Mid-American Conference women's lacrosse tournament
| Mid-American Conference women's lacrosse tournament | |
|---|---|
| Conference women's lacrosse championship | |
| Sport | Lacrosse |
| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Played | 2022–present |
| Last contest | 2023 |
| Current champion | Central Michigan (2) |
| Most championships | Central Michigan (2) |
| Official website | getsomemaction |
| Host locations | |
| Campus sites (2022–present) | |
The Mid-American Conference women's lacrosse tournament is the conference women's lacrosse championship of the Mid-American Conference, a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The top four finishers participate in the single elimination tournament, which is held at the home field of the top seed. The winner of the tournament receives an automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship.
The tournament began in 2022, the season after the conference added women's lacrosse as a sponsored sport. Through the 2023 tournament, Central Michigan has won both tournament titles.
History
[edit]The Mid-American Conference announced in late 2019 that women's lacrosse would be added as a sponsored sport for the 2021 season. At that time of the announcement, only two full members of the conference had women's lacrosse teams, with Central Michigan starting play in 2016 and Kent State in 2019. Akron had started scrimmaging in September 2019 and began formal competition the following February, while Eastern Michigan had announced plans in November 2019 to have a team by 2022. As part of the MAC's announcement, two affiliate members were also introduced: Detroit Mercy and Youngstown State, both full members of the Horizon League.[1][2] Later, in June 2020, the conference announced that Robert Morris, who was also in the process of becoming a full member of the Horizon League, would join as an affiliate for the inaugural 2021 season, for a total of six teams.[3] Eastern Michigan began formal competition in 2023 to bring the total to seven.[4]
Initial plans called for the tournament to begin in 2021, but in May 2020, the conference announced that the women's lacrosse tournament, along with seven other conference tournaments, would be eliminated for at least four years as a result of the financial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] The following May, however, the conference reversed the decision, restoring the tournaments for all eight sports effective for the 2021–22 season.[6] Robert Morris won the inaugural regular-season title, but no tournament was held, so the Colonials won the automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship.[7] The first tournament was held in 2022, with Central Michigan, Robert Morris, Kent State, and Youngstown State qualifying. The tournament was hosted and won by regular-season champion Central Michigan.[8]
Champions
[edit]By year
[edit]The following is a list of tournament champions, runners up, and sites listed by year.
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Site |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Central Michigan | Robert Morris | CMU Soccer/Lacrosse Complex • Mt. Pleasant, Michigan |
| 2023 | Central Michigan | Robert Morris | Joe Walton Stadium • Moon Township, Pennsylvania |
By school
[edit]The following is a list of tournament champions listed by school, the years each team was eligible to play in the tournament, and their overall record in tournament play.
| Program | Tenure | Titles | Title years | Tournament appearances | Record | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Michigan | 2022–present | 2 | 2022, 2023 | 2 | 4–0 | 1.000 |
| Robert Morris | 2022–present | 0 | 2 | 2–2 | .500 | |
| Kent State | 2022–present | 0 | 2 | 0–2 | .000 | |
| Youngstown State | 2022–present | 0 | 2 | 0–2 | .000 | |
| Akron | 2022–present | 0 | 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Detroit Mercy | 2022–present | 0 | 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Eastern Michigan | 2023–present | 0 | 0 | 0–0 | – |
References
[edit]- ^ Sneddon, Andy (November 6, 2019). "MAC To Launch Women's Lacrosse In 2020-21". CMUChippewas.com. Central Michigan University. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "EMU to Offer Women's Lacrosse Starting in 2021-22". EMUEagles.com. Eastern Michigan University. November 6, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "Robert Morris To Join MAC As Affiliate Member". RMUColonials.com. Robert Morris University. June 23, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "Lacrosse Scores First Program Goal in Inaugural Game, Falls, 18-4, to Niagara". EMUEagles.com. Eastern Michigan University. February 16, 2023. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ Strack, Jordan (May 12, 2020). "Major changes coming to Mid-American Conference". WTOL.com. WTOL. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ Jimenez, James H. (May 7, 2021). "Mid-American Conference announces return of eight postseason tournaments". HustleBelt.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "2021 MAC Women's Lacrosse Standings". Mid-American Conference. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ "Central Michigan Claims MAC Lacrosse Title". GetSomeMACtion.com. Mid-American Conference. May 7, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2023.