New Year, New Sport

Florida State University Adds Women’s Lacrosse as a Scholarship Sport

Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash

Florida State University (FSU) is proud to include women's lacrosse as a scholarship sport in the 2026 academic season. Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports, especially in Florida, and having a women's lacrosse team is a great way for FSU athletics to expand the sport to north Florida. By adding women's lacrosse, FSU becomes one of 118 Division 1 (D1) NCAA women’s lacrosse programs, which span 16 conferences. 

FSU has played four total games so far, and has a record of 2-2. The Seminoles also begin their journey of competition in one of the nation’s premiere women’s lacrosse conferences in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The ACC has produced 17 NCAA women’s lacrosse national champions and has placed a team in the national title game in 13 of the last 14 seasons. 

“As a club team at FSU, women’s lacrosse has a proven culture of excellence and achievement,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford said. “In hearing from both current and former players, their passion and input throughout this process was constructive and helpful in our decision making. I am thankful for their participation in the process and looking forward to an exciting future.”

The primary reason FSU added D1 lacrosse team was in order to comply with Title IX requirements following investigations into gender-equity gaps. An inquiry determined that Florida State University failed to meet Title IX standards, with findings showing the school double- or triple-counted female athletes across multiple sports. By adding women’s lacrosse, FSU is able to give out more female scholarships to meet scholarship equality.

“We are thrilled that Florida State will begin sponsoring women’s lacrosse and we look forward to welcoming the program in 2025-26,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said. “There is no shortage of ACC women’s lacrosse successes, and this is another example of our league’s continued commitment to maximizing the educational and athletic opportunities for our student-athletes.”

Florida State also faced complications in gender diversity of sports. FSU agreed to lacrosse and paid roughly 98,500 in fees to settle claims that they were failing to provide equal opportunities for female athletes. By adding lacrosse, FSU avoided serious determination to their sport persona. The decision followed a threat of legal action from a Title IX attorney. This was prompted by a petition from the existing club team and others. Florida State's Athletic Director, Alford, noted lacrosse is the fastest-growing college sport nationally, making it an important addition to Florida state athletics.

FSU started off strong with a 14-4 win against Stetson and a 16-4 win against Kennesaw State. Following that they faced a tight 9-10 loss against California, and a 6-13 loss against UC Davis. This makes their overall record 2-2, and their ACC conference play record 0-1. 

The Seminoles next game is at the Atlanta Lacrosse Invitational, where they play Army on Feb. 21. Following this, FSU plays at home against Boston College. Come out to the Seminole Lacrosse Complex to support local teams, and the rise of Women's Lacrosse in Tallahassee.