Great Western Lacrosse League
Encyclopedia
| Great Western Lacrosse League | |
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The Great Western Lacrosse League, also known as the GWLL, was a NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I men's college lacrosse
College lacrosse
College lacrosse refers to lacrosse played by student athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played in both the varsity and club levels...
athletic conference that existed from 1994 to 2009. The conference was created when the NCAA instituted automatic qualifiers to the NCAA championship tournament
NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
The annual NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament determines the top men's field lacrosse team in the NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III....
; in so doing, it eliminated the "western region" bid.
The GWLL ceased operations in 2010, as a result of Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse team represents the University of Notre Dame in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's college lacrosse...
's 2008 decision to leave the conference for the newly-established Big East lacrosse conference in 2010; the remaining GWLL schools, including the Air Force Academy
Air Force Falcons
The Air Force Falcons are the collegiate athletic teams that represent the United States Air Force Academy, near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The intercollegiate program has 17 men's and 10 women's NCAA-sanctioned teams...
, University of Denver
Denver Pioneers
The Denver Pioneers are the sports teams of the University of Denver. They play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, with most teams participating in the Sun Belt Conference. The Western Athletic Conference will become Denver's primary sports conference on July 1, 2012.The...
, Ohio State University
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
, Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Hamden, Connecticut, United States at the foot of Sleeping Giant State Park...
, and Bellarmine University
Bellarmine University
Bellarmine University is an independent, private, Catholic university in Louisville, Kentucky. The liberal arts institution opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop John A. Floersh of the Archdiocese of Louisville and named after the Cardinal Saint Robert...
, joined the ECAC
ECAC Lacrosse League
The ECAC Lacrosse League is an NCAADivision I college athletic conference and part of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. This part of the conference only sponsors men's lacrosse. The league was founded in 2000...
, as a five-team GWLL would no longer have been eligible to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA championship tournament under the rule requiring conferences to have at least six members to qualify for the bid.
History
The GWLL was established in 1994. The original members were Air ForceAir Force Falcons
The Air Force Falcons are the collegiate athletic teams that represent the United States Air Force Academy, near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The intercollegiate program has 17 men's and 10 women's NCAA-sanctioned teams...
, Butler
Butler Bulldogs
All but one of Butler University's 19 intercollegiate teams compete in the Horizon League, along with Cleveland State, Detroit, Green Bay, Loyola, Milwaukee, UIC, Valparaiso, Wright State and Youngstown State...
, Denver
Denver Pioneers
The Denver Pioneers are the sports teams of the University of Denver. They play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, with most teams participating in the Sun Belt Conference. The Western Athletic Conference will become Denver's primary sports conference on July 1, 2012.The...
, Michigan State
Michigan State Spartans
The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic team that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 25 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and white...
, Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse team represents the University of Notre Dame in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's college lacrosse...
, and Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
. Just prior to the 1997 season, Michigan State left the conference after the school dropped varsity lacrosse, leaving the league with five clubs. The NCAA requires a conference to have six members in order to be eligible for an automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament. As a result, Fairfield
Fairfield Stags men's lacrosse
The Fairfield Stags men's lacrosse team represents Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut and competes in the ECAC Lacrosse League of NCAA Division I. The Stags play their home games at Lessing Field. The team was nationally ranked in 2005 , 2006 and 2007 and competed in the NCAA...
was added as a sixth member. Fairfield later left the conference to join the ECAC
ECAC Lacrosse League
The ECAC Lacrosse League is an NCAADivision I college athletic conference and part of the Eastern College Athletic Conference. This part of the conference only sponsors men's lacrosse. The league was founded in 2000...
and was replaced by Quinnipiac. Later, Butler
Butler Bulldogs
All but one of Butler University's 19 intercollegiate teams compete in the Horizon League, along with Cleveland State, Detroit, Green Bay, Loyola, Milwaukee, UIC, Valparaiso, Wright State and Youngstown State...
left the GWLL when its athletic department dropped several sports programs including men's lacrosse in January 2007. Bellarmine was added to the conference in 2007 after the school began competing in Division I men's lacrosse in 2005.
In 2008, the GWLL held its first championship tournament. Previously, the GWLL champion was determined by regular-season results. Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse team represents the University of Notre Dame in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's college lacrosse...
won the championship with a 9-2 victory over Ohio State, earning an automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
2008 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament was held from May 10 through May 26, 2008. This was the 38th annual Division I NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament...
. In addition to Notre Dame's automatic bid, Ohio State and Denver also received "at-large" bids to the NCAA tournament, giving the GWLL three teams in the tournament. The following year, in 2009, Notre Dame again won the GWLL championship, defeating Ohio State 16-7 in the conference's last tournament.
2009 members
- Air Force FalconsAir Force FalconsThe Air Force Falcons are the collegiate athletic teams that represent the United States Air Force Academy, near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The intercollegiate program has 17 men's and 10 women's NCAA-sanctioned teams...
- Bellarmine KnightsBellarmine UniversityBellarmine University is an independent, private, Catholic university in Louisville, Kentucky. The liberal arts institution opened on October 3, 1950, as Bellarmine College, established by Archbishop John A. Floersh of the Archdiocese of Louisville and named after the Cardinal Saint Robert...
- Denver PioneersDenver PioneersThe Denver Pioneers are the sports teams of the University of Denver. They play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I, with most teams participating in the Sun Belt Conference. The Western Athletic Conference will become Denver's primary sports conference on July 1, 2012.The...
- Notre Dame Fighting IrishNotre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosseThe Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse team represents the University of Notre Dame in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's college lacrosse...
- Ohio State BuckeyesOhio State BuckeyesThe Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
- Quinnipiac BobcatsQuinnipiac UniversityQuinnipiac University is a private, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Hamden, Connecticut, United States at the foot of Sleeping Giant State Park...
Annual Awards
Player of the Year| Year | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Kevin Buchanan | Ohio State University |
| 2009 | Scott Rodgers | University of Notre Dame |
Newcomer of the Year
| Year | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Jamie Lincoln | University of Denver |
| 2009 | Dayton Gilbreath | Air Force Academy |
Coach of the Year
| Year | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Eric Fekete | Quinnipiac University |
| 2009 | Kevin Corrigan | University of Notre Dame |