Credit: Montclair State Athletics
Montclair State Lacrosse and College Lacrosse Needs More Support
Published: Monday, January 6, 2025
by Kyle Ferreira
Friday the 13th hit the Montclair State Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse programs hard.
It was announced in December that the two teams would be demoted to club status, while additionally adding women’s flag football into their athletic catalog. But the issue isn’t related to the addition of a growing sport like flag football, but rather the constant disinterest in lacrosse. While the decision from Montclair State wasn’t an easy one, it paints a larger problem the sport continues to face.
The post-COVID collegiate athletic landscape has been one that left more problems than solutions. However, football and men’s basketball continue to thrive, and women’s basketball, volleyball and softball have begun to grow in popularity. Athletes like Travis Hunter, Caitlin Clark, and Livvy Dunne have transcended college athletics and brought more eyes to their sports in the 2020s.
While Clark received widespread coverage, even continuing into her rookie season in the WNBA, some of lacrosse's best players barely did. Brennan O’Neill is a generational player in the sport of lacrosse, yet the current Denver Outlaws attackman was seemingly forgotten by casual fans. For most non-lacrosse fans, Pat Kavanagh was one of the few players they could realistically name, mainly because of his appearances on The Pat McAfee Show.
For the former Duke and Notre Dame lacrosse players, O’Neill and Kavanagh deserve better, especially when they were in college. The two were Tewaaraton Award winners, yet the award must be simplified to the “Lacrosse Heisman” for casual fans to understand. Even former women’s college lacrosse players like Charlotte North and Izzy Scane should have received more coverage when they attended Boston College and Northwestern, respectively.
But even moving away from the individuals, the sustainability of programs has been troubling. Lindenwood University in Missouri moved up to the Division One level in 2022, but dropped lacrosse following the 2024 season. Cabrini University, a successful Division Three program, lost their team because of their university closing at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year.
Even with the move being effective in fall 2025, Montclair State would still have their lacrosse teams technically, just not as official programs. But what bothers many, including myself, is why would they demote themselves from their current Division Three status? In a lacrosse hotbed like New Jersey, why would they remove themselves from competitive and meaningful action?
If a university was trying to establish a lacrosse program, maybe starting at the club level makes sense, especially for a Division One school. Seton Hall, for example, has recently seen interest in creating a club lacrosse team. Taking that route, if successful, could potentially influence the opinions of university officials and spark interest in establishing an official Division One program.
But for Montclair State, their lacrosse programs saw tremendous success. In men’s lacrosse, they won the Skyline Conference every year from 2009 to 2017. In women’s lacrosse, they dominated the Skyline Conference from 2006 to 2013, essentially winning the conference every year except in 2009.
In an official press release by Montclair State, the University’s Athletic Director, Rob Chesney, expressed a positive outlook on the changes.
“Whether it is new NCAA programs or enhanced club sports opportunities, we are creating a future in which all students will have a platform to develop leadership, teamwork and wellness skills to further enrich their overall campus experience.”
The sport has not only played an important part in their university, but within the community surrounding it. The town of Montclair has been home to some of the best high school players in the state for years. That identity of togetherness and the love of lacrosse has spanned decades upon decades, naturally leading to many loving the unique sport there.
As a result, a petition on Change.org has been made to help restore both programs to their official team status. But for Montclair State and the landscape of college lacrosse, it’s still devastating to see this keep occurring. The sport of lacrosse is growing, but whether it’s interest level or the financial aspect of things, this sport needs support.
As a fan, I’m frustrated seeing this happen. But if enough people express their disapproval for the decision, maybe it can be reversed. Time will tell.
Kyle Ferreira can be reached at kyle.ferreira@student.shu.edu.Posted in: sports,