WDIA NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Check out the 2008 Tournament Results

Check out the 2008 Tournament Game Summaries

Check out the 2008 WDIA All American Award Winners

WDIA Calendar

Important WDIA Dates

• December 1, 2007 - Deadline to get a representative from each league on the Rankings and Recognition Committees in order to get an AQ.
• December 15, 2007 - WDIA Team Application Deadline. Late fee applies for all applications not postmarked by the 12/15/07 deadline.
• January 18-20, 2008 - USL Convention in Philadelphia, PA
• February 15, 2008 - Last day to add/drop a game.
• February 15, 2008 - League Schedules must be turned into LaxPower by February 15th or by your league's first game, whichever comes first.
• February 1, 2008 - Late Application Deadline for 2008 WDIA Applications
• March 1, 2008 - WDIA Roster Verification Form Deadline - Due to your League President by Feb 15 who then sends it to USL by March 1. (Your school registrar shall certify that all roster members are full time students)
• April 17, 2008 - WDIA All-American submissions are due to your Regional Chair. For more information please see the information posted on the Committee Page 
• April 20, 2008 - Each member league must have their Automatic Qualifier (AQ) for the 2008 IA National Championship decided and submitted to Gabe Valenzuela and Lissa Fickert by 9PM PDT.
• May 9-11, 2008 - WDIA Open Festival - Denver, CO  ***CANCELLED***
• May 7-10, 2008 - WDIA National Tournament - Denver, CO

WDIA News Headlines

2008 WDIA National Championship Field Announced

UC Santa Barbara Earns Top Seed

BALTIMORE – UC Santa Barbara has earned the top seed for the 2008 US Lacrosse Women’s Division Intercollegiate Associates (WDIA) National Championship Tournament, presented by Brine. The 16-team tournament will be held from May 7-10 in Denver with preliminary round games at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and the championship set for May 10 at Invesco Field at Mile High.

UCSB completed a perfect 16-0 regular season with a 12-11 overtime victory over seven-time defending WDIA national champion Cal Poly in the Western Women’s Lacrosse League championship game, earning the league’s automatic bid to the tournament.

Seven other teams earned automatic qualifiers to the tournament field by virtue of winning conference championships: No. 4 seed Michigan (Women’s Collegiate Lacrosse League), No. 8 seed Lindenwood (Central Plains Women’s Lacrosse League), No. 11 seed Texas A&M (Texas Women’s Lacrosse League), No. 13 seed Georgia (Southeastern Women’s Lacrosse League), No. 14 seed Army (East Coast Women’s Lacrosse Association), No. 15 seed Minnesota (North Central Women’s Lacrosse League) and No. 16 seed Boston College Club (New England Women’s Lacrosse League).

Eight at-large invitations were also awarded: No. 2 seed Colorado State, No. 3 seed Colorado, No. 5 seed Cal Poly, No. 6 seed Santa Clara, No. 7 seed Pittsburgh, No. 9 seed UCLA, No. 10 seed Virginia Tech Club and No. 12 seed Michigan State.

The championship game will be televised nationally on a tape-delayed basis by CBS College Sports. The first airing will be shown on Monday, May 12 at 8 p.m. (Eastern).

Cal Poly defeated Navy 16-9 to win its seventh consecutive WDIA last spring. The Mustangs are the only team to have qualified for all eight WDIA tournament fields since the event was first held in 2001. Boston College Club is the only team in this year’s field that has never appeared in the tournament.

The US Lacrosse WDIA structure consists of more than 165 college club teams from around the country. Further information about the WDIA is available online at www.uslacrosse.org/wdia.

WDIA Youth Lacrosse Clinic in Denver

Together with Colorado Rising Stars Lacrosse, LLC, US Lacrosse will host the first WDIA Youth Clinic this May in Denver, CO in conjunction with the WDIA National Championship Game. The event will be held on Saturday, May 10, 2008, just before the WDIA National Championship game. The two-hour clinic will start at 9:30 a.m.

The event is open to youth lacrosse players ages 5 to 14, and provides an excellent opportunity for youth boys and girls to learn from the best collegiate club players in the United States as well as the top coaches in the Denver area. Clinicians will work with youth members of all levels, enabling them to share their lacrosse skills and promote the game among all ages and levels of play. For more information and to register, please visit www.uslacrosse.org/events/ia/clinic08.phtml.

First Round Games

No. 1 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 16 Boston College Club
No. 2 Colorado State vs. No. 15 Minnesota
No. 3 Colorado vs. No. 14 Army
No. 4 Michigan vs. No. 13 Georgia
No. 5 Cal Poly vs. No. 12 Michigan State
No. 6 Santa Clara vs. No. 11 Texas A&M
No. 7 Pittsburgh vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech Club
No. 8 Lindenwood vs. No. 9 UCLA

Brine is the official presenting sponsor for the 2008 US Lacrosse Women’s Division Intercollegiate Associates National Championship. Sports Her Way is the official retailer for the event.

Westminister to Launch Women's Lacrosse Program 

Soni Bartlett Named to Lead Program

SALT LAKE CITY – Westminster College is pleased to announce the addition of women's lacrosse to its athletic program beginning Spring 2009.  This addition gives Westminster a total of 13 teams competing in intercollegiate athletics.  Griffins Athletic Director Shay Wyatt announced the hiring of Soni Bartlett to serve as head coach and architect of the startup program.

"We believe Soni will be a great addition to the Westminster Athletics program", said Wyatt.  "Her experience and knowledge should serve our women's lacrosse program well.  She shares the vision we have for our athletic program and has the drive and commitment to reach the goals we have set forth both academically and athletically." 

A resident of Sandy, Utah, Bartlett began her lacrosse career in her native hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.  She joins the Griffins after 12 years of coaching experience on a variety of levels.  She is currently the head coach of the Jordan High School Girls' Lacrosse Team, having served in that position since 2003.  Her teams won four consecutive state championships.  Bartlett co-founded the BYU Women's Lacrosse Club, founded the Orem high School women's Lacrosse Club, coaches a local travel team and serves as an assistant coach for a national club team consisting of national and international players.  She also served as the Executive Director of the Utah Lacrosse Association from 2002 to 2006.  In 2007, Bartlett was elected to the Utah Lacrosse Association Hall of Fame and currently serves on the US Lacrosse Board of Directors.

Westminster plans to compete in the Rocky Mountain Women's Lacrosse League.  The league is part of U.S. Lacrosse and the Women's Division Intercollegiate Associates.  For more information on the Westminster Women's Lacrosse Program visit www.westminstercollege.edu/athletics or call Coach Soni Bartlett at (801) 832-2865. 

Westminster is a nationally recognized, comprehensive liberal arts college distinguished by its unique environment for learning. With a broad array of graduate and undergraduate programs, Westminster prepares students for success with its emphasis on engaged learning, real world experiences and its vibrant campus community. These are further enriched by the opportunities presented by Westminster's unique location, adjacent to the Rocky Mountains and to the dynamic city of Salt Lake. For more information visit www.westminstercollege.edu

From: March 5, 2008 Press Release

2008 WDIA National Championship Information

May 7-10, 2008 - Denver, Colorado

The US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates National Championship showcases the nation's top 16 Women's Intercollegiate Associates lacrosse teams at the same venue. It is the only national championship that is endorsed and managed by US Lacrosse, the national governing body of lacrosse.

The 16 teams selected to participate in the 2008 IA National Championship will advance to Denver, Colorado, with Dick's Sporting Goods Park serving as host site for the second straight year. The championship game will be played at Denver's Invesco Field. 

US Lacrosse's WDIA ranks are comprised of approximately 170 women's college programs around the country. The teams are not varsity programs at the colleges, but follow similar guidelines as varsity programs and compete at a level much more organized than traditional college club programs.

Event Information Page Link

2008 US Lacrosse National Convention Handouts

January 18, 2008 - January 20, 2008

127 Sessions, 119 SpeakersThe US Lacrosse National Convention has established itself as the largest educational opportunity for US Lacrosse member coaches, officials, and administrators in the world. What You Get with your Account: All conference attendees are entitled to FREE access to available session handouts prior to the conference and up to 30 days following the conference. At any time you may purchase an upgrade to your account and have unlimited access to all of the live audio and presentation materials for a minimum of 1 year following your last Prolibraries purchase. Upgrading your account to the full multimedia library provides you access to session audio (.mp3) and speaker presentations (.pdf) in our own custom streaming flash player. You can also download any sessions audio or presentation right to your home or work computer (download speeds may vary). 

DOWNLOAD NOW

WDIA: State of Renewal

There's a reason why the WDIA is always reshuffling

Jan. 15, 2008

by Jac Coyne, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

Think how hard it would be for women's Division I to keep any kind of consistency if one or two of its Top 20 teams were removed from competition each year. Think about the time and effort it would take to reorganize the conferences and keep them eligible for automatic qualifiers if the administrators were constantly working in a state of revitalization. It would pretty tough to keep a steady organization amidst this type of fluidity, wouldn't you say?

Welcome to the Women's Division Intercollegiate Association (WDIA).

One just has to look back to the spring of 2007 to understand the type of upheaval the division has been facing for the past decade. Navy rolled through its competition to a perfect record before losing to national champion Cal-Poly. Following a script it set in motion a couple of years before, the Midshipmen made the leap to varsity status by joining the ranks of NCAA Division I.

Poof. Just like that, the second-best team in the WDIA was gone.

And this has been happening for a decade. Northwestern, Stanford, Oregon, and Cal-Berkeley, among others, have all been strong teams within the club ranks before making the move the varsity. With the continued popularity of the sport more and more women's club teams will make the move. WDIA staples such as South Carolina (2010), Florida (2010) and Boise State (2012) are already on track to make the leap to NCAA Division I in the near future.

While this trend is certainly good for the growth of the sport, especially in up-and-coming places like the West Coast, it has caused some headaches for the remaining programs that are not only trying to balance their conferences but working to ensure they are eligible for automatic qualifiers under WDIA rules. MORE

Lax Magazine Releases its 2008 Preseason Rankings 

BALTIMORE -- Eight of the 11 teams that won college lacrosse national championships in 2007 have been picked to repeat as title-winners in 2008 in Lacrosse magazine's annual preseason college rankings, released Wednesday.

The rankings, compiled by Lacrosse magazine staff after consultations with coaches, predict Northwestern to win its fourth straight NCAA Division I women's championship. Duke has been tabbed as the preseason favorite to capture the NCAA Division I men's championship.

Other champions from 2007 selected to repeat: Le Moyne (NCAA Division II men), Salisbury (NCAA Division III men), Franklin and Marshall (NCAA Division III women), Onondaga (National Junior College Athletic Association men), Anne Arundel (NJCAA women), Cal Poly (US Lacrosse Women's Division Intercollegiate Associates) and BYU (Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association Division I). MORE

USL WDIA
1. Cal Poly
2. Colorado State
3. UCSB
4. BYU
5. Colorado
6. UCLA
7. Georgia
8. Pitt
9. Michigan
10. Michigan State
11. Florida
12. Santa Clara
13. UC-Davis (club)
14. USC
15. San Diego State
16. Lindenwood
17. Chico State
18. UCSD
19. Central Florida
20. Pepperdine

(Please note that the Lax Magazine ranking of WDIA teams was not put together by the WDIA Rankings Committee. Official polls by the Ranking Committee will be published later this season.)

Brine East West Challenge

LOS ANGELES – A showcase event of NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse in Southern California.  Participating teams are UC Berkeley, Notre Dame, Oregon and Temple.  Additional showcase game featuring the US Lacrosse WDIA teams of UCLA and USC.

Date: March 8, 2008

Time: 12 Noon - 7PM

Location: Rose Bowl

More information can be found at the East West Challenge Website

Rules Changes for Women's Lacrosse in 2008 - (Applicable to the WDIA)

BALTIMORE – The US Lacrosse Women’s Division Board of Governors has approved the following recommendations from the US Lacrosse Women’s Division Rules Committee for new women’s lacrosse rules.

Rule 2 – Equipment and Uniforms

Section 8 – Beginning with the 2009 season the mouthpiece shall be of any readily visible color other than clear or white. This currently applies to only NFHS affiliated schools.

Section 12 – Added that the goalie may also wear pants/shorts that are gray in color.Rule 3 – Game Personnel

Section 11 – Added as one of the duties of the official scorer that they must notify the umpire when a fourth card is given to the same team.Rule 4 – Time Factors and Scoring

Section 1 – When the 10-goal rule is in effect no time out will be called for a redraw. [Other sections in the book will also be re-worded to reflect this change.]Rule 5 – Play of the Game

Section 11 – If the goalkeeper who is still in her goal circle is the closest to the ball when it crosses the boundary, she will be awarded the ball and can remain in her circle to restart play. This will now be consistent with what happens when the goalie is closest when a shot goes out of bounds.

Section 15 – This section was changed to allow the shooter to follow through with her stick over the goal circle on a shot and to allow the player directly defending the shooter to also have her stick over the goal circle. This change will NOT be in effect for Youth level play and a specific foul for being in the goal circle (body or stick) has been added to the Youth Rules. Rule 6 – Fouls

Section 1.g – Added another example to illustrate illegal use of the crosse – lowering the head of the crosse below the shoulder AND initiating crosse to body contact.

Section 2.f – Reworded the body ball foul – player may not allow any part of her body to deliberately impede, accelerate or change the direction of the ball. We will no longer focus on "distinct advantage".Rule 7 – Penalty Administration

Section 29-31 – In an effort to clarify the section on cards a number of changes have been made to the wording in these sections. Two yellow cards to any player will signify that she is to be removed from participation in that game, and the reference to a red card has been removed. A red card will now be indicative of a flagrant foul or misconduct that calls for immediate removal from the game. Changes will also be made in Rule 8 – Definition of Terms to reflect this rewording.Rule 9 – Manufacturer’s Specifications

Section 26 (new) – Added specific wording to prohibit the use of additional materials covering any of the pocket strings (i.e., tubing, beads, etc.)

Section 27 – Added a note following this section to give some examples of things that might prohibit free ball movement in the pocket.

Stick Testing Procedures – The rules will continue to allow the submission of pre-production models to the lab for testing but only a preliminary approval will be given for this type of stick. Final approval and listing on the web site will only result when a final production model has been submitted and passed all testing.

US Lacrosse is the national governing body for men’s and women’s lacrosse. To return to the US Lacrosse home page, please click here www.uslacrosse.org.

UCSB adds a WDIA Division to the Santa Barbara Shootout

SANTA BARBARA, CA - New divisions have been added to the Santa Barbara Shootout at UCSB for 2008. The new divisions include a WDIA Division which will feature a preset schedule, an NCAA DII/DIII Division,C.I.F. High School / Sanctioned Out-of-State Team Division as well as High School JV, High School Club and Middle School Divisions.

The Shootout will be held on President's Day Weekend, which is February 16 - 18, 2008. Teams from all over will play teams from all over. Are you itching to play one of those teams from some other place that everyone says is really good?  Do you just want to play someone different?  Well, now here's your chance.

Visit the UCSB Women's Lacrosse website for more information and to request a spot in the tournament.

Paul Ramsey Named Head Coach at UC Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, CA - East West Sports Camps founder Paul Ramsey has accepted the head coaching position for the women's lacrosse club at University of California, Santa Barbara. Ramsey, who spent the past three years building the program at Pepperdine University, will assume his responsibilities immediately. Ramsey previously coached at UCSB in the early 90s. The Gauchos were 46-7 during his three seasons of guidance and won two Western Women's Lacrosse League (WWLL) championships in 1991 and 1992. This past season UCSB finished 18-7 and ranked 3rd in the country in the U.S. Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates (WDIA) poll. The Gauchos advanced to the semifinals of the national championship before falling to the U.S. Naval Academy. Former head coach Diana Garcia, who was WWLL coach of the year, resigned at the end of the season for personal reasons. MORE

(Visit the LaxPower website for the full article) 

Cal Poly Wins Seventh Straight WDIA Championship

DENVER, CO - Brittany Jones scored eight goals to lead Cal Poly to a 16-9 victory over Navy in the championship game of the 2007 US Lacrosse Womens Division Intercollegiate Associates championship at the University of Denver. The championship was the seventh consecutive for Cal Poly, which is now 25-0 all-time in US Lacrosse WDIA tournament play.

Cal Poly, which had to come back from a four-goal deficit in its semifinal victory over Colorado State, led from start to finish. The Mustangs scored the first six goals of the game with Jones, and her sister Janelle, doing most of the damage. Brittany Jones had three goals in the opening spurt and Janelle Jones had two goals and an assist.

Navy scored three of the last four goals of the first half, all by Mary Ruttum, to get within 7-3 at the half, but the Mids were unable to carry over the momentum into the second half. Julie Friesen and Brittany Jones scored goals for Cal Poly in the opening three minutes of the second half.

Navy pulled to within 11-7 on Erin Rawlicks third goal of the game with 11:22 to play, but Brittany Jones seventh goal of the game ignited a three-goal Cal Poly run that put the game out of reach.

Brittany Jones was named the tournaments Outstanding Offensive Player. Cal Polys Jamie Oetman was named the Outstanding Defensive Player. MORE

2007 WDIA All-American and Academic All-American Teams

DENVER, CO - The 2007 US Lacrosse Women's Division Intercollegiate Associates All-American teams were announced on Wednesday, May 10th in Denver, CO - new site of the 2007 IA National Championships. The WDIA revealed the teams All-American and player of the year recipients as part of its annual social at the IA National Championship.

Cal Poly was the big winner of the night as the Mustangs placed four players on the All-American First Team.  However, senior Brooke Julicher from UC Santa Barbara took home Player of the Year honors after posting an impressive season in the WWLL for the Guachos.  The WDIA also released the 2007 Academic All-American list after the event.  The WDIA All-American First Team is loaded with eight seniors followed by three juniors and five sophomores.  MORE

Everything you need to know to be successful in starting and sustaining a collegiate lacrosse club. MORE

• March 28-30, 2008: Pittsburgh Invitational - Please contact Gary Neft for more information.

• March 29-30, 2008: Women's Club Lacrosse Tourney at Duke University - Please contact Kate Gonsiewski for more information.

• April 11-13, 2008: The 2008 Lindenwood Invitational will be in St. Charles, Missouri (10 minutes from St. Louis).  Please contact Jack Cribbin for more information. 

If you would like to advertise your tournament for the 2008 season please email the Resources Committee Chair to have it posted on the WDIA Website.

WDIA Coaching Vacancies

If your team is in need of a coach for the 2007-2008 season and would like to post information about the coaching vacancy on the WDIA Website please email the Resources Committee Chair.

Other News:

• Ohio University Drops Women's Lacrosse
• University of Cincinnati to add Women's Lacrosse in 2008
• US Lacrosse Announces Formation of the MCLA
• Is Your Athletic Department Looking for a Reason to add Lacrosse
• Naval Academy to add Women's Lacrosse in 2008
• 2006 US Lacrosse WDIA All-American Teams Named and Award Winners
• 2006 WDIA Recaps and Scores from Dallas
• Dallas to Host US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates National Championships
• Women's Lacrosse Field Diagrams & Rules
• Hard Boundaries for 2006
• Legal Sticks for Women's Lacrosse

Mission Statement The mission of the USL Womens Division of Intercollegiate Associates is to promote the growth of womens lacrosse nationwide. Specifically, WDIA strives to provide an infrastructure in which collegiate clubs will compete and eventually crown a National Champion. Leadership opportunities exist on the local, regional and national levels as WDIA is a representation of teams at all levels. WDIA members are then encouraged to give back to the lacrosse community by joining the umpiring, coaching and post-collegiate club communities.