Some big college lacrosse news broke on Tuesday.
Southern Methodist University announced that the University Park, Texas-based school would add a lacrosse program for the 2028 NCAA season as a member of the ACC. The launch marks the first Division 1 lacrosse program in Texas.
Believe it or not, it might have implications for local players and colleges in New England.
It certainly does for the world of college lacrosse as a whole. For starters, SMU will become the sixth team in the ACC. That means the elite conference will produce an automatic qualifier for the NCAA tournament, meeting the requirement of six teams.
That is definitely notable, and it only enhances the prestige of a conference that has already emerged as one of the best in the country. All five ACC programs competed in the most recent NCAA tournament, even without any automatic bids.
But behind SMU’s plunge into the college lacrosse landscape — and the excitement of what another ACC program with big spending aspirations can do for the sport — lies something notable to keep an eye on in New England.
