GENEVA, N.Y.—The 2010 Hobart College lacrosse schedule will be radically different from the 2009 slate. ECAC Commissioner Rudy Keeling announced today the addition of five new members to the ECAC Lacrosse League.
Current Great Western Lacrosse League members Air Force, Bellarmine, Denver, Ohio State, and Quinnipiac will join Hobart, Fairfield, and Loyola in 2010. The Statesmen boast an 8-3 combined record against the Falcons (1-0), Pioneers (0-1), and Buckeyes (7-2), and have never played the Knights or the Bobcats.
“The lacrosse world is going through a metamorphosis and the ECAC Lacrosse League has emerged stronger than ever,” Keeling said. “The combination of the teams from the ECAC and the Great Western Lacrosse League will make us one of the power lacrosse conferences in the country.”
Three of the eight teams in the newly constituted league qualified for the NCAA tournament last season: Denver, Loyola and Ohio State. Each of those teams had an RPI in the Top 25 of the final national rankings. Six of the eight teams in the new ECAC had .500 or better records last season.
“Overall, we feel it is going to continue to be a highly competitive league and we are excited for 2010,” Keeling said. “The game of lacrosse is growing rapidly across the nation, and we are excited to bring some of the western teams into the east and for those eastern teams to have a chance to play out west. It will only accelerate the growth of the sport across the country.”
In its nine-year history, the ECAC Lacrosse League has enjoyed tremendous success. League members have earned 19 NCAA Tournament bids, and more than two thirds (68%) of those berths have been at-large selections. An ECAC team has advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals in seven of the league's nine years, and in six of the last seven seasons. In 2003, the ECAC had four teams qualify for the NCAA tournament, a quarter of the 16-team field.
Current ECAC members Georgetown, Rutgers, and St. John's will join the Big East in 2010, while UMass and Penn State will depart the ECAC for the Colonial Athletic Association.
