Lacrosse is alive on Tech's campus

So I want to start by saying that this is taking me a lot of research to completely understand. If you don't already know, Tech's Lacrosse team is a Club sport, not sponsored by the Institute. Seeing as FTRS is in a similar situation, I love it even more.

First, here is some history on the Tech Lacrosse team. The team was initially founded as a varsity sport in 1924. The team was dissolved in 1929 due to the Great Depression. Then, in 1971 the team was reestablished. Since then, Tech has fielded a team for the past 41 years. The Jackets have won two SELC titles, one in 1997 and another in 2004. Over the past 15 years, Tech has seen over 20 All-Conference players and 8 All-Americans.

The GT Lax team is currently ranked 22nd in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association, or MCLA. The MCLA is comprised of over 200 teams around the nation whose campuses do not have a NCAA sanctioned team. With 10 conferences, the organization spans the entire nation. The Association offers both Division 1 and Division 2, with GT having the D-1 distinction.

Georgia Tech plays in the SouthWest Division of the Southeastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC). The other five teams in the division are Georgia, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Alabama, and Ole Miss. The team is coached by Ken Lovic, who is also the Vice President/Treasurer of the MCLA. Other ACC teams that are in the SELC are NC State, Virginia Tech, Florida State, and Miami.

The Jackets played Friday, with a well fought 2-1 victory over Boston University. Between the pipes, Matt Sommerfeldt had a tremendous game recording 9 saves. The first goal came in the first quarter from a shot from GT's freshman Ben Mertz. This goal was soon followed by a goal from BU's Anthony Baum, to tie the game going into half. The game was tied for the entire second half until the last 90 seconds of the game, where Mick Stapleton fed Colin Granger on an inside cut to score the game winner, improving the Jacket's record to 8-2, 2-0.

The game was held at Marist High School in front of a crowd of over 300 fans along with Buzz and the GT Pep Band. This season has already been exciting for the Yellow Jackets, who currently sit atop the division leader board, followed closely by uga. The eventful season has included a win against #10 ranked Pitt and a 3OT win against Clemson last week. The team is just past midway through the season, with 6 games left before playoff action in the end of April.

The Jackets continue their season on Sunday at home against #16 ranked SUNY-Buffalo at Georgia Tech at 1pm. Normally, games can be attended for free at the SAC turf fields next to the Campus Recreation Center.

In regards to the ACC, only 4 teams have NCAA Men's Lacrosse teams- Maryland, Virginia, UNC, and Duke. These names are not strangers to the rest of LAX Nation, as they are historically some of the four strongest teams in the nation. With a growing lacrosse scene in Georgia, I think it is only a matter of time before the AA starts getting knocks at their door for Georgia Tech to make a move to the NCAA level. Obviously this all depends on finances as well as Title IX details, but this team is quickly improving and gaining national recognition with some solid wins.

What do you think, should Georgia Tech start considering new D-1 sports teams, such as Lacrosse or Soccer?