Lacrosse - College Lacrosse

College Lacrosse

Lacrosse in the United States is played at the collegiate level in both the club and sanctioned team sport. There are currently 63 NCAA sanctioned Division I men's lacrosse teams, 46 Division II men's lacrosse teams, and 189 Division III men's lacrosse teams. There are also currently 91 Division I women's lacrosse teams, 57 Division II women's lacrosse Teams, and 201 Division III women's lacrosse teams. 209 collegiate men's club teams compete at the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association level, including most major universities in the United States. Another 107 schools have club teams in the National College Lacrosse League.

The first U. S. intercollegiate game was played on November 22, 1877 between New York University and Manhattan College. Lacrosse had been introduced in upstate New York in the 1860s. Lacrosse was further introduced to the Baltimore area in the 1890s. These two areas continue to be the hotbeds of college lacrosse in the U.S. The first intercollegiate lacrosse tournament was held in 1881, with Harvard beating Princeton, 3-0, in the championship game.

The NCAA men's Lacrosse Division I in 1971, when Cornell took the first championship over Maryland, 12–6. Johns Hopkins has 9 championships with three consecutive wins from 1978 to 1980. The other two teams that have three consecutive wins are Syracuse from 1988 to 1990 and Princeton from 1996 to 1998. Syracuse also holds the NCAA record of championships with 11, the last occurring in 2009. In 2010 Duke took their first NCAA Championship over Notre Dame in an exciting 6-5 overtime game. The Division I national championship tournament draws one of the largest crowds of any Division I NCAA sport.

The NCAA men's Lacrosse Division III is growing at a much faster rate than Division I. There are currently 189 Division III teams playing in 20 difference conferences in 2012 compared to 130 teams in 2005. Salisbury State University was the 2012 Division III national champion.

There is also the MCLA. This is Mens Club Lacrosse Association. It is played at schools that do not have a NCAA lacrosse team. There are two divisions. The 2012 Division I MCLA champion was Colorado State University and Division II was won by the University of St. Thomas.

NCAA women's Lacrosse Division I began play in 1982. The University of Maryland, College Park has traditionally dominated the women's intercollegiate play, producing many head coaches across the country and many U.S. national team players. The Terrapins won seven consecutive NCAA championships, from 1995 through 2001. Princeton University's women's teams have made it to the final game seven times since 1993 and have won three NCAA titles, in 1993, 2002, and 2003. In recent years, Northwestern University has become a force, winning the national championship from 2005 through 2009. Maryland ended Northwestern's streak by defeating the Wildcats in the 2010 final.