LAX Conference Expansion

[Hoo's That]

I wouldn't mind seeing BC pickup D1 LAX again.

VPI and NC State both had D-1 teams and dropped them as well. We beat VPI 27-0 in their last year as a varsity.

 

[CousCuse]

If this is LAX expansion, UMASS 100%.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

VPI and NC State both had D-1 teams and dropped them as well. We beat VPI 27-0 in their last year as a varsity.

The Carolina/Virginia Mafia have enough teams.

We need a northern team to balance the scales

 

[Hoo's That]

The Carolina/Virginia Mafia have enough teams.

We need a northern team to balance the scales

My theory on expansion has always been that whichever school is thinking about being #6 is waiting for another school to be #7. This way they don't "end up in 6th place" every year, they're "playing to be in 6th place"; 1-5 is better psychologically than 0-6. Who knows. There could even be "secret negotiations" about this among the likely candidates. It will be be tougher for Pitt to get a men's team now that they've added a women's team.

 

[ClvrUsrnm]

Taking Title IX into consideration, are there any ACC schools that are in a position to simply add a men’s sport at this point?

I’m guessing not, which means they’d all have to add a women’s team or teams to remain Title IX compliant.

 

[UrbanaOrange]

Clemson recently added women's lax and gymnastics... Maybe this makes them Title IX compliant and gives them the ability to add men's lax.

Their women's lax team is scheduled to start next year. They have already assembled quite a few good 22 & 23 recruits and seem be the preferred landing spot for transfers as well.

 

[ForCuseSake]

If this is LAX expansion, UMASS 100%.

They'd never leave the B1G!

Amirite, Cousy!

(For lax posters who stick primarily to this forum, Cousy loves to troll about UMASS's expected acceptance of an imminent invitation from the B1G.)

 

[CousCuse]

They'd never leave the B1G!

Amirite, Cousy!

(For lax posters who stick primarily to this forum, Cousy loves to troll about UMASS's expected acceptance of an imminent invitation from the B1G.)

UMASS would be a decent fit for ACC lax, that is all at this juncture.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

UMASS would be a decent fit for ACC lax, that is all at this juncture.

Garber Field is a goat track. Can't get out of there without at least 1 knee or ankle injury every game.

 

[CousCuse]

Garber Field is a goat track. Can't get out of there without at least 1 knee or ankle injury every game.

Tell them they have to fix it before they could join.

 

[wgdsr]

Taking Title IX into consideration, are there any ACC schools that are in a position to simply add a men’s sport at this point?

I’m guessing not, which means they’d all have to add a women’s team or teams to remain Title IX compliant.

nobody has ever really defined what being title ix compliant really is. the law and the courts put a 3 pronged satisfaction template out there, but one of the 3 is ignored entirely and only 1 gets a lot of talk (proportionality). but even with that, many schools are and continue to be out of whack and nothing is done to them.

it would seem to be non-pc to add a mens team and no womens team, even if your school is mostly male. really the biggest stumbling block is an a.d.'s want to. they don't want the potential headache, particularly at a p5 school where football and basketball drives the bus.

in theory, bc, gt, vt and nc state are all in good shape. gt and nc state wouldn't get away with adding mens and no womens lax, even though they are mostly male and in theory they could. bc and vt could also without a womens sport given the proportionality of students and athletes, but see above.

 

[fieldystick]

Georgia Tech. Their MCLA team has been to a bunch of Final 4s.

I don't understand what gives with them. As a STEM school they have Title IX room (as does NC State) and lacrosse is an official championship sport for Georgia high schools. I guess it's a money issue?

We don't have the money. GTAA is broke.

We'd get our butts whipped in the ACC for probably a decade, but I think we'd be good eventually.

I personally would be all for it. Our days as a football power are over, and we're really just wasting time and money trying at this point chasing that.

 

[fieldystick]

gt and nc state wouldn't get away with adding mens and no womens lax, even though they are mostly male and in theory they could.

I have a suspicious that if GT added men's lacrosse (we won't) that we'd actually add women's soccer alongside it.

The ACC conference bylaws were actually written in such a way to tailor to that we don't currently have women's soccer. We are the only ACC member that does not sponsor it.

"However, the ACC itself requires sponsorship of only four sports—football, men's basketball, women's basketball, and either women's soccer or women's volleyball."

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Regarding gender ratio: when I started at Tech, the ratio was close to 70/30 and GT almost qualified as a single gender school for athletics per NCAA bylaws. However, over the last decade, that ratio has moved south of 60/40. Last year's freshman class was 44% female - sourced below. So I don't think even in theory we could get away with not adding a women's sport with men's lacrosse.

 

[wgdsr]

I have a suspicious that if GT added men's lacrosse (we won't) that we'd actually add women's soccer alongside it.

The ACC conference bylaws were actually written in such a way to tailor to that we don't currently have women's soccer. We are the only ACC member that does not sponsor it.

"However, the ACC itself requires sponsorship of only four sports—football, men's basketball, women's basketball, and either women's soccer or women's volleyball."

-

Regarding gender ratio: when I started at Tech, the ratio was close to 70/30 and GT almost qualified as a single gender school for athletics per NCAA bylaws. However, over the last decade, that ratio has moved south of 60/40. Last year's freshman class was 44% female - sourced below. So I don't think even in theory we could get away with not adding a women's sport with men's lacrosse.View attachment 216191

interesting tidbit about soccer. and i wonder if girls hs lax is growing in georgia like boys lax is?

Equity in Athletics

ope.ed.gov

this is a go to site for what's reported to dept of ed. i just "google dept of ed athletic departments".
ga tech is still 60/40 according to them. that's way over the line for proportionality, what's commonly referred to as the stumbling block for adding mens sports (the opposite).

note it doesn't have to be perfect, and look at many other schools to see that they can live just fine under title ix with just the status quo. if an a.d. really wanted it, imo it could happen there. they'd have hundreds of other cases to point out of them being in line, and other schools not. no one would want that headache, though. and adding a womens like soccer or lax would keep the wolves away.

 

[fieldystick]

interesting tidbit about soccer. and i wonder if girls hs lax is growing in georgia like boys lax is?

Overall, I'd say that soccer remains more popular than lacrosse by a large margin at the high school level in Georgia. Lacrosse is growing majorly in metro Atlanta, but there are only a few - disproportionately skewing toward private - schools in the other large Georgia cities that play lacrosse.

I live in a rural county in southern Georgia. I would be willing to bet my entire livelihood that I am the only person in my county of about 20,000 that owns lacrosse sticks, but there are four high schools here that field soccer teams and the county also has soccer club teams. Just an example.


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I just pulled the GHSA lacrosse area assignments. These are all the high schools that I would say are clearly outside of metro Atlanta that play lacrosse:

NE Georgia/Athens: Gainesville, George Walton, Riverside Military, Oconee County, North Oconee

NW Georgia: Bremen, Dalton, Darlington

Augusta metro: Evans, Grovetown, Lakeside

Columbus metro: Columbus

Macon metro: First Presbyterian Day, Mount de Sales, Stratford

Savannah metro: Beach, Benedictine, Calvary Day, Effingham County, Islands, Johnson, Richmond Hill, South Effingham, Savannah Country Day, Savannah Christian

Several schools in Savannah have added in the last few years, so that's encouraging to me to see that. But I'd say that lacrosse in the state is still pretty much centered around Atlanta with only a few pockets of it being played elsewhere. I live about 75 miles from any high school that currently offers lacrosse to illustrate that it hasn't completely taken hold all over the state yet.

 

[Hoo's That]

No question if GT was in a position to add new sports they'd add M and W soccer before they'd add lacrosse.

 

[ClvrUsrnm]

Obviously, costs are an important consideration. I would imagine soccer is cheaper than lacrosse. Smaller rosters, less equipment. Not sure about scholarship #’s for soccer.

 

[Zack80]

No question if GT was in a position to add new sports they'd add M and W soccer before they'd add lacrosse.

It is fair to note that Richmond dropped soccer and added lacrosse.

 

[wgdsr]

No question if GT was in a position to add new sports they'd add M and W soccer before they'd add lacrosse.

not so sure. with the noted financial scrambling at ga tech, any new non-revenue would likely come about with a big money donor. if an alum with deep pockets was connected to lax vs soccer, lacrosse might take the lead.

in any event, given the b1g and sec delta in revenue that'll probably just grow, and the acc trying to keep pace on time, energy and resources while drawing the short straw... i'd expect any new teams to come out of the b1g before the acc.

 

[CuseAlum87]

I know it has been discussed before and is unlikely to happen, but Boston College makes the most sense to me. They have a very strong women's program and had a men's program previously. For recruiting purposes, the school is academically desirable and there is a lot of high school talent in New
England to draw from. I find it frustrating that the ACC can't field 6 teams.

 

[fieldystick]

I know it has been discussed before and is unlikely to happen, but Boston College makes the most sense to me. They have a very strong women's program and had a men's program previously. For recruiting purposes, the school is academically desirable and there is a lot of high school talent in New
England to draw from. I find it frustrating that the ACC can't field 6 teams.

I agree that BC seems like the strongest overall candidate of the current 10 that don't have men's lacrosse.

 

[TexanMark]

Now that Utah is getting more competitive, they would seem like an interesting associate member for the ACC.

Denver would be more logical.

 

[Zack80]

Denver would be more logical.

It would depend on what you were looking at.
I was looking at it from the sense that Utah is a Pac12 school, and doesn't really fit with the teams in its current conference, but would fit better with the ACC schools.

Denver does not fit that criteria.

 

[Laxfanshutt]

 

[orange79]

What day is today?

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