BY RODERICK BOONE
Yesterday, CAA commissioner Tom Yeager announced UMass and Penn State will join the conference beginning in 2010. The news comes on the heels of last week's revelation by the Big East that its forming a league.
UMass and Penn State will hook up with Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra and Towson to form a six-team conference. "Both schools have excellent programs along with outstanding coaches and players," Yeager said in a statement. "Their addition will keep CAA men's lacrosse among the top Division I conferences in the nation."
The move is directly due to the Big East and NEC starting leagues. Sacred Heart and Robert Morris -- current members of the CAA -- will head to the NEC and Villanova moves to the Big East after next season. The CAA will continue to evaluate additional membership options.
St. John's, meanwhile, is moving out of the ECAC and into the newly formed Big East beginning in 2010. The Red Storm will join Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, Syracuse and Villanova and they will play a six-game single round-robin regular season schedule. The conference has plans to apply for an automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA Championship field.
"The creation of a Big East lacrosse conference is a huge step for St. John's lacrosse and the other members of the league," St. John's AD Chris Monasch said. "The combination of the Big East brand, its television influence and the quality of the member lacrosse programs will yield one of the best conferences in the country."