Lindenwood Has 'Never Seen Interest Like This Before' Ahead of Friday Opener

The moment is nearly at hand.  A process that began one year ago, with Lindenwood announcing last February that it was reclassifying its NCAA varsity programs from Division II to Division I, will culminate on Friday when the Lions host Cal in their first women’s lacrosse game as a D-I program.

“The buildup for this has been quite remarkable,” said Jack Cribbin, beginning his 18th season as head coach at Lindenwood. “When I started, we were a club program. Then we transitioned to NCAA Division II, and now, it’s Division I. I’m so grateful to all the people who helped build this program and pave the way for where we are now.”

Cribbin says the enthusiasm for lacrosse around the St. Charles, Missouri, campus and community is as high as he has ever seen it. To build on the energy of its first Division I game, Lindenwood created a commemorative ticket for its opening game and offered the tickets for free via an online request form.

Nearly 2,500 tickets have been requested for Friday’s first official game at Hunter Stadium.

“We’ve never seen interest like this before,” he said. “The tickets are like a collectible item now. If the weather holds, it will be one of the largest crowds we’ve ever had.”

Cribbin acknowledges that having a brand-name program coming to town certainly doesn’t hurt the “buzz” for Friday, and in truth, he was as surprised as anybody that an established Pac-12 program agreed to serve as the opening game opponent.

Early last summer, as Cribbin began assembling the 2023 schedule, he initially arranged a home-and-home series with Cal coach Brooke Eubanks, fully expecting that the Lions would have to make the first trip to the West Coast before the Bears returned the visit the second year. But Eubanks quickly offered to make the first road trip, leaving Cribbin speechless.

“To get the flagship school in the University of California system to come here was huge,” Cribbin said. “Then Coach Eubanks announced her retirement, and I was just deflated. With just a verbal agreement at that point, I knew that the new coach had no obligation to honor the agreement.”

Surprise number two came a few weeks later when new Cal head coach Jennifer Wong told Cribbin the Bears were still coming. The Lions against the Bears was locked in as the opening game.

“Throughout the process of building our first schedule, I continually found coaches who just wanted to grow the sport and were willing to do what they could to help us out,” Cribbin said. “There’s just been so much cooperation from so many of the Division I coaches.”

Lindenwood’s 17-game schedule includes games against teams from the ACC, Big East, MAAC, NEC and MAC, in addition to its ASUN league games. The Lions have been tabbed sixth in the ASUN’s preseason coaches poll.

“We know that this is going to be a process, but quality lacrosse knows no divisions,” said Cribbin, who led the Lions to the 2021 NCAA national championship. “We’re thrilled with how many different conferences are on the schedule. This will be a great measuring stick for us.”

The fact that Lindenwood’s 34-player roster includes 15 transfers may help ease the first-year transition, especially with 13 of them having prior Division I experience.

Midfielders Lexy Biller (Oregon) and Brennan Paddy (Central Michigan), attackers Logann Eldredge (Fresno State) and Isabella Rulapaugh (Louisville), and goalie Eleanor Kast (Stony Brook) are just a few of the current Lions who played at other D- I schools.

“There’s no doubt that having some veteran players can help,” Cribbin said. “They have seen the speed of the game at that level. They will lead us.”

Knowing where Lindenwood started, and where it has come, continues to be a surreal feeling for Cribbin, even as the reality of Friday’s first game draws near. Lindenwood is the first Division I lacrosse program in the state of Missouri.

“When I first came here in 2002, if you had told me we would be a Division I program, I wouldn’t have believed you,” he said. “If you had told me just last year, I still wouldn’t have believed you.”