Lacrosse | 12/08/2021

MWLC Release | MWLC Website

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict lacrosse program officially has a conference to compete in when it begins its inaugural season in 2022-23.
 
Saint Benedict was approved for membership to the Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference, the MWLC conference office announced Thursday. The MWLC athletic directors voted to add CSB to the conference starting immediately in the 2022-23 school year.
 
"We are delighted to be approved as the newest members of the MWLC. Joining the MWLC will create quality opportunities for our student-athletes to excel on the field and in the classroom," College of Saint Benedict President Laurie Hamen said.
 
The addition of the Bennies brings the league total to eight members as Saint Benedict joins Augsburg, Northwestern and Hamline of Minnesota, Cornell and Wartburg of Iowa and Lake Forest and Monmouth of Illinois.
 
"Saint Ben's is a great fit for the MWLC. They are a strong academic institution, have quality facilities, and are a good geographic fit for the league," said MWLC Athletic Director Chair Jeff Swenson.
 
The MWLC was started in 2010 and began play in the spring of 2011. Various Division III schools have rotated in and out of the conference as lacrosse gains popularity across the Midwest as team's core conferences have added lacrosse.
 
Saint Benedict announced the addition of varsity lacrosse in October 2021, and the program will compete in its first varsity season right away in 2022-23. The announcement of the program's first head coach is expected in the near future. The new coach will start recruiting student-athletes for the first varsity lacrosse roster in CSB history immediately upon starting.
 
The Bennie lacrosse team will practice and play on the turf field at the Outdoor Athletic Complex, and will have a locker room in the Sister Lois Wedl Athletic Center. The addition of a varsity program at Saint Benedict comes as lacrosse is rising in popularity in Minnesota with more than 3,800 high school girls participating in the sport in the 2020-21 season.
 
"Saint Ben's is incredibly excited to be joining the MWLC," CSB Athletic Director Kelly Anderson Diercks said. "The opportunity to join a league and have competitive scheduling, playoff and post-season opportunities for our women is really important for us a new program. We are grateful to the MWLC schools for accepting us into the conference."