The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) will be expanding within the next week or so, a direct result of the persistent swelling of lacrosse amongst Division I athletic programs.
The renovation to the DU men’s lacrosse team’s current conference will include the newly formed Division I program at the University of Michigan, confirmed DU head coach Bill Tierney.
“We don’t know when or where[we’ll be playing them], but we are really excited about Michigan joining the Division I level,” said Tierney at a recent press conference.
According to recent reports at InsideLacrosse.com, the ECAC’s executive board met last Thursday to discuss possible expansion, which could potentially include more than just the Michigan program.
The website discussed the rumor of High Point University joining the conference next season. Also in the mix are budding programs at Marquette University and Pennsylvania State University, which are converting to the Division I level, according to Tierney.
“Lacrosse isn’t going away anytime soon, and there is nothing anyone can do about it,” said Tierney. “We’ve talked about the growth of Division I lacrosse in the west, and with Michigan and Marquette stepping up and coming into this sport, it continues to put pressure on others to consider the Division I level.”
Tierney cited that the sport is growing at a 15 percent level every year, but not at the Division I level. Most major athletic conferences host club teams as opposed to top-tier level teams.
The veteran coach, and six-time national champion, said that the move to Division I is inevitable due to the rapidly evolving nature of the sport as well as its growth.
“We are going to hit a point where people are going to throw up their hands and give in to this momentum, and say, ‘we’ve got to get into Division I lacrosse,'” said Tierney. “It’s the fastest growing sport, and it’s just a matter of time.”
While the ECAC eyes a new look, connecting its East Coast-based programs with its sparse Western teams – only DU and Air Force are at the Division I level west of the Mississippi river – and will have a great opportunity to do so through adding a revered athletics program such as Michigan.
“This can be a move that truly changes the landscape of college lacrosse, and we don’t know when we’ll see that,” said Tierney, “but hopefully it’ll be soon.”
