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ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – As it strives to create more opportunities for women and continue to grow as one of the top departments in the MIAC and within the NCAA, the College of Saint Benedict athletic department is taking another step forward as it announces the addition of varsity lacrosse.
 
Starting in the 2022-23 school year, Saint Benedict will house one of four NCAA Division III varsity lacrosse programs in Minnesota. The addition of lacrosse brings the department up to 12 varsity sport programs.
 
"Our goal at the College of Saint Benedict is to provide the premier Division III student-athlete experience for women in the country," Saint Benedict transitional president Laurie Hamen said. "Lacrosse is an exciting addition, especially at a time of growth in the sport in the Midwest."
 
The addition of another varsity lacrosse program in Minnesota comes at an opportune time as the sport continues to grow at the high school and youth levels in the state. More than 3,800 high school girls participated in lacrosse in the 2020-21 season, and those numbers continue to grow at both the high school and college levels in Minnesota and nationally.
 
CSB joins more than 290 Division III women's programs around the country for its inaugural season in Spring 2023. While a majority of teams are on the East Coast, the sport is trending west into the Midwest as well as around a dozen California schools.
 
"Saint Ben's has a long history of quality athletic teams, and we are incredibly excited to be adding women's lacrosse to our current sport offerings," CSB Athletic Director Kelly Anderson Diercks said. "Next year marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX, and I could not think of a better way to recognize that milestone than by expanding athletic opportunities for women. Student-athletes who chose to play lacrosse at CSB are going to get an outstanding education, an opportunity to play in a beautiful facility and the chance to compete at a very high level. The future is very bright for Bennie lacrosse."
 
A national search is under way for the program's first head coach, and those interested in applying for the position can find that link here. Anderson Diercks said that she hopes to have someone hired and in place yet this fall, and that person will hit the recruiting trail as soon as they get to Saint Benedict. She added that the addition of lacrosse is expected to bring 22 to 26 student-athletes to the college.
 
When competition begins in Spring 2023, the Bennies will take on teams from around the Midwest. Anderson Diercks said that Saint Benedict intends to apply for membership with the Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference, which includes Augsburg, Hamline and Northwestern from Minnesota; Cornell and Wartburg from Iowa and Lake Forest and Monmouth from Illinois. The CCIW and NACC – which both include schools from Illinois and Wisconsin – currently sponsor lacrosse, as do UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse and UW-River Falls.
 
The team will practice and play on the turf field at the Outdoor Athletic Complex, which was lined for both soccer and lacrosse when it was installed in Fall 2017. The team will join the CSB softball and soccer teams with a locker room in the Sister Lois Wedl Athletic Center.
 
According to the Minnesota State High School League website, there are 95 high school girls' lacrosse teams in the state. The MSHSL started sponsoring girls' lacrosse in 2001-02, and sponsored its first state championship in 2007.
 
A recruit questionnaire is available here for potential student-athletes to fill out to get more information on the program once a coach is hired.