4 New Division I Programs Building Culture for 2025 Debuts

If you build it, they will come.

Up and down the East Coast — in locales well-established in lacrosse and others with the sport in a more nascent stage — new Division I programs for 2025 are building toward their inaugural seasons.

In Tampa, Charlotte, New Rochelle and Kingston, schedules and rosters have been constructed. Culture is being developed.

In a matter of days, itineraries will be written for the first road trips of the spring for three first-year women’s teams, and gameplans will be produced for a men’s team coming off a loss in its first contest.

SOUTH FLORIDA

Palm trees make scheduling easier.

South Florida will play much of its inaugural season in Tampa, beginning with its opener on Feb. 7 against Kennesaw State at Corbett Stadium, a natural grass facility also home to the Bulls’ soccer programs. The Bulls will open with eight of nine in Tampa, including a host of northern opponents looking for early season tune-ups in warmer weather.

In a state where the game is becoming more prominent, the Bulls are introducing lacrosse with some educational opportunities, knowing the undeniable selling point of seeing it for yourself.

“We want our fans to understand the game, so we’re handing out ‘Lacrosse 101’ pamphlets to help people learn the game and the rules,” said Kali Cleary, one of five Florida natives on USF’s first roster. “We want them to be fans but also to know lacrosse. And we know that the students will embrace lacrosse when they are in the stands, seeing it for themselves.”

Leading the way for the Bulls is a veteran program builder. Mindy McCord moved on to a new challenge after eight NCAA tournament appearances, a .733 winning percentage and a 70-4 ASUN record in her time at Jacksonville.

McCord’s launching and elevating of college programs dates back to her grad school days at Virginia Tech, where she helped steer the Hokies from club level to the ACC.

CHARLOTTE

There is a buzz on campus.

The anticipation and excitement leading into Charlotte’s Feb. 8 debut against Gardner-Webb has been fueled not only by the lacrosse program but also by the 49ers’ other teams and an administration providing promotional elements of a football gameday to a historic afternoon for the program.

“Our media team has done a great job of getting the word out there, and our administration is super excited,” said Claire Schotta, a grad transfer who scored 22 goals at Virginia Tech a year ago. “We feel the support from everyone. I walk by the volleyball and basketball coaches, and they’re fired up for us. It’s an amazing feeling.”

Clare Short knows the Queen City and how to be successful in lacrosse. Short arrived at Charlotte after leading then-Division II Queens University to three straight Championship Weekend appearances and a trip to the national title game in 2021.

Schotta acknowledged the opportunity to build a rivalry within the city and to grow the sport together in Charlotte.

Also not lost on the Bulls and 49ers are some bragging rights between the two programs, both members of the American Athletic Conference. They will match up on April 4 at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, the 15,000-seat facility that opened in 2013.

RHODE ISLAND

The largest university in the smallest state has the sport’s growth on its mind.

Minutes from the beach in South County, Jenna Slowey sees the opportunity for Rhode Island’s first season to increase interest in lacrosse in the Ocean State.

“We want to give kids an opportunity to say, ‘Hey, maybe I can stay home and play,’” Slowey said. “We want to keep the best kids in Rhode Island home to play for us at the University of Rhode Island and do something special here.”

Building that presence within the state has involved a variety of avenues, including work with youth teams and a member of Slowey’s staff winning an officiating award in Rhode Island — the latter endeavor she acknowledged they will have to cut back on in 2025.

New England’s exposure to lacrosse opens the door for a regional schedule that includes one of the state’s other two Division I women’s programs. The Rams will visit Bryant on Feb. 26 after three straight games at Meade Stadium, home turf shared with a football program coming off its best season in nearly 40 years.

IONA

Division I men’s lacrosse’s newest team plays at an institution with a pre-existing women’s program in a geographic area well-versed in lacrosse. It’s also a Metro North ride away from the country's business capital.

The appeal of building Iona’s men’s program was undeniable for Chad Surman.

“The excitement comes from the sport, but it also comes from being at Iona University,” Surman said. “As I learned more about the school and what it offers academically, I found myself really impressed. To me, it looked like institutions that have historically been successful in our sport — Loyola, Saint Joe’s — mid-majors with similar profiles that have emerged as contenders year-in and year-out.”

Iona’s inaugural schedule capitalizes on the geographic benefits of launching a program in Westchester County. In addition to the Gaels’ seven home contests at Mazzella Field, the road schedule takes them south of the George Washington Bridge for just three games across two trips, while the longest trips beyond those visits to Navy, Hampton and Mount St. Mary’s are not particularly arduous treks to Siena, Quinnipiac and Stony Brook.

Iona fell to Hofstra in its debut, 20-2.

To athletic department and campus leaders: if you want a sport to add to your institution’s sponsorship, the blueprint is being drawn on these four campuses and others.

Fans will arrive. Students who might have been considering other options will enroll. And the sport will grow for more campuses and communities throughout the country.

Build it — and watch it continue to rise.