INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced Friday that Lander University will join the league as an associate member in the sport of men’s lacrosse, beginning with the 2019-20 season.
Located in Greenwood, South Carolina, Lander will compete in the program’s inaugural campaign with eight other institutions in the league, including two-time GLVC Champion University of Indianapolis, full-time Conference member returnees Maryville University and Rockhurst University, as well as newcomers Lewis University and Lindenwood University.
Affectionately known as the “Southern Four,” the University of Alabama Huntsville, University of Montevallo, Young Harris College, and Shorter University have also competed as league members since 2018. Shorter has since resigned its associate membership in the sport and will no longer compete under the GLVC banner.
Lander, which is a full-time member of the Peach Belt Conference and a NCAA Division II member since 1992, is just the fifth university in South Carolina to offer men’s lacrosse at the D-II level.
Anthony LePore took the reins last July as the Bearcats’ first head coach. LePore came to Lander from Belmont Abbey, where he served as the associate head coach and offensive coordinator, while also assisting with game and practice planning, player development, academic development, and recruiting.
In just its second season of existence, GLVC men’s lacrosse has already received national recognition, as the sixth-ranked UIndy program became the second-fastest team in NCAA D-II history to advance to the national semifinal in just their fourth year. The Greyhounds face No. 1 Limestone this coming Sunday in a battle to determine who will advance to the NCAA National Championship on Sunday, May 26, in Philadelphia.