WDIA NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

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IMPORTANT WDIA DATES

• December 1, 2008 - Deadline to get a representative from each league on the Rankings and Recognition Committees in order to get an AQ.
• December 15, 2008 - 2009 WDIA Membership Application Form Deadline. Late fee applies for all applications not postmarked by this deadline
• January 16-18, 2009 - USL Convention - Baltimore, MD
• February 2, 2009 - Late Application Deadline for 2009 WDIA Applications
• February 15, 2009 - Last day to add/drop a game.
• February 15, 2009 - League Schedules due to LaxPower by 2/15/09 or by your league's first game, whichever comes first.
• March 2, 2009 - 2009 WDIA Roster Verification Form due to USL. Leagues should send all team forms for their league in one package to USL.
• April 16, 2009 - WDIA All-American submissions are due to your Regional Chair - See the Procedure Document for the Recognition Committee to see who your Regional Chair is.
• April 16, 2009 - Academic All-American submissions are due to Jessica Hardy. Address for mailing can be found on the Academic All-American Nomination form. Academic nomination forms must be accompanied with an UNOFFICIAL transcript.
• April 19, 2009 - Each member league must have their Automatic Qualifier (AQ) for the 2009 WDIA National Championship Tournament decided and submitted to Gabe Valenzuela and Lissa Fickert by 9 PM PDT.
• April 20, 2009 - Regional Chair deadline to send All-American submissions to Jessica Hardy, Recognitions Chair
• May 6, 2009 - WDIA Awards Banquet - Scottsdale, AZ
• May 6-9, 2009 - WDIA National Tournament - Scottsdale, AZ. Team registration begins the night before.

WDIA Tournament Opportunities

FALL 2009 TOURNAMENTS

• TBD

SPRING 2010 TOURNAMENTS

• Lindenwood Invitational - April 9-11, 2010 - Hosted by Lindenwood University - St. Charles, MO (15 minutes outside of St. Louis). For more information contact Jack Cribbin

If you would like to advertise your tournament for the 2009 season please e-mail the Resources Committee Chair to have it posted on the WDIA Web site

WDIA News Headlines

WDIA Council - Looking for Volunteers!!!

June 9, 2009

The WDIA Council is looking for new volunteers to join the Council for the 2010 season. A list of available positions and their description is listed below. If you are interested in volunteering for any of the following positions, please email Dave Holdsworth for further information. Deadline is June 30, 2009.

Positions Available for Election:

• Chair:  Is the chief executive officer of the WDIA and shall preside over all meetings of the Council and of the WDIA general membership, may appoint additional non-Council committee chairs as needed, be responsible for the nomination process, have general supervision of the WDIA, provide guidance to the other WDIA officers, and ensure that the WDIA policies, bylaws and rules are enforced, and are consistent with US Lacrosse and US Lacrosse Women's Division policy and spirit. The WDIA Chair shall prepare an annual report of its the Council’s activities for the US Lacrosse Women's Division Board of Governors and Women's Division Board of Directors. The Chair will ensure that the annual report is prepared and is submitted to the Council's representatives to the Women's Division Board of Governors and the US Lacrosse Board of Directors by such time as established by those groups for submission of the reports. The WDIA Chair shall also prepare any other reports requested by US Lacrosse.
• Vice Chair of Development:  The Vice Chair of Development shall assist the Chair upon request, and shall perform such duties or functions as the Chair or the Council may from time to time assign. The Vice Chair of Development shall be responsible for coordinating development and growth of the WDIA membership.
• Umpire Representative:  The Umpire Representative shall be responsible for coordinating officiating matters and performance of other duties as may be assigned by the Chair or the Council. He/she shall be the representative of the Council to the National Umpiring Committee (NUC).
• Vice Chair of Eligibility:  The Vice Chair of Eligibility shall assist the Chair upon request, and shall perform such duties or functions as the Chair or the Council may from time to time assign. The Vice Chair of Eligibility shall be responsible for timely and accurate maintenance and dissemination of the Eligibility Procedures of the WDIA.
• Recognition Chair:  The Recognition Chair is responsible for establishing the structure, rules, expectations, procedures, policies, and functioning of the committee that shall set policies, procedures, and awards for recognition of exceptional members of the WDIA and WDIA teams.

Event Info - Tournament Bracket - Coach/Team Info - LM Tournament Blog

Virginia Tech's Team-Minded Approach Pays off in Title

May 10, 2009

by Clare Lochary | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Good times never seemed so good for the Virginia Tech club women's lacrosse team.

The No. 6 seed Hokies beat No. 4 seed Colorado, 17-9, in the 2009 WDIA National Championship on Saturday. A 7-0 run to start the game gave the Hokies an early bounce, and lockdown defense preserved the lead as the student-coached team claimed its first national title. After claiming their trophy, the Tech players sang and danced to the strains of "Sweet Caroline," the favorite song of teammate Erika Bury, a senior defender who missed the season due to leukemia treatments and served as an inspiration during their championship run.

"Colorado is known for coming out and getting up 3-0 really fast, and we wanted to avoid that. Whatever the score was, we just kept saying, 'It's 0-0,'" said student-coach Alex Kazlausky.

Briana Warner led the Hokies with three goals and two assists; goalie Megan Waters had eight saves.

Junior attacker Briana Beach (3g, 1a) opened the scoring, putting a nifty left-handed sidearm shot past Colorado keeper Katherine Mulligan (three saves). Beach's goal kicked off the seven unanswered goals that the struggling Buffs were unable to overcome. Virginia Tech also dominated draw controls and milked long possessions that culminated in quality shots.

"We came out flat. I think we left it all on the field last night (in the semifinals) and didn't have anything left," said Colorado head coach Kaitlin Moore.

Amber Lister (2g) finally got the Buffs on the scoreboard at 13:24 on a penalty shot. Tech freshman defender Megan McDonough largely neutralized Amy Long (2g), who is typically the heart of the Colorado attack. Rebecca Greene led the Buffs with three goals, but two of them came during the last 27 seconds of the game, when the Hokies had a comfortable lead and were watching the clock more than the field.

"We wanted to be composed, but with intensity," said student-coach Mindy Sartori. Sartori, a senior midfielder, was disqualified from the match when she picked up a second yellow card halfway through the second period, but kept her cool on the sidelines as she guided her squad to victory. Her calm demeanor was typical of Tech's team-minded approach to the game.

In addition to winning the title, the Hokies avenged a 9-7 loss to Colorado in February. That game was played in an unlikely snowstorm in Atlanta after just three practices; this one went down in the desert heat after a season full of surprises good and bad.

"Last year in Denver, we saw Colorado State win and we said, ‘That could be us next year.' But I don't think we really believed it," said Sartori.

UC Santa Barbara Earns Top Seed for US Lacrosse WDIA National Championship

April 21, 2009

BALTIMORE – UC Santa Barbara has earned the top seed for the 2009 US Lacrosse Women’s Division Intercollegiate Associates (WDIA) National Championship Tournament, presented by Brine. The 16-team tournament will be held May 6-9 at the Scottsdale Sports Complex in Scottsdale, Ariz. The championship game is set for May 9 at 12:30 p.m.

UCSB completed an 18-2 season record with a 12-10 victory over No. 2 ranked Santa Clara in the Western Women’s Lacrosse League championship game, earning the league’s automatic bid to the tournament.

Six other teams earned automatic qualifiers to the tournament field by virtue of winning conference championships: No. 7 seed Lindenwood (Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse League), No. 10 seed Florida (Southeastern Women’s Lacrosse League), No. 13 seed Minnesota (North Central Women’s Lacrosse League), No. 14 seed Texas (Texas Women’s Lacrosse League), No. 15 seed Connecticut Club (New England Women’s Lacrosse League) and No. 16 seed West Chester Club (East Coast Women’s Lacrosse Association).

Nine at-large invitations were also awarded: No. 2 seed Santa Clara, No. 3 seed Colorado State, No. 4 seed Colorado, No. 5 seed Cal Poly, No. 6 seed Virginia Tech Club, No. 8 seed Michigan, No. 9 seed UCLA, No. 11 seed Central Florida, and No. 12 seed Georgia.

Colorado State snapped Cal Poly’s 28-game winning streak to win the US Lacrosse WDIA National Championship last spring. CSU won 8-5 in overtime at Denver’s Invesco Field at Mile High. The victory ended Cal Poly’s seven-year run as the national champion.

The US Lacrosse WDIA structure consists of more than 165 college club teams from around the country. Further information about the WDIA is available online at www.uslacrosse.org/wdia.

Youth Lacrosse Clinic in Scottsdale - Together with AZ Girls Lacrosse, US Lacrosse will host "200 StiX" at the Scottsdale Sports Complex in conjunction with the WDIA National Championship Game. The event will provide 200 lacrosse sticks for girls who would like to try the sport or are new to the sport. It will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2009, just before the WDIA National Championship game. The two-hour clinic will start at 10:00 a.m. For more information and to register, please visit http://www.uslacrosse.org/news/2009/arizonagirls.phtml.

First Round Games
No. 1 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 16 West Chester Club
No. 2 Santa Clara vs. No. 15 Connecticut Club
No. 3 Colorado State vs. No. 14 Texas
No. 4 Colorado vs. No. 13 Minnesota
No. 5 Cal Poly vs. No. 12 Georgia
No. 6 Virginia Tech Club vs. No. 11 Central Florida
No. 7 Lindenwood vs. No. 10 Florida
No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 9 UCLA

Brine is the official presenting sponsor for the 2009 US Lacrosse Women’s Division Intercollegiate Associates National Championship. Elite Lacrosse is the official retailer for the event. The Phoenix Regional Sports Commission is the host organization for the championship.

The WDIA Council would like to announce that the following leagues will be eligible to receive an Automatic Qualifier (AQ) bid to the 2009 WDIA National Tournament. The full field of 16 teams will be selected by the WDIA Rankings Committee on Monday April 20th with a formal announcement to follow by USL only after all 16 teams have accepted their respective bid to the tournament.

As a reminder, each member league must have their AQ for the 2009 WDIA National Championship Tournament decided and submitted to Gabe Valenzuela and Lissa Fickert by 9 PM PDT on Sunday April 19th. Communication of your league's AQ should be made by email (valenzug@usc.edu and lfickert@woh.rr.com) AND by phone/text message - Gabe Valenzuela (323) 217-2270.  Leagues are strongly encouraged to re-read the WDIA Rankings Committee Document prior to this weekend's deadline.

Last, please make sure your team will represent your league for the duration of the tournament and will attend all required events at the Championships.  Failure to adhere to the set guidelines outlined by the WDIA in any and all of its policy documents (Bylaws, Operating Procedures and Rankings Documents) can and will jeopardize your league's AQ. Should you have any questions, please contact the Rankings Committee Chair - Gabe Valenzuela.

2009 Automatic Qualifier Leagues

• CPWLL - Central Plains Women's Lacrosse League*

• ECWLA - East Coast Women's Lacrosse League

• NCWLL - North Central Women's Lacrosse League

• NEWLL - New England Women's Lacrosse League

• SWLL - Southern Women's Lacrosse League

• TWLL - Texas Women's Lacrosse League

• WCLL - Women's Collegiate Women's Lacrosse League

• WWLL - Western Women's Lacrosse League

*The CPWLL has notified the WDIA Council that they will turn down their AQ for the 2009 and 2010 season.

Please see the 2009 WDIA National Championship Event Page for all information relating to this year's tournament.

Event Description
The US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates National Championship showcases the nation's top 16 Women's Intercollegiate Associates lacrosse teams at the same venue. The event is hosted and managed by US Lacrosse, the national governing body of lacrosse.

Event Location
The 16 teams selected for the championship will compete at the Scottsdale Sports Complex, which is serving as the event's host site for the first time.

Scottsdale Sports Complex
www.scottsdalesportscomplex.com
8081 E. Princess Drive
Scottsdale, Arizona 85255

As a coach of the women's game, you know that teaching, following and enforcing the rules of women's lacrosse means that you share the responsibility to honor the origins of the game, commit to the core values of the game's culture, respect all participants and recognize the value of fair play in the letter and the spirit of the game.

There has been growing concern in recent years over the reality/perception of head injuries in the women's game. The integrity of the women's game is seriously threatened by this issue, and the threat is caused by both the perception and reality of head injuries in the women's game. US Lacrosse is working to quantify head injuries empirically through collaboration and investment in injury research at the college, high school and, soon, youth levels. But we also have to face the facts – parents, administrators and bureaucrats don't care about the history and culture of women's lacrosse. The thing they care about most is the health and safety of the athletes under their care. We have to mobilize the leaders of women's lacrosse, especially coaches and officials, to address this issue comprehensively and proactively while we wait for additional empirical research to develop. We all must focus our attention on achieving an appropriate balance between the reasonable safety of players, winning, and the integrity of the sport.

This is not an issue that was caused or accelerated by the decision to mandate eyewear in 2004 – it's much more complex and multi-faceted; factors include: the dramatic growth of the women's game; inconsistent coaching and officiating; greater pressure to perform as a result of recruiting tournaments and private clubs; the societal acceptance of girls and women in sport over the last 20 years; and the fact that the typical girl playing sports today cares less about tradition than about being the best athlete she can be. The issue is also compounded by team and tournament administrators, coaches, and officials who are allowed to completely disregard rules and mechanics intended to emphasize player safety. Instead, these groups or individuals who either don't understand the ramifications of their actions or don't care about the integrity of the sport or player safety are allowed to continue to behave irresponsibly.

The Women's Division of US Lacrosse is asking all members of the women's lacrosse community, including NCAA and WDIA coaches, to take this threat seriously and commit the time, energy and personal integrity to address these concerns.  USL continually fields questions regarding the consideration of helmets, and this past year New York first voted in helmets for high school girls, then rescinded the vote while waiting to see what will happen in the coming season. P>

This effort will be difficult and must be multi-faceted. Tough rule changes, accountability of umpires to officiate games only according to NCAA or US Lacrosse rules/mechanics or else lose their rating and assignments, accountability of coaches who participate in or attend games/tournaments in which uncertified umpires are used, accountability of coaches whose teams demonstrate reckless play, etc. We must be leaders in this area or risk losing the women's game as we believe it should be played.

Thank you for your attention to these issues and for considering integrating them into your coaching and teaching.

Respectfully,

Laura Hebert

President, Women's Division - US Lacrosse

February 18, 2009

The WDIA Rankings Committee released the first regular season poll of the 2009 season, courtesy of LaxPower.  The University of Colorado headlines the first poll with an impressive 5-0 record after going undefeated at the Santa Barbara Shootout this past weekend.  This week, #6 UCLA will take on both #5 UC Santa Barbara and #2 Cal Poly in one weekend.  A Bruins win in either game will likely shake things up on next week's poll.

Follow all WDIA games and scores on LaxPower.

February 15, 2009

LMO's Jac Coyne had the skinny from (sometimes) sunny Santa Barbara, where the WDIA world converged this weekend for the Santa Barbara Shootout. Check out Jac Coyne's SB Shootout Blog.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The coach of a nationally-ranked WDIA program was overheard on the sidelines of the Santa Barbara Shootout uttering a familiar refrain: "I saw them last weekend at a scrimmage. It's Cal Poly and then the rest of the WDIA."

Are the Mustangs to be considered prohibitive favorites for the national title again this year even after losing to Colorado State in overtime of last year's championship game?

Or was the statement just a reflex; a verbal remnant from the seven-straight crowns Cal Poly won between 2001 and 2007?

The answer won't be known until the top teams - and Cal Poly will undoubtedly be one of them - gather in Phoenix later this spring for the tournament.

But what is known is the Cal Poly coaching staff and players are still searching for the most appropriate way to treat last year's setback, even if it's sometimes contradictory.

"It's not like we come in with the expectation that the national championship is ours," said Mike Windall, the Mustangs' second-year head coach. "We have to earn it. From day one, we said last year doesn't matter."

"But at the same time last year does matter, because we had a great season," countered Jaime Oetman, the captain of last year's team and now an assistant for the team. "We made it to the national championship game and no one ever expected us to. We're very proud of that."

It is understandable that the coaching staff would have a difficult time finding the right role for the 2007 season. On one hand, Cal Poly finished the regular season with an un-Poly-like record of 10-7 and had their title streak snapped. On the other, the Mustangs were written off early in the season when they started out 3-3, and still managed to be an overtime session away from No. 8.

Link to Full Story

Photo Info: © Dirk Dewachter

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Jen Dunbar says it takes about an hour to drive from Birmingham, Mich., a suburb north of Detroit, to Ann Arbor, the home of the University of Michigan. If there's one person who should know, it's Dunbar.

She drives it every night from January through May as she commutes between her two jobs.

Dunbar starts out at Birmingham Seaholm High School, where she has coached the girls' lacrosse team for the past seven years and won the past two Michigan state championships. Her work ends at UM, where Dunbar is the women's lacrosse coach trying to lift the Wolverines to the top of the WDIA heap.

"It's long days," said Dunbar.

The ability to coach both the top high school team in the state and one of the top college club teams in the country would seem like an impossibility. There can't be enough time to massage the daily practice schedules along with resolving the game commitments - Birmingham Seaholm plays 18 regular season games, Michigan about 15 - in locations 44 miles apart, right?

"It's worked out well," countered Dunbar. "We have practice from 10 p.m. until midnight at UM and we have practice from 6 to 8 p.m. at the high school. It's an hour drive to Ann Arbor. And I set up the game schedules, so I'm able to manipulate things."

This year, the drives won't be so lonely, as Dunbar has convinced her assistants at Birmingham Seaholm, Ginny Hughes and Kasey Hughes, to make the trip with her. The Hughes duo couldn't make the commute fit their work schedules last year, but this spring the entire group is back together...all day.

Link to Full Story

Photo Info: © Dirk Dewachter

Jack Cribbin, Lindenwood's head coach, stacks chairs in the hotel conference room as his assistant, Brian Smith, works the white board, crafting a woman-up offense in the event a yellow card is shown when the Lions square off with BYU (5:30 p.m. PST) or Arizona (9:15 p.m.) on Friday evening at the Santa Barbara Shootout.

There is nothing hurried or uncomfortable about the scene. The two coaches seem quite at ease as they talk about strategy and their expectations for the double-header.

A lot of their serenity is taken from the fact that their team is ranked eighth in Lacrosse Magazine's preseason WDIA poll, as the Lions return a talented, if a tad young, team from last year's strong finish. No doubt some of the contentment also stems from the fact that Lindenwood (Mo.) has freed itself from the Central Plains Women's Lacrosse League (CPWLL) and is now a member of the powerful Women's Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL).

Lindenwood's former affiliation with the CPWLL was a double-edged sword, with both edges cutting the Lions. Not only was the league not very competitive - the Lions routinely drubbed their league opponents, with the most goals allowed in a game last season topping out at four - but, frankly, many of the other teams in the conference resented Lindenwood's presence.

Emails detailing supposed transgressions have made their rounds in the lacrosse community from CPWLL members and administrators, and Cribbin has occasionally heard the allegations himself. He didn't lose a whole lot of sleep over the misinformation because he knew the allegations weren't true, but it still got old.

"There have been times when it has been tough hearing some of those things that were said about us," admitted Cribbin. "There were definitely times where we didn't feel welcome in the CPWLL. I volunteered on a lot of boards and tried to do a lot of goodwill gestures to help grow the game. We've always told the other universities how we were able to get so much support. We thought it was a good thing: we're trying to grow the game lacrosse, in the Midwest specifically. Other schools see that and they don't like it. They see us as a threat because we're a small school competing."

Link to Full Story

Photo Info: © Bill Johnson

With over 140 sessions at this year's US Lacrosse National Convention, it's completely understandable if you missed a presentation or two. The good news is that notes and videos from many of the speakers are now available in our online library.  Click Here

As the fastest growing youth sport in America, lacrosse is being played by more young girls and women today because it's fun, fast, cool and relatively easy to pick up a stick and get in the game. As a result, the lacrosse community has experienced shortages of properly trained umpires and coaches relative to growing player interest across the country.

While US Lacrosse continues to work diligently with local communities to address these needs, the game continues to grow faster than its supporting infrastructure.  The addition of more and more individuals new to women's lacrosse as coaches and umpires may actually be threatening the characteristics that embody the spirit of the traditional women's game. Slow changes in the way the game is being coached and played, as well as increased visibility of the college game through increased media coverage, have contributed to growing concerns expressed by parents and administrators over player safety.

In an effort to proactively address these concerns, US Lacrosse and its Women's Lacrosse Safety and Education Committee has developed an outreach campaign to raise the level of dialogue among parents, players, coaches, umpires and administrators, about our shared responsibility in maintaining the safety and integrity of the women's game.

Read More: Women's Lacrosse Safety Education and Outreach Campaign (pdf file

BALTIMORE -- Seven of the 11 teams that won college lacrosse national championships in 2008 have been picked to repeat as title-winners in 2009 in Lacrosse Magazine's annual preseason college rankings, released today. The magazine also named its Preseason Player of the Year in each division of play.

The rankings, compiled by Lacrosse Magazine staff after consultations with coaches, predict Northwestern to win its fifth straight NCAA Division I women's championship. Virginia has been tabbed as the preseason favorite to capture the NCAA Division I men's championship.

Other champions from 2008 selected to repeat: NYIT (NCAA Division II men), West Chester (NCAA Division II women), Salisbury (NCAA Division III men), Hamilton (NCAA Division III women), Colorado State (US Lacrosse Women's Division Intercollegiate Associates), and Westminster (Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association Division II).

Chapman has been picked to win the MCLA Division I championship, while Onondaga's men and Monroe's women were picked to capture National Junior College Athletic Association championships.

The magazine honored 11 student-athletes as the best in their respective divisions of play, highlighted by 2008 Tewaaraton Trophy winner Hannah Nielsen of Northwestern. Nielsen became the second Wildcat to win the award, and she enters her senior season just 37 assists shy of the NCAA's all-time career record. Danny Glading, a second-team USILA All-America attackman for the Cavaliers in 2008, enters his senior season for preseason favorite Virginia. 

LM's - WDIA Preseason Poll

1. Colorado State
2. Cal Poly
3. Colorado
4. UCSB
5. Pittsburgh
6. Michigan
7. Santa Clara
8. Lindenwood
9. Virginia Tech Club
10. Georgia
11. UCLA
12. Florida Club
13. Michigan State
14. Army
15. BYU
16. Minnesota
17. Maryland Club
18. Texas A&M
19. Central Florida
20. Rhode Island

Preseason Player of the Year: Katie Moran, UCSB 

MORE

Online registration for the 2009 National Convention is underway. A current US Lacrosse membership is required. However, you don't need to be registered to get a head start on booking your hotel room. The newly opened Hilton-Baltimore will serve as the primary hotel for the convention.

The Black Knights' coach has established the Long Gray Line of women's lacrosse

October 24, 2008

by Jac Coyne, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

When Marie Johnson finished her career with the Harvard women's lacrosse team in 1985, she figured that was it. She had a great run, but there were other goals off the turf she wanted to pursue. Namely, earning a doctorate in geology from Brown University.

With lacrosse seemingly out of her blood after nearly a decade away from the game, it still managed to drag Johnson - and that's Dr. Johnson to you - back in. A professor of geology at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Johnson was lured onto the lacrosse field in the mid-90s and hasn't left the Black Knights' program since.

Last spring, Army won the East Coast Women's Lacrosse Association (ECWLA) to earn a bid to the Women's Division Intercollegiate Associates (WDIA) championship. Countdown caught up with Dr. Johnson to find out the current state of the Long Gray Line of Army women's lacrosse.

MORE

Sept 2, 2008

by Jac Coyne, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

When John Paul, head coach of the Michigan men's club lacrosse team, was crunching his budget numbers in preparation for the coming spring, the cost of traveling these days became painfully clear.

He knew the price of fuel, which is up nearly a dollar from the same time last year, would force the cost of his team's four plane trips to skyrocket, but he hadn't counted on the indirect impact of gas prices. Flying out of Detroit, the Wolverines travel almost exclusively on Northwest Airlines, and because of Northwest's recent decision to charge $15 for one checked bag and $25 for a second, the program is about to absorb a budget hit that Paul estimates will be near $25,000 for the team's four excursions.

$25,000?

For luggage?

"It's definitely a hit, no question," said Paul.

For Paul and Michigan, the defending Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) champions and a program operating with the "virtual varsity" label, this kind of unforeseen cost is merely a nuisance. With the help of some generous donors, UM doesn't need to cut corners. And Paul estimates that the Michigan athletic department's recent all-sports contract with Adidas, which equips his players from head to toe, will save his program an amount in the six-figure neighborhood.

The Wolverines will survive any fuel spike. But as the president of the MCLA, Paul has serious concerns about how travel costs will affect the rest of the teams.

"I see a problem with all of our programs. Even our top programs live off dues. If you're talking about spending another 25, 30, or 40 thousand dollars, then that's a thousand dollars per kid and that's not insignificant," said Paul. "Fuel costs are getting passed onto the consumer and, in the case of the MCLA perhaps more than any other league, it is going to get passed on directly to the kids."

Paul said the MCLA has talked about the elevated travel costs at the executive level, but has found there is no way to mitigate the problem. While he admits most of the 200 MCLA teams don't come close to the $3,000 to $5,000 in yearly dues that Michigan and many of the traditional league powers require, Paul believes there will either be an increase in dues for many programs or they will rein in the amount of inter-regional travel from previous seasons.

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DENVER -- Colorado State scored the final six goals of the game to beat Cal Poly 8-5 in overtime at Invesco Field at Mile High to win the US Lacrosse Women's Division Intercollegiate Associates National Championship.

The victory ended Cal Poly's seven-year run as the US Lacrosse Women's Division Intercollegiate Associates champion. Cal Poly had gone a perfect 28-0 in the national tournament before today's loss.

After CSU scored first, Cal Poly seemed to have control of the game. The Mustangs scored three goals in the final six and a half minutes of the first half to take a 3-1 halftime lead. Sarina Madnick scored just 1:40 into the second half to make it 4-1 and after a Erin O'Brien goal for CSU, Cal Pol went back up by three at 5-2 on a goal by Ashley Hennen with 17:22 left in regulation.

"This team has come back several times this year in those kinds of situations," said CSU head coach Bob Vlahakis. "We felt pretty good about stopping them and we knew that we could score."

CSU All-American goalie Brooke Lewis took care of things on the defensive end, blanking the Mustangs for the final 23 minutes of the game. Lewis finished with nine saves.

The offense got going with Andee Barocas, Katie Nepil and Kristen Kasney scoring consecutive goals for CSU, with Kasney's second of the game tying the score 5-5 with 4:27 left to play.

Lindsay Brown, the USL WDIA national player of the year, scored with 1:10 left in the first overtime period to give CSU the lead, and the Rams put it away on goals by Barocas and Kasney in the second overtime period.

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There's a reason why the WDIA is always reshuffling

Jan. 15, 2008

by Jac Coyne, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

Think how hard it would be for women's Division I to keep any kind of consistency if one or two of its Top 20 teams were removed from competition each year. Think about the time and effort it would take to reorganize the conferences and keep them eligible for automatic qualifiers if the administrators were constantly working in a state of revitalization. It would pretty tough to keep a steady organization amidst this type of fluidity, wouldn't you say?

Welcome to the Women's Division Intercollegiate Association (WDIA).

One just has to look back to the spring of 2007 to understand the type of upheaval the division has been facing for the past decade. Navy rolled through its competition to a perfect record before losing to national champion Cal-Poly. Following a script it set in motion a couple of years before, the Midshipmen made the leap to varsity status by joining the ranks of NCAA Division I.

Poof. Just like that, the second-best team in the WDIA was gone.

And this has been happening for a decade. Northwestern, Stanford, Oregon, and Cal-Berkeley, among others, have all been strong teams within the club ranks before making the move the varsity. With the continued popularity of the sport more and more women's club teams will make the move. WDIA staples such as South Carolina (2010), Florida (2010) and Boise State (2012) are already on track to make the leap to NCAA Division I in the near future.

While this trend is certainly good for the growth of the sport, especially in up-and-coming places like the West Coast, it has caused some headaches for the remaining programs that are not only trying to balance their conferences but working to ensure they are eligible for automatic qualifiers under WDIA rules.

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