Growth of Lacrosse Puts a Pinch on College Game

The popularity of lacrosse appears to be at an all-time high. The sport is moving quickly from a regional novelty to a national force, and its surge was the subject of a recent story in Sports Illustrated.

But the growth comes with a cost. And that cost likely will be felt in the Baltimore-Washington area, which beginning today will host the Patriot League and ACC tournaments, in Annapolis and Baltimore, respectively.

Lacrosse is sanctioned at high schools throughout California, Florida, Texas and Georgia, among other states. While the game grows at the middle school and high school level, however, Division I lacrosse remains stuck on 52 teams. That means more and more high school players are competing for a finite number of college scholarships.

"We've got to find a way to get the game to grow at the college level, and I'm not particularly optimistic we can do it," said Virginia Coach Dom Starsia, whose Cavaliers will face Maryland tonight in the ACC semifinals at M&T Bank Stadium. "We're trying to jam more and more stuff into the same sack. College lacrosse is bursting at the seams."

It is estimated that there is one college player for every 200 high school players.

"That one spot is pretty precious," Calverton Coach Jonathan Montes said. "I don't see any pressure on the developing areas. I see the pressure on areas where lacrosse has always been dominant. College coaches were happy getting a third-line midfielder from the MIAA [in Baltimore]. Now I don't think they're necessarily going to look for that player. I think they're going to look for the best possible athlete."

Said DeMatha Coach Dick Long: "Teams like Duke and Navy and Georgetown have athletes on their roster. Were they blue chip lacrosse players in high school? Probably not. They are good athletes who have learned lacrosse. I think it's going to be tougher for the kid who grows up with a lacrosse stick in his hand, who has excellent stickwork but might be a step slow. Before, their stickwork would get them onto a college team.

"The growth of the sport means some of these kids are going to get lost."

Navy's recent success appears to have played a significant role in the sport's exponential growth. The sport had its perfect storm last spring in Baltimore -- a final four that included Navy playing on Memorial Day; Syracuse attackman Michael Powell, a four-time, first-team all-American; Princeton attackman Ryan Boyle, a two-time Ivy League player of the year; and tradition-rich Johns Hopkins.

Syracuse won the title over Navy,

14-13, before a record crowd of 43,898.

"It depends on which teams make it, and having Navy really drove our attendance up, especially on the day of the championship," said John Williams, the director of NCAA championships. "I think that's why the TV ratings were so good, too. There are people associated with the academy all over the country."