The addition of one of the fastest growing sports in the nation to the college was not a hard decision, according to Paulauskas. It increases our overall sports offerings to student athletes but more important, it gives us another spring sport and increases opportunities for our female student athletes. Women's lacrosse is among the fastest growing women's sports in the nation. The sport has seen a boom in the college level in the past few years but has exploded across the high school terrain, especially in recent years. The conference is consistent with the national trend.
Studies prove that the sport has exploded across the high school and college landscapes.
We expect that with Saint Anselm also offering this popular sport we will also keep up with those trends that allow us to offer the variety of sports that student-athletes are looking for in a college. At the Division II level, where Saint Anselm will compete, the level has increased from 10 teams in 1992 to 16 teams in 1997. The numbers have been especially impressive at the high school level. The Northeast 10 Conference has been part of that surge of participation. Women's lacrosse will be offered as a conference championship sport for the first time in 1998 as seven of the 10 conference members will offer a team.