Non Revenue Sports

[whiteandblue77]

Personally I'd like to see Marquette add baseball and possibly the water sports. It would be great if more schools would look into adding lacrosse, that way we wouldn't have to mess with associate members. We just added our lacrosse program, so other schools wouldn't have to catch up too much. I think the minimum number for an NCAA autobid in that sport is 7, 6 in baseball. I'm not sure about other sports.

...and with G-Town and others great in LX Creighton, which has had a long-time club team, will prolly pick this up.

Who, exactly, is great in lacrosse in our conference? As far as I can tell, we need associate members to have any marquee programs. It's not like they all look terrible or anything, but there's very little big time success in our programs.

Well, Ok, Providence is good, the rest of the C7 and the NBE could be GREAT... Basically we're going to DOMINATE Soccer and B-Ball, I think we could also dominate Lacrosse and Rugby if everyone was "all in" on those sports. Neb-Omaha became an overnight powerhouse in Ice Hockey, I suppose we could all do that route as well but I think Lacrosse and Rugby are the Big East "Nons" that could become "Revenue" of the future... just my 2c

[BillEsq]

Rugby would be a huge add. I think having the entire BE join the Premier Rugby League would be huge. Plus its a non scholarship sport so it won't affect title IX. I also read somewhere that its championship had as many viewers as the Lacrosse Champ... so you can make it a rev sport. On a side note its non NCAA so it would fall outside of the Fox Contract

In regards to the Lacrosse issue. I don't think you would have to worry about enticing Bellarmine ... they would jump Div 2 schools don't say no. John Hopkins on the other hand is a Lacrosse power despite being a div 3 school so getting them would be a coup. In regards to Bellarmine they would be a Catholic University who would both be a bridge to Marquette and reestablish a foothold for the league in Louisville (big city with lots of catholics and big catholic prep schools). Bellarmine is currently in the ECAC which is loosing its power in Loyola Maryland to the Patriot. Ohio State and Michigan also play in the league but rumor has it the Big 10 are starting their own Lacrosse league. (rumor is Bellarmine or John Hopkins might go that direction too)

[yorost]

Well, Ok, Providence is good, the rest of the C7 and the NBE could be GREAT... Basically we're going to DOMINATE Soccer and B-Ball, I think we could also dominate Lacrosse and Rugby if everyone was "all in" on those sports. Neb-Omaha became an overnight powerhouse in Ice Hockey, I suppose we could all do that route as well but I think Lacrosse and Rugby are the Big East "Nons" that could become "Revenue" of the future... just my 2c

You don't just unseat a sport's powers by going all-in. The Big East conference is only a few years old in sponsoring lacrosse, and now we've just lost the anchoring programs while bringing in a brand new program with Marquette. If wishes were horses.

[marquette]

Georgetown has had a decent amount of success in lacrosse, they were in the NCAA tournament for 11 straight years. Villanova has also had some lacrosse success recently. I admittedly don't know much about the sport or who is really good, but it seems to me that it is a sport on the rise. It also seems that there are schools adding programs recently which have had decent success. Marquette hasn't been doing too awful considering it's our first year. Counting scrimmages we're 4-5 this year.

As far as Rugby goes, I'd watch. Can't say I know anything about the sport, but it seems like it could be interesting.

[yorost]

Like I said, not bad, and I'm also happy with Marquette's season so far. Saying we're going to dominate in lacrosse by going all-in was my problem. Saying that for our conference is far off from reality. From Wikipedia, NCAA championship game performance...

Team - Championships - Apperances
Syracuse (a) 10 16
Johns Hopkins 9 18
Princeton 6 8
Virginia 5 9
North Carolina 4 5
Cornell 3 7
Maryland 2 11
Duke 1 3
Loyola 1 2
Navy 0 2
Massachusetts 0 1
Towson 0 1
Notre Dame 0 1

Notice any of our teams on there? After 2007 our teams have a combined 2 NCAA appearances, both by Villanova. You can't talk about being a great lacrosse conference with that kind of success. We're a weak lacrosse conference with no star power. Georgetown is the closest we have, but it's been years since they made the NCAA's and not even that great. I hope we push lacrosse, I love watching the sport, but we have a long ways to go as a conference. Adding John Hopkins would be a huge step, but its also very unlikely if the B1G wants them (which will have Maryland).

[Novacrawf]

I'm not really familiar with D1 lax conference alignments (more familiar with D3), but outside of the ACC it will be tough for anyone to really build a 'power' conference. Perhaps associate membership for someone like Drexel, Delaware, or a MD school (UMBC, Loyola, or a very outside chance of a D3 school moving up like Salisbury or Washington). Is Navy any kind of a possibility?

[marquette]

I'm not really worried about becoming an immediate power conference. Given the rapid expansion of the sport the most important thing in my opinion is to just establish a conference and start playing. Once we have a full conference we don't initially have to compete with the established powers, just become the best of the new programs and mid level overall. Most lacrosse schools are out east, bu there are a lot of established lacrosse programs in the Midwest. If we can give those prospects a decent alternative to moving halfway across the country we could pick up some quality recruits. Marquette isn't going to be Johns Hopkins, and neither is anyone else in the Big East, but we can certainly become competitive.

[BillEsq]

I'm not really familiar with D1 lax conference alignments (more familiar with D3), but outside of the ACC it will be tough for anyone to really build a 'power' conference. Perhaps associate membership for someone like Drexel, Delaware, or a MD school (UMBC, Loyola, or a very outside chance of a D3 school moving up like Salisbury or Washington). Is Navy any kind of a possibility?

LOL navy is not a possibility the play in a power lacrosse conference... its called the Patriot (and yes Loyola Maryland is joining next year). In college lacrosse i think you could argue that the Patriot is above the ACC.