COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Big Ten Conference announced the addition of men’s and women’s lacrosse as the league's 27th and 28th sports nearly 13 months ago and on Tuesday, July 1 it is official. Also on Tuesday, the Big Ten announced the sites and weekends of the 2015 men’s and women’s lacrosse conference schedules.
The announcement on Tuesday corresponds with the formal inclusion of Maryland and Rutgers as full-time members as the 13th and 14th Big Ten institutions. Both are lacrosse playing schools in men's and women's lacrosse along with Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan. Johns Hopkins joins the men's contingent as a sport-affiliate member, while Northwestern rounds out the women's lineup.
The 2015 conference schedule for each team was announced with action kicking off the weekend of March 27-29. The Maryland men host Michigan for the first time that weekend before welcoming Penn State to Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium (April 3-5) for the first time since the first round of the 2005 NCAA tournament.
The Terps play at fellow Big Ten newcomer Rutgers (April 10-12) for first time since 1998 and at Ohio State for the first time on the weekend of April 17-19.
Maryland’s first Big Ten regular-season concludes the weekend of April 24-26 when it welcomes Johns Hopkins to College Park for the 112th meeting of Lacrosse’ Greatest Rivalry.
The first Big Ten men’s lacrosse tournament will be held at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium from April 30 to May 20 with the top four teams competing for the title.
On the women's side, the Terrapins will play five conference games, including three at home and two on the road. Maryland’s inaugural Big Ten season will commence with a trip to Northwestern the weekend of March 26. The Terps and the Wildcats have combined to win 19 of 34 NCAA titles since the sport was official recognized by the NCAA in 1982.
Maryland hosts its first conference matchup against Rutgers the following weekend. The Terps will then play at Ohio State before finishing up with home games vs. Michigan and Penn State.
The 2015 Big Ten women's tournament will be held at Rutgers April 30-May 3 with all six teams competing.
The Big Ten men's lacrosse conference boasts an impressive number of NCAA Tournament appearances (94), NCAA Tournament victories (123), NCAA semifinal appearances (51) and championships (11) among the six members. This past season, Maryland reached the semifinals and Hopkins the quarterfinals, while in 2013 Ohio State, Maryland and Penn State all received national seeds.
MARYLAND MEN'S LACROSSE 2015 BIG TEN SCHEDULE
March 27-29 vs. MICHIGAN
April 3-5 vs. PENN STATE
April 10-12 at Rutgers
April 17-19 at Ohio State
April 24-26 vs. JOHNS HOPKINS
April 30-May 2 Big Ten Tournament (hosted by Maryland)
MARYLAND WOMEN'S LACROSSE 2015 BIG TEN SCHEDULE
March 26-29 at Northwestern
April 2-5 vs. RUTGERS
April 9-12 at Ohio State
April 16-19 vs. MICHIGAN
April 23-26 vs. PENN STATE
April 30-May 3 at Big Ten Tournament (hosted by Rutgers)