Despite expansion, Maryland is still the lacrosse state

By: Corey Johns

What used to be almost exclusively a Maryland and New England-based sport, lacrosse is rapidly growing at the college level. Denver is the defending national champions and is joined by another Colorado team, Air Force, in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten now sponsors lacrosse as a varsity sport with expansions out west to Ohio State and Michigan. Detroit has a lacrosse team, Jacksonville has lacrosse now. The Milwaukee-based Marquette too, which is in the NCAA Tournament in just their fourth season of existence.

But even despite the growth of the sport and the introduction to ‘bigger school’ with bigger budgets, Maryland is still the star state when it comes to the sport.

This year’s NCAA tournament is still loaded with Maryland teams. Both men’s and women’s programs from Maryland, Johns Hopkins, Loyola, and Towson earned spots in the tournament. Navy men’s also joined in as an at large team while at the Division III level both Salisbury men’s and women’s and Stevenson men’s teams and St. Mary’s women’s team got in the NCAA Tournament.

And what is even more impressive is that the Terps are the No. 1 overall seed in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.

With programs with more money, bigger a better facilities and the sell of the ‘grander college athlete experience’ coming from schools like Michigan and Ohio State, it is still amazing how small schools are proving that tradition means most in a fairly niche sport.

Lacrosse players don’t grow up dreaming of playing at Michigan, they want to play at Hopkins, at the history Homewood Field, where across a parking lot sits the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. They want to play for the 2012 National Champion Loyola or historically great Towson Tigers and play in that rivalry. Or they want to play for the Terps and part of some of the greatest rivalries in the sport.

This year, the state of Maryland has nearly a one-third chance to take home a national championship in men’s lacrosse. And that is pretty amazing.

This article was provided by So Much Sports. For more great sports coverage by So Much Sports please visit somuchsports.com and baltimore.somuchsports.com.