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BAY CITY, Mich. — Great Lakes
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Commissioner Dell
Robinson officially announced that the Conference will add
women’s lacrosse to its list of sponsored sports beginning in
the 2012-13 academic year. The GLIAC now sponsors 22 sports
(11 men’s/11women’s) after the addition of wrestling
during the 2011-12 academic year.
“The GLIAC is very excited about adding
the sport of women’s lacrosse,” stated Robinson.
“The work and forethought of our membership has lacrosse as a
sport on the rise regionally and nationally. The GLIAC is
happy to add this sport adding opportunities for female
student-athletes at our member institutions. “
There will be nine teams competing in the GLIAC
in its inaugural season of women’s lacrosse, including five
full conference members and four affiliate members. The five
full GLIAC members that sponsor women’s lacrosse are:
the University of Findlay; Grand Valley State University, Lake Erie
College; Tiffin University and Walsh University. The four
affiliate members are: Alderson-Broaddus College (W.Va.); Notre
Dame College (Ohio); Urbana University (Ohio); Wheeling Jesuit
University (W.Va.).
With the addition of women’s lacrosse the
GLIAC becomes the sixth NCAA Division II conference to sponsor the
sport. Conference Carolinas, the Central Atlantic Collegiate
Conference, the East Coast Conference, the Northeast-10 and the
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference also sponsor women’s
lacrosse. The GLIAC is the only D-II conference in the Midwest to
sponsor the sport.
“In light of the 40th Anniversary of
Title IX, it is fitting that our conference has added a sport that
increases participation opportunities for our women
student-athletes,” stated Keri Becker, Associate Athletic
Director at Grand Valley State. “Lacrosse has grown
tremendously in the Midwest with institutions adding teams or
exploring the addition of teams. To continue to be a conference
Where Champions Compete, we need to stamp our GLIAC brand on
women’s lacrosse in order to attract those championship
caliber student- athletes to our member institutions”
The 2013 GLIAC women’s lacrosse schedule
will feature a single round-robin format with each of the nine
teams playing eight conference games beginning on April 3.
The inaugural GLIAC women’s lacrosse tournament will include
the top six teams in the final regular season standings with the
top two teams receiving byes into the semifinals. GLIAC
Tournament quarterfinal matches will be played at the sites of the
No. 3 and No. 4 seeds on Tuesday, April 30. The Tournament
semifinals and final will be held at the site of the No. 1 seed on
Friday, May 3 and Sunday, May 5.
The NCAA conducts a eight-team Division II
women’s lacrosse postseason tournament, four teams from each
of the North and South Regions. First-round games will be conducted
May 11 at campus sites. Winners of the first-round games will
advance to the semifinals on May 18. The D-II final will be held on
May 19.