Following the approval of the Board of Trustees on Friday, Bridgewater College will add women’s golf and men’s lacrosse to its roster of NCAA Division III sports teams. Both teams will begin competition in the 2012-2013 academic year. With the addition of these teams, Bridgewater will position itself as one of the premier institutions in its conference – the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) – in regards to its breadth of athletic offerings.
“We observed interest and ability in women’s golf and men’s lacrosse among students currently on campus and moved to expand our offerings to give students even greater opportunity to reap the benefits of team sports, competition and general fitness,” said Bridgewater College President George Cornelius. “We are committed to ensuring all of our students have the opportunity to participate in competitive sports when the student interest exists.”
Through a national search, the college plans to hire head coaches for the programs in the next six months. These coaches will recruit players to compete along with eligible students already on campus starting with the spring 2013 season.
“The addition of women’s golf and men’s lacrosse will provide Bridgewater College with a greater recruiting presence in the Mid-Atlantic area, which, geographically, is very important to the department and the college as a whole,” said Curt Kendall, director of athletics for Bridgewater College. “A men’s lacrosse club has existed on campus for some time. An increasing number of conference schools plan to sponsor women’s golf, and it is a sport that we can support and at which we can quickly become very competitive in the conference.”
The women’s golf team will practice at area golf courses and travel to competitions throughout the eastern United States. The men’s lacrosse team will compete in a full complement of games in the ODAC and throughout the region.
In addition to an intercollegiate Equestrian program, Bridgewater College offers the following NCAA Division III sports: women’s and men’s basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis and indoor and outdoor track and field; women’s field hockey, lacrosse, softball, swimming and volleyball; and men’s baseball, football and golf.
Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Founded in 1880, it was the state’s first private, coeducational college. Today, Bridgewater College (www.bridgewater.edu) is home to nearly 1,700 undergraduate students. The college boasts a successful intercollegiate sports program that sponsors 20 NCAA Division III sports and a competitive, intercollegiate Equestrian program (www.bridgewatereagles.com).
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