J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Columnist
Lacrosse will officially come to Mercer University as a NCAA D-I sport in 2010-11. The men’s program will begin its inaugural season next school year while a women’s program will start up during the 2011-12 academic year. The two programs will be Mercer’s 15th and 16th Division I intercollegiate teams.
Generated by unequaled popularity and interest during the past two years, lacrosse quickly rose through the ranks as a club sport before being announced in June as a Division I varsity sport in 2010-11. Started by a core group of lacrosse enthusiasts, the club saw its roster peak at over 40 players at the beginning of last season. Officially added as a club sport in 2007-08, the lacrosse team has had mixed results against other club teams the past two years.
They’ve faced other competitive club-level teams from around the southeast, including Kennesaw State, North Florida, Augusta State, and SCAD. However, a move up to Division I status will require them to play much more established programs in the southeast such as Duke, North Carolina, as well as recently started programs at Presbyterian, and Jacksonville. Currently, 64 universities have NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse while 89 Division I schools carry women’s programs. Mercer University will be the only NCAA D1 school in Georgia to offer the sport.
“Lacrosse is becoming a very popular sport in the Southeast,” Mercer athletic director Bobby Pope said on MercerBears.com. He added, “We will be the first NCAA Division I program in Georgia, so this will be a great opportunity for Mercer to set the bar high for the sport in our state.”
Faculty advisor Emory Dunn has provided direction and has helped initiate interest in the club for the past three years and is excited to see the sport finally come to Mercer. “There was a plan to generate interest in the lacrosse program all along and we hope that the sport will bring students from the Northeast as well as private schools in the state of Georgia [with lacrosse programs],” he commented.
One of unfortunate aspects of creating a new program is recruiting players from scratch. However, the current lack of a program doesn’t seem to worry Dunn at all. “We’ve seen a good bit of interest. The team has an inquiry form on the website and we’ve seen a good number (150+) inquiring to play,” he added.
Obviously, another hurdle will be traveling for away games. Trips to Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia may become commonplace after Mercer exhausts playing the current programs in the Southeast. The fall season’s club schedule doesn’t venture outside of the state of Georgia but only includes five games against four in-state club teams.
The pending obstacles seem minor in comparison to the excitement generated by the news. Michael DellaPolla, a player involved from the beginning of the formation of the team, was excited about the changes it would bring to Mercer’s campus. “Mercer Lacrosse will be undergoing tons of changes this year in hopes of becoming the next ‘big thing’ at Mercer,” DellaPolla said. He added, “From recruiting to using the soccer field for games, fans will now be able to watch Mercer’s newest Division 1 sport from the stands!”
You don’t have to wait until next season to watch the men with sticks, shoulder pads, and helmets battle though. The Bears will play a five game slate during the fall, highlighted by two home contests against the Inferno and Georgia State University.
2009 Fall Schedule
Sept. 13 – @ Inferno (3pm)
Sept. 19 - @ Georgia Tech (4pm)
Oct. 3 – @ Georgia Southern (12pm)
Nov. 14 – vs. Inferno (3pm)
Nov. 21 – vs. Georgia State (10am) [Homecoming]
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