The University of Maryland-Baltimore County found out very quickly last Monday that women?s lacrosse is no longer just an East Coast sport.
Denver made that point loud and clear when the Pioneers thumped the Retrievers, 15-2, at UMBC Stadium. Denver (8-1) is just one of many women?s college lacrosse programs west of the Mississippi River trying to erase any remaining East Coast bias.
Stanford took the first such step last year when it became the westernmost program to make the NCAA tournament. Cardinal coach Michele Uhlfelder, a Pikesville native, said she doesn?t see the western expansion of the game going away anytime soon. According to NCAA participation statistics, there were 80 women?s lacrosse programsin 2004, up from 39 in 1981.
“Lacrosse on the West Coast is not a fad,” said Uhlfelder, a Maryland graduate whose team plays in College Park Wednesday. “It?s here to stay. Most of the programs out here are at large Division I schools with full-time coaches that are dedicated to building the sport year-round.”
Despite the western expansion of lacrosse, there is still a heavy eastern influence on those programs as schools are bringing in coaches and players from traditional lacrosse strongholds. Denver is coached by Baltimore native Liza Kelly, and its roster has eight players from Maryland getting playing time. Kelly replaced Cathy Reese as coach this year after the latter returned to Maryland to coach her alma mater. The 15th-ranked Pioneers have not lost since dropping their season opener to No. 5 Duke on Feb. 16.
But Reese said it?s important to realize that not all of the top players in the country come from the East Coast.
“More people notice players from the East Coast because the game is still bigger on this side of the country,” Reese said. “But as people out West learn about the sport after watching college or professional games, they want to start their own youth leagues, high-school teams or club programs where [high-school teams] are not possible.”
Jen May has seen first-hand the sport grow out West. The former South River standout left lacrosse crazy Anne Arundel County in 2004 for the unfamiliar setting at the University of Oregon. The Ducks (7-3), who play at Johns Hopkins today, started their program three years ago and compete with Stanford, Denver and three other schools in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The six-team league expects to get an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament by 2010.
“When I first got to Oregon, the public-address announcer had to explain the rules to the crowd during the game,” said May, a junior midfielder who has 12 goals and nine assiststhis year. “Now, the game is only getting more popular, and players back East realize that there is good lacrosse out here. The MPSF is starting to get more respect, and we?re hoping we can get to the NCAA tournament and show how far we?ve come.”
