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Olivet to add women’s lacrosse in 2011

Olivet College announced Tuesday that it will sponsor a varsity women’s lacrosse program, beginning in the spring of 2011.

The Comets fielded a club women’s lacrosse team during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Brian Jacob and David Tanis, who served as co-head coaches for the club team, will continue the same role for the varsity squad.

Olivet Athletics Director Heather Bateman said the team will compete as an independent at the NCAA Division III level. A 15-game varsity schedule is being assembled for the 2011 season.

Olivet will be one of four NCAA schools in Michigan to offer varsity women’s lacrosse.

“Women’s lacrosse has seen a lot of growth over the past five years,” Tanis said. “Brian and I believe we can build a strong program at Olivet with local, home-grown talent by creating a positive environment for our high school recruits to compete at the next level.”

“One of the great things about a school like Olivet is students are encouraged to come out and participate in sports as part of their educational experience,” Jacob said. “We are finding, as other coaches around the country have, that good athletes who are willing to make an effort can learn the skills of the game quickly enough to contribute to the success of the team.”

Women’s lacrosse is the first sport added at Olivet since women’s golf in 1993.