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CAA Lacrosse News
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June 16 , 2008
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CAA ADDS UMASS AND PENN STATE AS ASSOCIATE MEMBERS IN MEN'S LACROSSE |
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RICHMOND, Va. (June 16, 2008) -- The Colonial Athletic Association will add
the University of Massachusetts and The Pennsylvania State University as
associate members in the sport of men's lacrosse beginning with the 2010
season, CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager announced on Monday.
UMass and Penn State join the University of Delaware, Drexel University,
Hofstra University and Towson University to form a competitive six-team
conference whose champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's
Lacrosse Championship.
"We are proud to welcome the University of Massachusetts and Penn State to
the CAA in men's lacrosse," Yeager said. "Both schools have excellent
programs along with outstanding coaches and players. Their addition will
keep CAA men's lacrosse among the top Division I conferences in the nation."
A realignment of men's lacrosse conferences nationally - spurred by the Big
East Conference and Northeast Conference's new sponsorship of the sport -
led to the changes in CAA membership. Current members Sacred Heart and
Robert Morris will move to the NEC and Villanova will move to the Big East
following the 2009 campaign. Yeager said that the CAA will continue to
evaluate additional membership options.
UMass has been to the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship 17 times in its
history, including four appearances since 2002 under head coach Greg
Cannella. The Minutemen reached the national championship game in 2006. Penn
State participated in the 2003 and 2005 NCAA Tournaments and the Nittany
Lions have won more than 200 games during the 31-year tenure of head coach
Glenn Thiel. Both schools are currently members of the ECAC for lacrosse.
UMass and Penn State will bolster a conference that has seen plenty of
success in recent years. The CAA has sent a pair of teams to the NCAA Men's
Lacrosse Championship three times in the past six seasons. Delaware has gone
to the NCAA Tournament twice in the last four years and reached the NCAA
semifinals in 2007. Towson has earned five NCAA berths in the last eight
seasons and advanced to the semifinals in 2001. Hofstra has made eight trips
to the NCAA Tournament since 1996, including five since 2000. Drexel has
shared the CAA regular-season title for the past two years and won a
school-record 13 games in 2007 and finished the year ranked #15 in the
nation.
Source: CAA
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