New Lacrosse Teams in 2019

This Highlighter of Wednesday’s Weekly Lacrosse Content is all about new lacrosse teams in 2019. The expansion of lacrosse can be felt everywhere, and new teams are always popping up. From NCAA lacrosse, to the pros, and all the way to elementary schools, there’s always a new team. We’re going to run through some of the most notable for 2019 right here. There’s so much potential right now for any team, and you never know who may surprise you.

University of Utah’s Men’s Lacrosse

The Utes are about to gear up for their first season of men’s ncaa lacrosse, and they have quite a bit of hype. They will become the new most western program in NCAA Division I Men’s lacrosse. Denver and Air Force pretty much had a tie until now, but the Utes will easily claim the crown. While Utah is not a typical lacrosse state, the University of Utah men’s lacrosse team will be star-studded in their first year. Their players are yet to prove themselves, but their coaching staff contains Adam Ghitelman, Will Manny, and Marcus Holman as assistants. Coach Brian Holman, Marcus’s father, will captain the ship for the Utes this year. This wealth of experience taking control of the team should help them grow into a standout program in no time. Any player that dons a Utah jersey will be stepping into a serious lacrosse brain trust, and they’re lucky to be there learning from this staff. You can catch the Utes’ start to their season on February 1st, 2019 when they take on Vermont. 

Kent State Women’s Lacrosse

Another program that could make great strides in its first year is the Kent State Women’s Lacrosse team. Just like Utah, the coaching staff really makes this team special and gives them a great deal of potential early on. Brianne Tierney, daughter of Denver Head Coach Bill, is taking the reigns at Kent State for their inaugural season. Brianne comes from a very strong lacrosse family, but it’s not her name that they hired her for. She has proved herself as a very capable coach at several programs, including jump-starting the Lebanon Valley College women’s team. Brianne was also the director of operations for her father’s team, and the success there will hopefully follow her to Kent. Tierney is also joined by Morgan Fee and Amanda Glass on the coaching staff. Fee previously played at The Ohio State University, and Glass is a former Denison goalie who has also coached two lacrosse teams that won state championships in Ohio. It’s safe to say that the first Kent State Women’s Lacrosse team will be in good hands as they look to battle Cincinnati on February 10, 2019 in their first game.

 St. Bonaventure Men’s Lacrosse 

Again, we have another NCAA Division I school adding lacrosse and starting off with an excellent coaching staff. St. Bonaventure is going to be beginning their history with Coach Randy Mearns at the helm. You may recognize his name from his time spent coaching team Canada to the FIL world championship in 2014. Mearns was also previously the head coach at Canisius College right down the road from St. Bonaventure. His familiarity with the area and wealth of experience should make recruiting from New York a breeze for Coach Mearns and the Bonnies. Gill Conners and Rick Schunke join Mearns in this first season for the Bonnies, and the future has never looked brighter. Schunke has a great deal of experience with starting programs, and Conners was a monster in between the pipes during his career. Both assistants are also ingrained in the New York area and should make recruiting a thunder-dome type situation from now on. 

San Diego Seals NLL 

Ok, we know the Seals “technically” start in 2018 but they’re a 2019, and you need to get over it. The Seals are going to be absolutely electric in their first season, and you know who they’re playing. We really can only care about who is playing in San Diego this year because they’re a new team. San Diego could become the new Vegas Knights, and they have a much higher percentage chance since there are only 11 teams currently in the NLL. The expansion and relocation that is happening is kinda nuts, but sometimes so is lacrosse.

Your new San Diego Seals are going to be lead by seasoned veteran Dan Dawson, former Roughneck Garrett McIntosh, “other Garrett” Garrett Epple, Austin Staats, NCAA champion Zach Miller, “other champion” Connor Kelly, currently injured “other Connor” Connor Fields, and sometimes forgotten “other, other Connor” Connor Kearnan from Canisius College. This plethora of talent makes the Seals an immediate contender in 2019. Expect big things out of San Diego, and look out for them Seals.

Philadelphia Wings NLL

The other expansion team starting off for the NLL this year is the Philadelphia Wings. They have finally returned to Philadelphia after a short hiatus. This was a huge boost to the moral of Philadelphia lacrosse fans because the Wings were dearly missed. They are very similar to the Seals in their talent level, and the championship is just as open to them.

If you’re a Wings fan, the future is very bright. Matt Rambo, Trevor Baptiste, Liam Byrnes, Chris Cloutier, Brett Hickey, and Davide DiRuscio round out the roster of untapped potential. This team is a powder keg ready to explode on whoever chooses to face them. There’s gonna be a wild NLL season this year, and you should expect the Wings to bring the same gusto they did in Philly for years. 

 Vancouver Warriors NLL

The Warriors aren’t really a “new” team, but they have a new name, logo, and color palette. There’s not going to be a big difference in what the team previously known as the Stealth should expect to accomplish this year, but they do look fresh. The new look could be the boost that the Warriors need to get all the way to NLL Cup this year.

The Stealth made it to the playoffs last year but couldn’t quite finish. With now expanded league, they’re chances are technically lower; but, the Cup is up for grabs no matter who you are. Honestly, the Stealth will be missed, but the Warriors provide a very sleek new appearance in the NLL.

All PLL Teams

At the moment, the PLL will have six brand new teams gearing up to play in the 2019 season. This is the first year the league is in existence, and there’s tons of amazing players signed up to play. Right now, 157 of the best players on the planet are committed to playing in this first season. You can read a more extensive preview of the PLL in last week’s Highlighter.