Thiel will add lacrosse and tennis for men and women during 2010-11, boosting the number of sports it sponsors to 24.

The school also announced it will fund a full-time coaching position for football and will install what it described as an air-supported practice structure that will cover the playing surface at Alumni Stadium during winter months.

 “It’s a great day to be a part of Thiel College,” said President Troy VanAken. “The enhancement and expansion of our athletics and extracurricular programs will position Thiel to attract and retain engaged students and student-athletes with the strong academic profile we strive for as an institution.”

Thiel is reviving tennis several seasons after dropping the sport. The men’s and women’s teams will compete at the school’s on-campus tennis complex, which is slated for resurfacing in the near future.

The new lacrosse teams will play beginning in spring 2011 at Alumni Stadium. 

Plans call for the winter-weather structure to be inflated after the football team’s final game of the season and remain in place until the first lacrosse match in the spring.

Thiel competes in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.