ATLANTA Ga. - The ASUN Conference proudly announces the formation of ASUN Men's Lacrosse. This is the second time in nine years that the ASUN has built a new Men's Lacrosse conference. The partnership with the Southern Conference continues as the ASUN again builds opportunities for student-athletes.
The ASUN first built a Men's Lacrosse conference in Fall 2012 when it announced ASUN Men's Lacrosse with a founding membership of Furman, High Point, Jacksonville, Mercer, Richmond, and VMI. That group began play in the 2013-14 season with the Richmond Spiders earning an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship. Today, the ASUN announces a new group of six that includes Air Force, Bellarmine, Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and Utah.
"The primary goal of our lacrosse partnership with the Southern Conference is to maximize opportunity," ASUN Commissioner Ted Gumbart said. "Our first responsibility is the highest level of service to our full member institutions; when partnerships offer increased opportunity for all, that meets our primary ASUN BEAM of Students First."
The historic step writes a new chapter in the ASUN/SoCon Lacrosse partnership. First announced in January 2014, the Southern Conference and the ASUN Conference have collaborated on providing maximum opportunities for lacrosse programs to find a conference home, a conference schedule, conference honors, and a conference championship - with access to an NCAA Automatic Bid - through the ASUN/SoCon partnership.
The ASUN Conference prides itself on innovation, opportunity and collaboration. By building its second Men's Lacrosse conference in nine years, the ASUN enhances its national reputation for bold steps that benefit student-athletes. The Southern Conference will retain its Men's Lacrosse Championship and NCAA AQ status by playing with a realigned group of six: Hampton, High Point, Jacksonville, Mercer, Richmond, and VMI.
From the Head Coaches
Andrew Whitley - Bellarmine
"I love the national aspect that this alignment provides. Our student-athletes will get to travel and compete in Florida, Utah and Colorado, amongst many others. The level of commitment this display allows each member institution as well as the ASUN to be visible and recognized on a national stage. This is a great partnership for the ASUN, its student-athletes, and college lacrosse as a whole.
John Galloway - Jacksonville
"The ability to expand our outreach with these two conferences is going to give us the opportunity to stamp ourselves as a team in the South that is committed to growing our game beyond the restrictions that existed in the past. In the big picture, this gives more teams an opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament. For us, this gives us a relationship with six other teams that allows us to build a schedule to play 14-to-15 games against high-level opponents. Our initiative as coaches is to grow the game of lacrosse. This relationship will increase participation and help foster future growth for the college game well beyond what currently exists.
