June 21, 2007

The University of South Carolina is the newest member of the American Lacrosse Conference, the ALC has announced. ALC Commissioner Dr. Peggy Pruitt extended the invitation to South Carolina and the Gamecocks have signed the memorandum of agreement with the league.

“We are very pleased to have the University of South Carolina join the conference,” said Dr. Pruitt. “They will provide an excellent women’s lacrosse program and we believe the institution and athletics association fit well with our other universities.”

South Carolina announced in February that lacrosse would be added to its varsity sports offerings, with the inaugural season targeted for the spring of 2009. The Southeastern Conference does not currently sponsor a league championship, so South Carolina pursued an affiliate membership in an established women’s lacrosse league. South Carolina joins fellow SEC schools Vanderbilt and Florida in the league, which also claims Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State. Northwestern, the three-time reigning NCAA champion, claimed the 2007 ALC team title. The ALC has been in existence since the 2002 season.

“The University of South Carolina is very excited about joining the American Lacrosse Conference,” said Val Sheley, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/SWA at South Carolina. “As our inaugural team is scheduled to play in Spring 2009, it will be exciting to be immediately involved with conference play. The current teams in the league are of a high caliber and will challenge us to grow and become competitive quickly.”

The ALC sponsored a conference tournament for the first time in 2007. South Carolina will be eligible for the title in their inaugural season.

South Carolina will become the first Division I program in the state of South Carolina to offer women’s lacrosse. Of the 79 Division I NCAA schools offering women’s lacrosse for the 2007 season, 74 are east of the Mississippi River.