Get ready Cardinal fans, one of the fastest growing sports in America is coming to a campus near you. On Monday, the Otterbein Athletic Department (AD) announced that men's lacrosse will become the 19th varsity sport offered at Otterbein College in the 2009-2010 academic year. "Our plan is to hire a coach this summer, give him a year to recruit, establish the program and then compete after that," said Otterbein Athletic Director Dick Reynolds. Otterbein will become the lone member of the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) to field a men's varsity lacrosse team, but Reynolds insists that finding competition will not be a problem or a concern. The AD expects a lot of the schools in the OAC to adopt a lacrosse program in the next four to five years. "A lot of schools around have it as a program. Some of the schools in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) have it and John Carroll has a club team," said Reynolds. "It's very popular on the east coast," he added. Otterbein students seem to be a fan of the addition. "I think it's a good idea," said Otterbein sophomore Auggie Fischer. "It might not be a strong program right away, but it could develop into a competitive program. It could also help draw more student athletes who want to play at a smaller school, and wouldn't have chosen Otterbein before," he added. Reynolds agreed, and said adding lacrosse was a "necessity" for the college to look into. "It's a pool of students we haven't attracted in the past," he said. "With all small liberal arts schools looking for students, and meeting the needs of some of the kids here it was almost a no-brainer that this would be the next sport to come into line," added Reynolds. Fisher noted that the first year his high school, Dublin Jerome, added a boy's lacrosse program they won the Division I Boy's State Title, and were runner-ups the following year. Central Ohio is no stranger to this up-and-coming sport. Fourteen of the 30 high schools in the Ohio Capital Conference field a varsity lacrosse team, including all three high schools in Westerville. "Central Ohio has had a boom with it. At a lot of schools it's ranking right up there behind football and basketball," said Reynolds. The lacrosse Cardinals will call Memorial Stadium home. Reynolds emphasized that the school is not looking to change the stadiums natural grass surface to a synthetic playing field. "It adds another taxing to our fields, but it's something we'll have to deal with," said Reynolds. Ladies, don't feel left out. If things go accordingly with the men's program, a women's program will follow suit the following year. t&c;
Otterbein lacrosse coming in 2 years
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