Two National Stories About How the FSU Program Came in to Being
via Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine
How Sophia Villalonga and the Women of Florida State Made Lacrosse, Gender Equity a Reality
Inside Lacrosse Article by Matt Kinnear
Excerpt:
Sophia Villalonga was in the middle of class, front row, when she got the news. It was only about a half hour before the rest of the world found out: Florida State is adding women’s lacrosse as a Division I sport.
“I was trying not to cry,” she said. “I was absolutely not listening to the lecture.”
For Villalonga, the announcement was the result of more than a year of hard work. It was a selfless effort, as the grad student won’t be able to be a Division I lacrosse player at Florida State. Her freshman teammates on the Florida State club team, who she was practicing with Wednesday night, might. And so will a flood of girls who reached out in her texts and DMs with excitement to be a Seminole.
It started in May 2022, when USA Today published a scathing report on Title IX compliance. Florida State was among several schools out of compliance.
Read the rest HERE
*****
‘If They Fight, They Win’: How Florida State’s Club Program Pushed for Varsity Team
USA Lacrosse Magazine Article by Ken Dejohn
Excerpt:
Tuesday’s big news that Florida State would be adding an NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse team was driven by Title IX and members of the school’s women’s club team.
Florida State, one of the largest and most well-known athletic departments in the country, will launch its varsity women’s lacrosse program for the 2025-26 academic year. Tuesday’s release celebrated the “fastest-growing college sport” and how it will impact the department and referenced gender equity and Title IX compliance.
A May 2022 investigative report by USA Today shined a light on discrepancies in Title IX reporting processes in universities across the country. Florida State was one such school, as USA Today’s team of reporters uncovered that “more than half of the 66 women on its indoor track and field team never competed indoors. The school simply counted all its outdoor track athletes twice.”
Read the rest HERE
