Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association

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The Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA), formerly known as the US Lacrosse Men’s Division of Intercollegiate Associates (USL MDIA), is a national organization of non-varsity, college men's lacrosse programs. The MCLA was created by the MDIA Board of Directors and its creation was announced by US Lacrosse on August 24, 2006. The MCLA oversees play and conducts national championships for almost 200 non-varsity men's lacrosse programs in nine conferences throughout the country. [1]

With close to 200 teams in two divisions, the MCLA represents the fastest growing segment of college men's lacrosse. The MCLA provides a governing structure much like the NCAA, with eligibility rules, national polls, All-Americans and a national tournament to decide national champions in both the A and B Divisions. Its nine conferences are spread across the country, from coast to coast.

The MCLA exists to provide a quality college lacrosse experience where varsity lacrosse does not exist. On an individual scale, the MCLA provides rules and a structure that promotes "virtual varsity" lacrosse. On a national scale, the MCLA provides the infrastructure to support a level playing field through eligibility rules and enforcement and the use of NCAA rules of play. The MCLA has grown from 70 teams to nearly 200 in 10 seasons from 1997-2006.

The University of Michigan Varsity Club Lacrosse Team became the first team in MCLA history to complete a perfect season by defeating Chapman University in the national championship game on May 17, 2008.

Contents 1 Conversion from MDIA to MCLA 2 Media Coverage 3 MCLA Conferences 4 MCLA Division I Championship History 5 MCLA Division II Championship History 6 See also 7 Footnotes 8 External links

[edit] Conversion from MDIA to MCLA

MCLA President John Paul was interviewed in a podcast on August 31, 2006. Information obtained from this interview includes:

• MDIA council will cease to exist
• MCLA will run its own national tournament and control its own budget
• MCLA membership will still sit on US Lacrosse boards and committees
• Team dues will be doubled from $500 to $1,000, the only significant impact to teams
• By-Laws are being rewritten to be ratified in January of 2007
• Two new Vice President positions have been formed in the MCLA Executive Board and some paid positions will be created
• Long term goals include a full-time paid League Executive Director who will answer to the Executive Board
• Executive Boards of MCLA and conferences will be insured, as will the national tournament, however, players and teams are responsible for their own individual insurance

[edit] Media Coverage

The MCLA receives minor media coverage in both US Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse. As of January 2008, MCLA The Lax Mag, a magazine dedicated to the MCLA, began circulation as the first publication to solely cover the MCLA. The magazine is published by a private company and holds a license agreement with the MCLA^[1]. The stated goal of the magazine is to give the MCLA "respect and notoriety with stories and photos from around the league".

The 2007 MCLA Division A and B Championship games from Pizza Hut Park have been released on DVD via the Official MCLA Championship website.

Additional media coverage from ESPN, LaxPower.com, and other outlets, is increasing at as the league grows.

[edit] MCLA Conferences

For a full list of teams, see List of MCLA teams.

• Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association
• Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference
• Lone Star Alliance
• Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League
• Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League
• Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference
• SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference
• Upper Midwest Lacrosse League
• Western Collegiate Lacrosse League

[edit] MCLA Division I Championship History

(called Division A thru 2007)

Year	Champion	Score	Defeated	Location
1997	BYU	15-11	UCSB	St. Louis, Missouri
1998	UC Berkeley	16-15 OT	BYU	St. Louis, Missouri
1999	Colorado State	15-11	Simon Fraser	St. Louis, Missouri
2000	BYU	17-13	Colorado State	St. Louis, Missouri
2001	Colorado State	16-7	Stanford	St. Louis, Missouri
2002	Sonoma State	13-10	Colorado State	St. Louis, Missouri
2003	Colorado State	6-4	UCSB	St. Louis, Missouri
2004	UCSB	8-7	Colorado State	St. Louis, Missouri
2005	UCSB	8-7	Sonoma State	Blaine, Minnesota
2006	Colorado State	8-7	Colorado	Plano, Texas
2007	BYU	16-9	Oregon	Frisco, Texas
2008	University of Michigan	14-11	Chapman University	Irving, Texas

Team	Championships	Winning years
Colorado State	4	1999, 2001, 2003, 2006
BYU	3	1997, 2000, 2007
UCSB	2	2004, 2005
UC Berkeley	1	1998
Sonoma State	1	2002
University of Michigan	1	2008

[edit] MCLA Division II Championship History

(called Division B thru 2007)

Year	Champion	Score	Defeated	Location
2005	San Diego	9-6	UVSC	Blaine, Minnesota
2006	San Diego	10-3	St. John's	Plano, Texas
2007	Montana	15-5	St. John's	Frisco, Texas
2008	Westminster College	17-10	Grand Valley State	Irving, Texas

Team	Championships	Winning years
San Diego	2	2005, 2006
Montana	1	2007
Westminster College	1	2008

[edit] See also

• List of MCLA teams
• US Lacrosse
• US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates
• NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

• Men's Division official website
• Women's Division official website
• US Lacrosse official website
• 2007 MCLA-B National Champion Montana Grizzlies
• 2007 MCLA-A National Champion BYU Cougars