The University of Florida is the newest member of the American Lacrosse Conference, the ALC announced today.  Dr. Peggy Pruitt, the ALC Commissioner, extended the invitation to UF late this summer and the Gator program has signed the memorandum of agreement with the league.

"We are very pleased to have the University of Florida join the conference.  They will provide an excellent women's lacrosse program and we believe the institution and athletics association fit well with our other institutions," stated Dr. Pruitt.

Florida announced in June that lacrosse will be added to its varsity sports offerings, with the inaugural season targeted for the spring of 2010. Too few Southeastern Conference programs currently offer the sport to sponsor a league championship, so Florida pursued an affiliate membership in an established women's lacrosse league. Florida joins Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Ohio University, Ohio State, Penn State and Vanderbilt as the seventh member of the ALC. Northwestern, the two-time defending NCAA champion, claimed the 2006 ALC team title. The ALC has been in existence since the 2002 season.

Starting in 2007, the ALC will sponsor a conference tournament. Florida will be eligible for the title with their inaugural season.

Florida will be the first Division I program in the state of Florida to offer women's lacrosse. Of the 80 Division I NCAA schools offering women's lacrosse for the 2006 season, 75 are in the southern or eastern United States. South Carolina announced in late August that it will add women's lacrosse and expects that 2009 will be its first season of competition.

For more information about the University of Florida's plan to add the sport of lacrosse, please visit http://gatorzone.com/lacrosse/