FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Methodist University is pleased to announce the addition of men's lacrosse as an intercollegiate sport for the 2013-14 year.
"I am pleased to announce that the university administration has recently approved the addition of men's lacrosse as our 20th intercollegiate NCAA Division III sport," Director of Athletics Bob McEvoy said.
A national search will begin immediately for a head coach to join the Methodist staff this fall. The new head coach will have a year to recruit student-athletes and organize the program in preparation for the first scheduled competitions in the 2013-14 year.
The last sport Methodist added was women's lacrosse in 2000 with the first season of NCAA competition taking place in the 2001-02 year. The addition of men's lacrosse will give Methodist 20 total sport offerings with 10 men's and 10 women's intercollegiate programs.
Many national lacrosse groups claim lacrosse is the fastest sport in the country right now. In North Carolina alone, nearly 100 high schools sponsor boys lacrosse teams. In the last three years alone 33 NCAA Division III institutions have added men's lacrosse.
When Methodist plays its first intercollegiate contest in the spring of 2014, the USA South Athletic Conference will have four teams participating in men's intercollegiate lacrosse. Currently Ferrum College, Greensboro College and Piedmont College sponsor men's lacrosse and the league will begin offering men's lacrosse as a championship sport once more than 50 percent of the league members offer men's lacrosse.
"We look forward to adding this growing sport to our Monarch athletic family," McEvoy said.