College Lax

Resources & Information 

Playing Options

• • NCAA D1:  This is the top level of women's college lacrosse.  D1 schools are are mostly large  University and Colleges.  With a few exceptions, (e.g. Ivy Leagues) schools at the D1  level offer scholarships to play lacrosse.  Strict rules govern the recruiting process and prevent coaches from contacting a player until Sept 1st of there Junior year.  However, this doesn't prevent players for contacting coach prior to this date.  Coaches at this level start working on identify players in their sophomore and freshmen years of High School.  At present there are approximately 115  D1 women's lacrosse programs in the US. 

  • NCAA D2:  NCAA D2 women’s lacrosse is offered at 106 colleges, primarily located in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, with several programs peppered across the Midwest and Western states. These schools focus on maintaining a balanced academic and athletic career, as well as campus engagement. D2 schools are a great option for student-athletes with comparable skills and experience to D1 lacrosse athletes who are looking to attend a medium-sized school.  At this level, student-athletes have the opportunity to receive a partial athletic scholarship that can be combined with academic aid, grants and/or employment earnings.

  • NCAA D3:  Women's D3 lacrosse is the largest women’s lacrosse division.  With close to 300 programs.  Colleges pride themselves on developing well-rounded student-athletes who are challenged both on the field and in the classroom. The recruiting process at the D3 level is more relaxed, with fewer NCAA recruiting rules and restrictions for coaches and athletes. Despite the fact that athletic scholarships are not available at the D3 level, D3 programs still recruit top talent each year.

  • NAIA:  The 37 Colleges with lacrosse programs in the NAIA  tend to be smaller school  were student-athletes enjoy small class sizes, a balanced athletic and academic schedule, fewer eligibility and scholarship rules and a less regulated recruiting process. Women’s lacrosse is one of 13 sports sponsored by the NAIA. The majority of women’s NAIA lacrosse programs are located in the Midwest and Southeastern regions.

  • Club Teams:  Playing Club lacrosse in college can be a great way for student athletes to continue to patriciate in lacrosse while have the freedom and flexibly to pursue other interests and activities during their collegiate career.   Many colleges including schools with D1, D2 and D3  lax programs also have club programs which can range from relaxed no cut  teams to  very competitive programs requiring more commitment. Usually clubs don't  operate year round.  Similar to high school programs, they play in the spring  and may have a  light fall season.      USA Lacrosse offers college clubs the opportunity to play under the  Women's Collegiate Lacrosse Associates (WCLA) .  This allows  female collegiate athletes to compete in a structured and competitive  league environment,  that includes playoff games leading to WCLA national champion.  Clubs don't recruit players off campus.  Once enrolled in school, participation is  open to  any student interested in join the club.    While playing club can be as completive as play at other levels,  one of the big the primary differences is that club teams are normally self funded.  So students must cover the  costs of play and travel. 

Tools

• • IWLCA:   Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association: The IWLCA is a membership-led, professional association representing the nation’s intercollegiate women’s lacrosse coaches within Division I, II & III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

  • IWLCA Recruits:   This the is the primary recruiting platform used by collegiate women’s lacrosse coaches and student athletes wanting to play lacrosse in college.  The planform offers basics  service for free and advanced features and tools those serious about pursing playing opportunity in college.  Players can  build a profile page along with highlight and game video for coach to access.  Players can contact coach directly through the platform and keep track of there recruiting efforts.   The platform  also offers online resource including webinars  to assist player in managing their recruiting efforts. Given that this is  primary platform used by women's college lacrosse coaches there is no need to use other platforms.

  • Recruiting Consultants:  These consultant  assist players and partners in navigating the recruiting process.   They range from individuals to larger companies that also operate their own recurring platforms. Consultant are by no means required to get recruited.  But if you feel that you need help managing the process they maybe worth investigating.  The most import thing is to look for in a  consultants  is one that that has experience in  women's lacrosse recruiting.    Also these consultant don't do the work for you. It is still up to the athlete to execute the plan  developed by the consultant. 

TIPs

• • Video: Videos are the primary means for coaches to identify player of interest.   Most coaches won't have the opportunity to see you play live unless you attend a camp in which they are coaching.  If see you play it will likely only be for a small portion of a game.  Thus  having video of your play is essential.   

    • Highlight video

    • Game Video

    • Professional

    • DIY

  • Tournaments

  • Recruiting Camps: 

  • Out reach