talent will follow as youth leagues continue to develop, providing a more fertile local recruiting base that was nonexistent 30 years ago.

Why it’s not already there:
The Wolfpack had a bit of a renegade status, as multiple reports had players taking “play hard, party hard” to the extreme — alcohol-induced destruction of property both on and away from campus. The team was dropped after the 1982 season, in part due to that recklessness and in part due to the considerable financial expenditures of recruiting and playing games out of state at a time when the NCAA was mandating an overall reduction in scholarships for non-revenue sports. State, like many in the arms race of college athletics, isn’t likely to add any sports unless it can fully outfit such a team to win an NCAA title. The Wolfpack have invested millions in facilities for football, basketball and non-revenue sports under athletic director Lee Fowler, and how much financial support exists for getting women’s and men’s lacrosse off the ground remains a question.

—Paul Krome

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West Virginia University

Location: Morgantown, W.Va.

Men’s lax, women’s lax or both: Both

Why varsity lacrosse would make sense:
Country roads, take me home. West Virginia’s recruiting arm would reach Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania, while growth of lacrosse in the Midwest also would feed it well. Need a more ringing endorsement? Here’s one from new WVU president James P. Clements, a UMBC graduate with post-graduate degrees from both UMBC and Johns Hopkins, as told to the Times West Virginian: “I will tell you what has [hit the radar]. Several places I’ve heard, ‘When are you going to add lacrosse?’ The Big East has a conference now. You have Syracuse. You have Villanova. You have Georgetown. What about here? It’s perfect. You can recruit Maryland and New York.” Clements was previously the provost for Towson and is an Arlington, Va., native. There’s plenty of lacrosse in that Mid-Atlantic pedigree.

Why it’s not there already:
Despite the national growth of the sport, West Virginia does not yet boast the kind of infrastructure that would have locals clamoring for its addition to the flagship institution. US Lacrosse launched a West Virginia chapter in January 2009, a key step in the sport’s development within state boundaries. More grassroots growth nearby might make lacrosse a more attractive option to WVU.

http://www.laxmagazine.com/blogs/091109_whos_next