Augustana (Illinois) will sponsor a varsity women’s lacrosse program beginning during the 2010-11 school year.

It will become the 11th women’s sport at Augustana, which currently sponsors 11 sports for men.

School officials indicated a desire to offer equal athletics opportunities for men and women and to accommodate current and future students’ interest.

“Following extensive consideration, the addition of women’s lacrosse was clearly the best fit at Augustana for a variety of demographic reasons,” said Athletics Director Mike Zapolski. “The increasing popularity of the sport and its recent growth in the Midwest were important factors in the final decision.”

The Illinois High School Association Board of Directors recently added a lacrosse season for the 2010 school year, and sponsorship of the sport has been increasing at the collegiate level, including Division III.

“Athletics has played a key role in the college experience of Augustana’s students for generations,” said Augustana President Steven Bahls. “This reflects our commitment to provide our students with an education that speaks to mind, spirit and body in preparing them for lives of leadership and service. Lessons learned on the field of competition serve our alumni in all aspects of their lives after Augustana, and by offering women’s lacrosse it’s my hope that more students will be able to benefit from these transformative experiences.”

Augustana has had a women’s lacrosse club team since 2003. Lacrosse becomes the first new sport at the school since women’s golf in 1996.