News Center

The Allegheny College Board of Trustees has authorized the addition of field hockey and men’s lacrosse to the school’s varsity athletic offerings.

“We are very excited to add field hockey and men’s lacrosse to Allegheny’s athletic program,” stated Allegheny College President Dr. James H. Mullen, Jr. “These two sports will afford opportunities for excellent student-athletes from across the country to be part of a nationally-recognized academic community, and contribute to a proud athletic tradition that extends back to the founding of the NCAA.”

Field hockey will begin play in the fall of 2019, while the inaugural season of Gator men’s lacrosse will be spring of 2020.  The search for a head coach for each program will begin immediately.

“Men’s lacrosse and field hockey have been on our radar for several years,” said Portia Hoeg, Allegheny Director of Athletics and Recreation.  “However, we did not have the proper resources in place to create a solid foundation for additional sports.”

Along with the addition of two new varsity programs, the Board of Trustees has also authorized construction of a new artificial turf competition field at the Robertson Athletic Complex, while the existing locker room and athletic training facilities at the complex will also be renovated and enhanced.

“It has always been important to begin new programs at a time when we could adequately invest in our resources,” Hoeg stated.  “We are extremely excited to upgrade several of our athletic facilities, and add an additional turf field to benefit not only lacrosse and field hockey, but all Gator athletic programs.  We will also staff each program and our support personnel at a level to assist in the health, wellness, recruitment, and game coverage of the two additional varsity programs.

“This is an exciting endeavor for Allegheny College and Gator Athletics,” Hoeg explained.  “We are thrilled to welcome a new crop of students to our Gator family, and to gain exposure in many more markets.  Our standard of excellence both in the classroom and on the field will continue to be high.”

The two additions bring the number of varsity athletic teams at Allegheny to 23, and the school will now field a team in every sport sponsored by the North Coast Athletic Conference.  At the NCAA Division III level, 236 schools currently sponsor men’s lacrosse, while 165 sponsor field hockey.  With the introduction of Allegheny’s programs, all 10 NCAC member schools will now offer men’s lacrosse, while the Gator field hockey program will join seven other full-time NCAC institutions, as well as Earlham College, which is an NCAC field hockey affiliate member.

Field hockey and men’s lacrosse are the first sports added by Allegheny College since 2006, when women’s golf was introduced.  Currently, over 400 student-athletes compete for Allegheny in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, and volleyball.