The Cleveland State Vikings lacrosse team has accepted an invitation to play as an associate in the Northeast Conference (NEC) beginning in the 2025 season, according to a university press release.
Fellow Horizon League team Robert Morris will join CSU in the NEC, and both teams will be eligible for the 2025 automatic bid to the NCAA championship. Core members of the league include Le Moyne, LIU and Wagner. NEC associates are Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris, and VMI.
“We are excited for this next chapter of CSU lacrosse and to join our fellow Horizon League members Detroit and Robert Morris in transitioning from the ASUN [Atlantic Sun Conference], which has been a fantastic partner and supporter of our student-athletes,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Scott Garret at CSU shared in the press release. “We look forward to providing value as an NEC member and positioning our student-athletes for success.”
Vikings head coach Andy German echoed the sentiments of Garret, extending gratitude to the ASUN teams.
“We were very fortunate to obtain membership into the ASUN, and that has helped propel our program forward. I would like to thank all the ASUN members, especially former commissioner Ted Gumbart, who was instrumental in forming the current-day ASUN lacrosse conference. Joining the NEC will continue to provide us with opportunities for conference accolades and championships, along with access to the NCAA tournament.”
For the duration of the 2024 season, the Vikings will remain a member of the ASUN conference. Captains Amiri Austin, Karson Burkey, Grayson Dague, Lane Miller, Reggie Regala and Charlie Williams will lead the Vikings through their last season in the ASUN conference.
Since the establishment of the men’s lacrosse team at CSU in 2017, the Vikings competed as an independent team for five years and then joined ASUN as an affiliate for the last two seasons.
The Vikings will open conference play in 2024 at Lindenwood on March 16, before hosting Robert Morris on March 23 for their first home game of the season.