The Atlantic 10 Conference will add men’s lacrosse as a championship sport for the 2022-23 academic year, according to a release from the conference.
The announcement on Monday morning means the A-10 will sponsor 22 sports in the upcoming year.
“Adding men’s lacrosse to the portfolio of Atlantic 10 sponsored sports provides a home for our four full-time members, who have requested this for several years,” Bernadette McGlade, A-10 commissioner, said via release.
Member schools Massachusetts, Richmond, St. Bonaventure and Saint Joseph’s currently sponsor men’s lacrosse at the varsity level and will move to the A-10 for the upcoming season. In addition, High Point University and Hobart College will play as men’s lacrosse affiliate members, giving the A-10 the six teams required for postseason eligibility.
“Welcoming both High Point and Hobart College as affiliate members rounds out a strong collection of teams that have been nationally competitive, playing in the NCAA postseason multiple times, with multiple national championship appearances,” McGlade said.
Located in New York, Hobart College is a Division III school that participates in Division I for men’s lacrosse. Their program is the oldest of the six in the A-10, dating back to 1898. The Statesmen have won 16 national titles at various levels before elevating to Division I in 1995. Since 2014, the Hobart Statesmen have participated in the Northeast Conference as affiliate members.
High Point University, from High Point, North Carolina, has sponsored men’s lacrosse since 2013. The program has played in the Southern Conference since 2015 after playing its inaugural season in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Of the A-10’s full-time members, UMass has the longest history in men’s lacrosse. The Minutemen have played men’s lacrosse since 1954, earning 19 NCAA Tournament berths. In 2006, UMass were national runners up, losing the title game to an undefeated Virginia team.
Saint Joseph’s began sponsoring men’s lacrosse in 1993, with Richmond and St. Bonaventure adding the program in 2014 and 2019, respectively. Richmond has earned four NCAA Tournament berths in program history, while Saint Joseph’s advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year.
Men’s lacrosse will be the 10th men’s sport fielded by the conference. It joins field hockey as the only sports fielded by the A-10 with affiliate members.
This expansion continues a period of growth for the A-10. In November, Loyola University Chicago announced its departure from the Missouri Valley Conference to join the A-10. That move will be effective July 1.
