Per student request, men’s and women’s lacrosse will begin on the campus of Ohio Northern University this February. Lacrosse, a popular sport that is growing in the United States, now evolves to Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio. A double header game will be held at Dial-Roberson Stadium on February 27 at 1 pm for the men and 4 pm for the women.
The Ohio Northern University men’s and women’s lacrosse teams will start their official inaugural season this February at Dial-Roberson Stadium. Updates were made this year to the turf and lights, so that lacrosse could be played and enjoyed by all. The game of lacrosse is already played in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Recruiting is a major piece for coaches building a high-quality winning team, regardless of the sport.
ONU Athletic Director, Tom Simmons, said, “Lacrosse is very popular among the demographics of students that we recruit, especially in the areas we have had difficulty recruiting in the east, like Chicago, and south in Texas, where lacrosse is very strong. Our conference started adding lacrosse before we did and we want to offer the same opportunities, the timing is right and it is the right fit for Ohio Northern.”
Bringing lacrosse to Ohio Northern University brings more opportunities for potential students attending as student-athletes. Those on campus who are more passionate about lacrosse will be in the stands for the kickoff of the lacrosse season. Faculty, staff and students can still be involved, even if one is non-athletic.
The differences between men’s and women’s Lacrosse are paramount. First, when adding or deleting a sport at a university, there are specific policies to follow. One, is Title IX (Title 9) laws. Title IX was a law placed in in 1972 and states “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” (www.feminist.org)
Men’s lacrosse uniforms consist of shoulder pads and helmets, similar to football. Women’s lacrosse uniforms differ from the men’s, since women’s lacrosse is usually less of a contact sport. Therefore, the men’s uniforms cost much more than the women’s. When bringing lacrosse to the campus of Ohio Northern University, planning ahead, budgeting, organizing and hiring head and assistant coaches were all major pieces of lacrosse success to kick-off this season and in the seasons to come.
Simmons also commented, “We had to bring the coaches in at least a year and a half in advance, so they could have a year of recruiting, going after juniors. You get some kids who were seniors last year that come in as freshman and start your program but, to start a program the right way. You have to start out further than just one year ahead, or you will start behind the eight-ball. We wanted to give our programs a chance to compete right away.”