One of the big storylines in NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse over the past several years is the emergence of championship-caliber programs in the South Region.
For many years, Limestone loomed as the South’s premier program, earning 11 NCAA tournament berths between 2004-21 and serving as the region’s undisputed bellwether. The Saints finished as national runners-up in 2011 and 2013.
The balance of power began to shift to the Sunshine State Conference beginning in 2015, with the rise of powerhouse programs at Florida Southern, Tampa and Rollins. Florida Southern became the first South Region team to reach the NCAA mountaintop, winning the national championship in 2016, followed by national runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2018.
But now, as the sport continues to re-establish its footing in the wake of the global pandemic, we’re seeing new contenders emerge in the South. Wingate, Lynn and Embry-Riddle are among the teams that have become consistent Top 20 squads in the past couple of seasons, and all are seemingly positioned to continue their rise in 2024.
Within that landscape, perhaps no South Region program has had a quicker ascent than Flagler, which earned an NCAA tournament berth as a second-year team in 2023 and began the 2024 campaign on the fringes of the national top 10. The Saints, located in St. Augustine, Fla., have a 28-10 record through their first two seasons, including a 17-2 mark last year, fueling high expectations for this spring.
“We’re attracting kids who are buying into the vision here at Flagler,” said coach Grant Kelam, who has built a roster that features players from 13 different states, as well as Canada and England. “We think we are a great destination for kids that want to compete against the best and pursue championships.”
Picked as the favorite in the 2024 Gulf South Conference coaches poll, Flagler is off to a 2-0 start heading into Wednesday’s home showdown (5 p.m. Eastern) against No. 2 Florida Southern. The game is a rematch of last year’s NCAA tournament opener in which the Mocs posted a 19-15 win by outscoring Flagler 5-2 over the final 10 minutes.
Despite that loss, Kelam, the 2023 GSC Coach of the Year, believes his players had some valuable takeaways from lining up against FSC.
“Obviously, they are a very talented team, and they don’t get rattled. They play for a full 60 minutes,” he said. “But I think we learned that we can play with them and that we belong.”
Kelam’s experience against Florida Southern dates back to his tenure as coach at Mount Olive from 2013-20, where he built a Top 20 program — but his teams finished 0-4 against the Mocs.