Blue White Illustrated

I n sports, hardly anything comes pre- fabricated. Players, teams and even conferences usually require years of nurturing and development before they hit their stride. But not always. This year, the Big Ten has incorporated men's and women's lacrosse into its lineup of sports, with league play beginning in late March and the inaugural champi- onship tournaments taking place a month later. While it's a brand new endeavor for the conference, there's no need to take a wait-and-see approach in assessing whether it has a chance to succeed. Simply put, the Big Ten is stacked with NCAA tournament hopefuls and legitimate na- tional championship contenders, on both the men's and women's sides. On the men's side, the league is home to several of the most successful programs in collegiate lacrosse history. Maryland has qualified for the NCAA tournament 37 times and has reached the title game 11 times, winning twice. Rutgers has made the field nine times, while Ohio State (four) and Penn State (three) also have NCAA experience. But the Big Ten's biggest coup was bringing aboard Johns Hopkins as an affiliate member. Since the NCAA launched its men's lacrosse tournament in 1971, the Blue Jays have made 42 appearances, with nine national titles and nine runner-up fin- ishes. On the women's side, the lineup is every bit as daunting. Maryland (11), Northwestern (seven) and Penn State (two) have combined to win 20 NCAA championships. The Ter- rapins and Wildcats have combined to win nine of the past 10 titles. "It's not a [scenario] where we're trying to grow the teams in the conference," PSU women's lacrosse coach Missy Doherty said. "We're starting a conference with two of the previous national champions for however many umpteen years it's been. To have those two be a part of it makes it great. I think for us, this year, we're really excited to start competing that way. It gives us the opportunity to play against some of the best teams in the country." The Penn State women went 10-8 last season and made the NCAA tournament field in their final season as a member of the now-defunct American Lacrosse Con- ference. Doherty described it as "one of the toughest conferences in the country that nobody really knew about." Being in the Big Ten, she said, is likely to raise Penn State's profile and help it attract the kind of players it will need in order to compete against Maryland and North- western, as well as the league's other three teams: Ohio State, Michigan and Rutgers. "We were [ALC] co-champions two years ago, and you were trying to tell peo- ple what that really meant," Doherty said. "That was a big deal. So, now that we're in the Big Ten and have that identity, it's easier to convey to recruits what that really means – whether it's being televised, whether it's competing against the other top teams. ... Just to have that identity, not only in recruiting but also for your sport within your own school, has been a great way to move lacrosse forward for us here at Penn State." The Nittany Lions were one of the high- est-scoring teams in the country last sea- son, averaging 13 goals per game. They V A R S I T Y V I E W S GAME CHANGER The Big Ten is already a lacrosse powerhouse | IN GOOD HANDS Tambroni is looking to get Penn State back into the NCAA tournament after a 7-6 finish last year. Photo by Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics

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