Great Western Lacrosse League

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Great Western Lacrosse League
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The Great Western Lacrosse League, also known as the GWLL, was an NCAA Division I men's college lacrosse athletic conference that existed from 1994 to 2009. The conference was created when the NCAA instituted automatic qualifiers to the NCAA championship tournament; in so doing, it eliminated the "western region" bid.

Contents

The GWLL ceased operations in 2010, as a result of Notre Dame's 2008 decision to leave the conference for the newly established Big East lacrosse conference in 2010; the remaining GWLL schools, including the Air Force Academy, University of Denver, The Ohio State University, Quinnipiac University, and Bellarmine University, joined the ECAC, as a five-team GWLL would no longer have been eligible to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA championship tournament under the rule requiring conferences to have at least six members to qualify for the bid.

History

The GWLL was established in 1994. The original members were Air Force, Butler, Denver, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. Just prior to the 1997 season, Michigan State left the conference after the school dropped varsity lacrosse, leaving the league with five clubs. The NCAA requires a conference to have six members in order to be eligible for an automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament. As a result, Fairfield was added as a sixth member. Fairfield later left the conference to join the ECAC and was replaced by Quinnipiac. Later, Butler left the GWLL when its athletic department dropped several sports programs including men's lacrosse in January 2007. [1] Bellarmine was added to the conference in 2007 after the school began competing in Division I men's lacrosse in 2005.

In 2008, the GWLL held its first championship tournament. Previously, the GWLL champion was determined by regular-season results. Notre Dame won the championship with a 9-2 victory over Ohio State, earning an automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship. [2] In addition to Notre Dame's automatic bid, Ohio State and Denver also received "at-large" bids to the NCAA tournament, giving the GWLL three teams in the tournament. [3] The following year, in 2009, Notre Dame again won the GWLL championship, defeating Ohio State 16-7 in the conference's last tournament. [4]

Former members

InstitutionNicknameLocationHead CoachFieldCurrent Lacrosse League
United States Air Force Academy Falcons Colorado Springs, CO Eric SeremetCadet Lacrosse Stadium ASUN Conference
Bellarmine University Knights Louisville, KY Kevin Burns Owsley B. Frazier Stadium ASUN Conference
Butler University Bulldogs Indianapolis, IN Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA)
University of Denver Pioneers Denver, CO Bill Tierney Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium Big East Conference
Fairfield University Stags Fairfield, CT Andrew Baxter Lessing Field Colonial Athletic Association
Michigan State University Spartans East Lansing, MI Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA)
University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish South Bend, IN Kevin CorriganArlotta Stadium Atlantic Coast Conference
Ohio State University Buckeyes Columbus, OH Nick Myers Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Big Ten Conference
Quinnipiac University Bobcats Hamden, CT Eric FeketeQU Lacrosse Field Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Champions

Regular Season Champions

YearChampion(s)ConferenceOverall
2009Notre Dame5–012–0
2008Denver
Notre Dame
Ohio State		4–1
4–1
4–1		10–7
14–3
11–6
2007Notre Dame5–011–3
2006Denver5–012–5
2005Denver
Fairfield		4–1
4–1		9–5
11–5
2004Ohio State5–012–4
2003Denver
Notre Dame
Ohio State		4–1
4–1
4–1		9–5
9–5
9–5
2002Fairfield
Notre Dame		4–1
4–1		7–6
5–8
2001Notre Dame5–014–2
2000Notre Dame5–010–4
1999Butler
Notre Dame
1998Ohio State
1997Notre Dame
1996Notre Dame
1995Notre Dame
1994Notre Dame

Playoff Champions

YearChampionTitle Game OpponentScore
2009Notre DameOhio State16-7
2008Notre DameOhio State9-2

Annual Awards

Player of the Year

YearPlayerTeam
2008Kevin BuchananOhio State University [5]
2009Scott RodgersUniversity of Notre Dame [6]

Newcomer of the Year

YearPlayerTeam
2008Jamie LincolnUniversity of Denver [5]
2009Dayton GilbreathAir Force Academy [6]

Coach of the Year

YearPlayerTeam
2008Eric FeketeQuinnipiac University [5]
2009Kevin CorriganUniversity of Notre Dame [6]

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References

  1. ↑ "Butler University Announces Changes to Athletic Program". ButlerSports.com. January 26, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
  2. ↑ "Notre Dame plays outstanding defense in 9-2 GWLL finals win over Ohio State". InsideLacrosse.com. May 4, 2008. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved May 5, 2008.
  3. ↑ "D-I Men's Lacrosse Selections Announced". NCAA.com. May 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-05.[ dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Notre Dame Captures GWLL Title With 16-7 Triumph Of Ohio State". UND.com. May 3, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
  5. 1 2 3 "2008 GWLL All-League Selections and Annual Awards" (.pdf). GWLL.com. May 1, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
  6. 1 2 3 "2009 GWLL All-League Selections and Annual Awards" (.pdf). GWLL.com. April 30, 2009. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
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