Maryland Lax Joins Big Ten Beginning In 2015

Maryland will be an official member of the Big Ten in 2015 and should have a lot of competition in their new conference. (Photo Credit: John Strohsacker/LaxPhotos.com)

After months of speculation, the University of Maryland men’s and women’s lacrosse teams were officially introduced as members of the Big Ten. Both teams will begin playing in the conference starting in the 2015 season.

That wasn’t the only big news regarding Big Ten lacrosse to come out in the last few days. On Sunday, Johns Hopkins announced its intentions to join the Big Ten as a lacrosse-only member. The Blue Jays have a strong tradition of being a national powerhouse in men’s lacrosse. They had previously played as an independent since 1883 and will join a six-team Big Ten conference that includes Maryland, Penn State, Rutgers, Ohio State, Michigan, and now Johns Hopkins. Another tidbit worth noting is the fact that now the Big Ten will be an automatic qualifier for lacrosse since they now have met the six-team requirement.

With the additions of Maryland and Johns Hopkins, men’s lacrosse should be an extremely strong sport for the Big Ten. Along with the Terps, Ohio State and Penn State also appeared in the NCAA tournament this season. The Blue Jays are almost always a sure bet to make a deep run in the tournament. Maryland is leaving a conference in the ACC that boasts powerhouses such as Duke and North Carolina. However, they are coming to a conference that is just as successful. In nearly every season, there has been a representative from the Big Ten or ACC in the National Championship game. Clearly the Big Ten has the pedigree for lacrosse and the Terps should fit in just fine.