MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- Lawrence University lacrosse will compete in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference when the Vikings begin play in 2025, Commissioner Jeff Ligney announced today.
    The NACC Council of Chief Executive Officers approved Lawrence's inclusion as an affiliate member in men's and women's lacrosse beginning with the 2024-25 academic year.
    "We are excited to welcome Lawrence University into the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference as an affiliate member for their inaugural men's and women's lacrosse seasons," Ligney said. "NACC programs have regularly competed against Lawrence in many other sports so it is a natural fit for us. Their addition brings more competitive depth to our conference when we are moving to enhance the NACC Championships experience for our student-athletes."
    The addition of the Vikings increases the number of institutions sponsoring men's lacrosse to 10 and the number sponsoring women's lacrosse to nine.
    "When looking at the current landscape of Division III lacrosse in our region, there were a few conferences that we looked at to determine a fit for Lawrence," Lawrence Director of Athletics Jason Imperati said. "The NACC will provide great competition for our programs as our coaches continue to build our rosters for future success."
    Both of Lawrence's lacrosse coaches view membership in the NACC as a strong competitive test for their fledgling programs.    
    "We are excited to start our journey as a program in a very competitive conference," Lawrence men's coach Mikey Zadroga said. "My staff and I are not only looking forward to the challenge of competing in the NACC but are also very excited for the strong in-state rivalries we will build. We cannot wait for game one in 2025!"
    Lawrence women's coach Ben Morhac said, "I am beyond excited to have our women's team join the NACC. The conference is strong from top to bottom and provides good competition for our program. I am excited for the competition the conference brings and to make history with our team in the NACC. We are very grateful for this opportunity."
    Lawrence joins current NACC lacrosse programs at Aurora University, Benedictine University (men only), Concordia University Chicago, Concordia University Wisconsin, Edgewood College, Illinois Institute of Technology, Marian University and Milwaukee School of Engineering, along with current lacrosse affiliate Beloit College.
    The NACC began its first season of competition in the fall of 2006 when it was known as the Northern Athletics Conference. The conference consists of 14 private colleges and universities from Illinois and Wisconsin, all of which are NCAA Division III members.
    This is the fourth conference affiliation for Lawrence, which plays the bulk of its sports in the Midwest Conference. Lawrence men's and women's hockey compete in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association, and that league includes multiple members of the NACC. Lawrence men's and women's fencing are part of the Central Collegiate Fencing Conference.