Cardinals Plan To Add Women's Lacrosse In 2008
April 21, 2005 | Women's Lacrosse
April 21, 2005
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville has added women's lacrosse as a club varsity sport this spring and plans to add it as a full intercollegiate sport in 2008.
"We're very proud and excited to add to our athletic program with a rapidly emerging sport in women's lacrosse," said Tom Jurich, U of L Vice President for Athletics. "It's a premier championship sport in the BIG EAST Conference and there is increased participation and interest for women's lacrosse in this area. We have a stadium site planned and are ready to move forward."
In fall of 2003, the U of L Athletics Association Board of Directors had approved investigating the option of adding women's lacrosse. The addition of the spring sport will be on the agenda at the June 8 meeting of the board for final approval.
 Coach Meghan McDonogh  | |
Plans are to use the U of L lot on Floyd Street, formerly the site of Allgood Foods, as a playing field for U of L's lacrosse team, as well as for a practice site for the Cardinals' soccer teams. U of L officials are still determining whether the field will be natural grass or FieldTurf, the artificial surface used in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and Patterson Stadium for the Cards' football and baseball teams, respectively.
Lacrosse and ice hockey are the fastest growing women's sports in the nation. The BIG EAST Conference sponsors a league championship in the sport in which six schools currently participate -- Boston College, Connecticut, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Rutgers and Syracuse. Three BIG EAST schools are currently ranked among the nation's top 20, including Georgetown (8th), Syracuse 13th) and Connecticut (18th). Several Louisville area high schools sponsor the sport, which is administered by the Kentucky Lacrosse Association.
U of L last added three women's sports -- golf, rowing and softball -- that began competition in the 1999-2000 season. Adding women's lacrosse will increase U of L's sports offerings to 22. The Cardinals have 12 women's sports, including basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and volleyball. U of L sponsors nine men's sports, including baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis and outdoor track and field. Meghan McDonogh, currently the coach for U of L's club level squad, will serve as the Cardinals' acting women's lacrosse coach and will assist in managing the transition to a full varsity team.
 Senior Women's Administrator Julie Hermann | |
A 2001 graduate of American University, McDonogh started her college career playing soccer at Syracuse before transferring to American and matriculating to lacrosse as a junior. A native of Atlanta, Ga., she served as player/coach for the 2002 University of Georgia club team that was ranked second nationally among club teams while earning her master's degree there in sports management.
McDonogh was an assistant varsity coach at California (Berkeley) in 2003 when the Golden Bears produced an 11-6 record. She moved to Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C. as an assistant coach in 2004 when the Lady Saints posted a 13-4 record and reached the NCAA Division II national semifinals.
McDonogh is a member of the U.S. Lacrosse membership committee, serves as secretary of the Women's Division of Intercollegiate Associates (WDIA, the women's college club teams governing body), oversees the Southeastern Women's Lacrosse League (SWLL), and will be the field director for the women's lacrosse club championships in Blaine, Minn. this year. She is currently seeking her Ph.D. in sports administration at U of L.
