Michigan Men’s Lacrosse Accepted into ECAC

Via Inside Lacrosse and Lacrosse Magazine’s Jac Coyne (no thanks to the conference spokesperson who said he’d e-mail me with any updates…), Michigan’s men’s lacrosse team has been accepted into the ECAC for the spring of 2012, with eligibility for the conference tournament the following season. IL:

CENTERVILLE, Mass. – The Eastern College Athletic Conference has added the University of Michigan to its Division I men’s lacrosse league, ECAC commissioner Rudy Keeling and U-M athletics director Dave Brandon said in a joint statement. ECAC lacrosse league athletic directors unanimously voted to admit Michigan as the conference’s eighth member.

Michigan joins Big Ten rival Ohio State in the league.

“Michigan will be an exceptional addition to the ECAC lacrosse league,” Commissioner Keeling said. “After having been one of the strongest club teams in the country, Michigan is now committed to making its varsity men’s lacrosse team one of the best in the nation. The ECAC is excited to welcome the institution as our newest member.”

And a statement from Michigan Athletic Director David Brandon and coach John Paul:

“The ECAC lacrosse conference is competitive and balanced and we are thrilled to be accepted for membership,” said Brandon. “We plan to schedule as many of the league schools as possible for the upcoming season while understanding the challenges of scheduling competitions this late in the cycle. We look forward to growing our program and earning the right to compete for championships.”

“We’re very excited about joining the ECAC,” added Wolverines head coach John Paul. “Of course, we wanted to find a way to incorporate the best rivalry in college sports into our conference schedule, so the ECAC was in our sights from Day One because Ohio State was already a member. Top to bottom, the ECAC provides an opportunity to play an outstanding conference schedule against great programs. We feel like it’s a perfect fit.”

The acceptance into the conference means Michigan knows some of their opponents next season in Denver, Ohio State, Loyola (Md.), Fairfield, Bellarmine, Air Force, and/or Hobart. They’ll only play a partial league schedule in 2012.

More analysis in the coming days.