Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference
| Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference | |
|---|---|
| RMLC | |
 | |
| Established | 1976 |
| Association | MCLA |
| Members | 14 |
| Sports fielded | |
| Region | Mountain |
| Headquarters | Durango, Colorado |
| Commissioner | John Robinette |
| Website | http://mcla.us/RMLC/ |
The Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference (RMLC) is one of ten conferences in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association. Currently the RMLC consists of 15 teams encompassing four Rocky Mountain states; Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming. It is divided into two divisions, Division I and Division II. Division II is separated further by region; Northwest and Southeast[1]
History[]
The RMLC, first known as the RMLA, was formed in 1976 with founding members Colorado State University, University of Colorado, Regis University, Air Force Academy, University of Denver, and Colorado School of Mines. In 1997, the Conference changed names to the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Lacrosse League (RMILL) and went to a club-only league as a member of the US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates (USLIA), which reorganized into the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) in 2006.
The RMLC has been the home conference of the MCLA Division I National Champions in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2012 and 2013 (Colorado State University);[2] in 1997, 2000, 2007, 2011 (Brigham Young University);[3] and in 2014 (University of Colorado). In Division II, Westminster College were National Champions in 2008.[4]
In 2017, Utah announced that they were going to elevate their program to play as an NCAA Division 1 Independent, turning them from a club team to an NCAA team.[5] After the 2018 season, they left the conference. In 2019, the RMLC announced that the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma would join the conference at the Division 1 level starting in the 2020 season.[6] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their first game in the conference had to be pushed back to 2021. In 2021, it was revealed that Oklahoma would leave the conference to go back to the Lone Star Alliance.[7] With the news, Oklahoma would leave the conference without playing a single game in the conference.
Teams[]
Former teams[]
| Institution | Location | Nickname | Enrollment | New Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise State University | Boise, Idaho | Broncos | 25,540 | PNCLL (MCLA) |
| Johnson & Wales University | Denver, Colorado | Wildcats | 1,291 | Defunct |
| University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Lobos | 26,278 | Defunct |
| Northern Arizona University | Flagstaff, Arizona | Lumberjacks | 29,569 | SLC (MCLA) |
| University of Oklahoma | Norman, Oklahoma | Sooners | 28,564 | LSA (MCLA) |
| University of Northern Colorado | Greeley, Colorado | Bears | 12,084 | Defunct |
| Regis University | Denver, Colorado | Rangers | 8,368 | Defunct |
| University of Utah | Salt Lake City, Utah | Utes | 32,818 | ASUN (NCAA Division I) |
| Weber State University | Ogden, Utah | Wildcats | 26,681 | Defunct |
| Western Colorado University | Gunnison, Colorado | Mountaineers | 3,034 | Defunct |
| Westminster College | Salt Lake City, Utah | Griffins | 2,887 | RMAC (NCAA Division II) |
References[]
- ^ "About the RMLC". MCLA. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
- ^ "CSU Lacrosse". CSUlacrosse.com.
- ^ "BYU Men's Lacrosse". lacrosse.byu.edu.
- ^ Westminster Lacrosse website, http://www.westminstergriffins.com/index.aspx?path=mlax
- ^ "Utah adds Lacrosse as NCAA D1 Sport".
- ^ "Oklahoma, Texas Heading to RMLC".
- ^ "LSA adds Three New D-1 Programs".
- College lacrosse leagues in the United States