Men’s Lacrosse Releases Inaugural Schedule

Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s lacrosse team will push itself to the limit as it released its inaugural 2020 schedule.

Following a handful of scrimmages during the fall and late winter, the Statesmen begin their first-ever season on February 22 in Southfield, Mich. against #5 Lawrence Tech. It marks the first of eight contests against teams ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA; five of those programs are rated in the top 10.

The navy and gold then head west the next week to take on NCAA Division II squads Adams State (February 28) and Colorado State-Pueblo (March 1).

Five more road matchups follow, headlined by a trip to Kentucky to meet #4 Cumberlands on March 8. William Penn also takes on Missouri Baptist on the road on March 14. The meeting with MBU marks the start of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference campaign as well. WPU and other Heart of America Athletic Conference members currently combine with schools from other leagues, including the KCAC, to form a league which also has a postseason tournament.

After eight games and nearly a month on the road, the Statesmen finally come home on March 21 to take on Clarke. The rest of the season will mostly be at home, as the team will play six times at Drost Field compared to three times on the road. The most notable road game will be March 31 against Missouri Valley, which ended last season ninth in the coaches’ poll. The final home game will be April 11 against Midland with the season finale at Columbia on April 14.

All of the games are critical for the team as the KCAC only takes the top four teams to its tournament. The winner of that tournament will receive an automatic berth to the NAIA National Invitational. Only eight teams in total will be invited to the NAIA Invitational, which is scheduled for May 6-9 in Savanah, Ga. Last year, Reinhardt (Ga.) earned their third-consecutive national title, defeating Aquinas (Mich.).

“We have intentionally put together an ambitious schedule for our inaugural campaign,” Head Coach Luke Christiansen said. “There is an extra edge in your preparation when you have a tough schedule, and we cannot wait to test our young program against some excellent teams this season.”