Women’s Lacrosse Releases Inaugural Schedule
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s lacrosse team will take to the field for the first time next spring and recently finalized its inaugural schedule.
The year will start with a couple of scrimmages before the team will play its first real game on the road against Marian (Ind.) on February 22, which ended last year ranked eighth in the NAIA poll. The squad will continue their road trip throughout March, playing against Marian (Wis.) and Madonna (Mich.), culminating in a spring break trip to Hilton Head, S.C.
The navy and gold will then start Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference play on the road against Missouri Baptist on March 14. The Heart of America Athletic Conference does not currently have enough member schools to support lacrosse, so William Penn has joined in with other schools under the banner of the KCAC to form a league.
The Statesmen will be home for five games in their first campaign, starting with Clarke on March 21 at Drost Field. They will then play Benedictine, which finished as runner-up last year in the NAIA National Invitational. WPU will also play Ottawa (Kan.), Morningside, and will conclude the home season on April 11 against Midland. The squad will play three away games in March and April against Missouri Valley, Saint Mary (Kan.), and will conclude the season at Culver-Stockton.
The team will compete to be one of the top four teams in the conference, so as to qualify for the KCAC Tournament, with an automatic bid to the NAIA Invitational on the line. The tournament will be held at Saint Mary between April 18-25. The NAIA Invitational will be held in Savanah, Ga. on May 6-9. The tournament will see eight teams invited to play for the championship; last year, SCAD Savannah (Ga.) won its third title in a row.
“For our inaugural season, we wanted to challenge ourselves, as well as see the true potential of this team,” Associate Head Coach Corrine Smeak said. “We have put together a more difficult schedule to push our team to excel and work to a high level of play. We are excited to see what this season will bring.”
