From the e-mail box. Thanks to Coach Paul for responding:
“The Big Ten is the premier conference in college sports. As the oldest conference in Division 1 sports, there is so much tradition and pride. It has always stood for academic and athletic excellence. If we are going to add an affiliate member, what better choice is there than Johns Hopkins lacrosse? Hopkins is one of the preeminent academic institutions in the world, and the Blue Jays are intertwined with the history of our sport. I’m proud of the Big Ten for making this historic decision.
“When you are part of the Michigan Athletic Department you are surrounded by constant reminders of how central the Big Ten is to our culture and our competitive goals. In a way this feels like our sport is being welcomed home. The Big Ten is about big time college sports. Big Ten lacrosse adds another level of attention to our sport.
“With three of our members coming from East Coast expansion, I don’t know that this move says much about the westward growth of the sport. But I’m very hopeful that it helps influence other Big Ten athletic departments toward taking a hard look at varsity lacrosse.”