Johns Hopkins' Men's Lacrosse Team To Join the Big Ten After 130 Years of Independence
ByBaltimore's Johns Hopkins University's lacrosse team will be joining the Big Ten Conference starting in the 2014-15 season, reported The Indianapolis Star.
Johns Hopkins had stayed independent for 130 years before deciding to join the Big Ten. The Blue Jays currently have the most wins in college lacrosse history and had made 41 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances before that streak was snapped this year. They have won nine NCAA titles.
Johns Hopkins is now the sixth team in the conference to have a lacrosse program, joining Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Maryland and Rutgers. Purdue spokesman Tom Schott told The Indianapolis Star the school had no plans to start a lacrosse team and am Indiana University spokesman could not be reached for comment.
Johns Hopkins is not joining the Big Ten in women's lacrosse, but the sixth women's team to join the Big Ten will be Northwestern. Big Ten rules state the conference can only sponsor a sport if at least six teams participate.
"This decision may represent the single greatest change in Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse in more than a century," university President Ronald Daniels said Monday in a statement posted on the school's athletics page. "I am grateful for the thoughtful process that has led us to this historic place, and I am confident in the success of our shared endeavor in the years to come."
Now that Johns Hopkins and Maryland will be in the same conference, their storied in-state lacrosse rivalry can continue.
"This move allows us to maintain the greatest rivalry in college lacrosse with the University of Maryland, add several nationally recognized programs to our schedule and maintain a number of national and local rivalries we have in place," Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said in a statement.
Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delaney expressed his excitement for the historic lacrosse team's arrival in a statement.
"Johns Hopkins is an outstanding institution with a legacy of success in men's lacrosse that is simply unmatched in intercollegiate athletics," he said.