Jude Collins remembers a time when lacrosse opportunities were few in Northern Virginia. An Arlington native and 1992 Bishop Ireton High graduate, Collins was one of a handful of locals to earn major Division I scholarships at the time.
Now, when a drive around town on a Saturday morning shows a boom in youth lacrosse leagues and camps throughout the Washington, D.C. area, a professional lacrosse team seems like a natural fit.
Next season, Collins and his teammates from Major League Lacrosse’s Bayhawks franchise will call Washington home after five years in Baltimore.
“We still see ourselves as representing fans in Maryland as well as Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia,” said Bayhawks co-owner and president Jeff Harvey. “But the growth numbers in Northern Virginia are the highest in the country for our sport and we wanted to be more centrally located to our fan base throughout the whole Baltimore-Washington region.”
Major League Lacrosse is the country’s top outdoor lacrosse league. It began in 2001 and has expanded to 10 teams in cities including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Harvey said negotiations for Washington Bayhawks home games are ongoing and he declined to discuss specifics. Several sources, however, pointed to Georgetown University as a likely destination.
The Bayhawks have plenty of local star power. Attack Matt Ward, an Oakton, Va. native, attended Landon and helped Virginia to NCAA titles in 2003 and 2006 and was MLL rookie of the year.
“I think we all loved playing in Baltimore and it will never change as far as being the lacrosse capital of the world,” said Ward. “But maybe by playing here more fans will get a chance to see us and we can continue to grow the sport.”
Lax approach
» Washington owns the rights to former Syracuse star Mikey Powell. He sat out 2004 and 2006. In 2005 he led the Bayhawks to the MLL championship. His status for next season is uncertain.
» Other local players with the Bayhawks: MF Brendan Healy (Great Falls, Va./Maryland); D Christian Cook (Arlington, Va./Princeton); MF Jude Collins (Arlington, Va./North Carolina).
» Harvey said the team would remain Bayhawks. The MLL season runs from late May through August.
