UConn to Be Charter American Conference Women's Lacrosse Member

STORRS, CT — The American Athletic Conference is adding women's lacrosse as the its 22nd sport beginning in 2019.

AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco announced the move on Wednesday.

The six-team league will be anchored by the University of Connecticut and fellow current conference members Cincinnati, East Carolina and Temple.

The University of Florida and Vanderbilt University will play as affiliate members.

The AAC is now the 16th Division I conference to sponsor women's lacrosse.

Cincinnati, UConn, Temple, Florida and Vanderbilt are current members of the Big East Conference in women's lacrosse, while ECU is set to begin its first season of intercollegiate competition in 2018 after the addition of women's lacrosse to its sports roster in March 2016, league officials said.

Women's lacrosse is the first intercollegiate sport added to the conference since its "reinvention" in 2013, league officials said. The American will feature 10 men's and 12 women's sports once lacrosse sets in.

The conference will conduct its first women's lacrosse championship in 2019 with the site and dates still to be determined, league officials said.

The American will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship.

"We are extremely pleased to be adding women's lacrosse as a conference sport," Aresco said. "The development of the sport has been impressive over the last decade and its popularity continues to grow. Our decision to sponsor women's lacrosse will be of great benefit to our membership and will provide our student-athletes with additional competitive opportunities and will enhance our conference's brand.

"I also want to take this opportunity to welcome Florida and Vanderbilt as affiliate members. These are two programs which have been highly successful at the national level. I look forward to watching our women's lacrosse league develop and achieve great success over the next several years."

UConn first began playing women's lacrosse in 1997. The Huskies are coached by Katie Woods, who is entering her eighth season on the Storrs campus. A two-time Big East coach-of-the-year honoree, Woods is the program's all-time winningest coach with 73 victories.

Photo Credit: UConn