May 12, 2008
Contact: Leah Melichar
Limestone College Sports Information
Phone: 864-488-8219
lmelichar@limestone.edu

LADY SAINTS LACROSSE HEADS TO NCAA DIVISION II TOURNAMENT THIS WEEK

The No. 2- ranked Limestone College women’s lacrosse team will travel to Houston, Texas, this week to compete in the 2008 NCAA Division II tournament and participate in the NCAA Division II Spring Sports Championship Festival. This is the Lady Saints third appearance in the national tournament. The team also earned bids in 2004 and 2006.

Limestone will face West Chester in the tournament semifinals on Thursday at 1 p.m. Central Time. In 2004, Limestone suffered a 23-12 loss to West Chester in semifinals in Orlando, Fla. The Golden Rams also knocked the Lady Saints out of the 2006 tournament as West Chester edged LC 10-8 in Chicago, Ill.

West Chester (16-1), who won the national title in 2002, recently claimed the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title with a 17-8 victory over Lock Haven on May 3. Since losing its season opener to Limestone on March 9, 9-8, the Golden Rams have gone on to defeat their opponents by an average of 14.74 points.

The first semifinal match, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Central Time on May 15, will feature Adelphi (16-0) and C.W. Post (16-1). C.W. Post, the reigning national champion, has held the No. 1 slot in the IWLCA poll for the entire 2008 season. C.W. Post’s only loss this season was at the hands of Adelphi, who topped the Pioneers 7-4 on May 2 to clinch the East Coast Conference regular season title.

This marks Adelphi's fourth Final Four appearance in the past five years. The Panthers captured the title in 2004 and 2006. They are 4-1 overall at the NCAA tournament, with their only loss coming to eventual national champion Stonehill in 2005.

The 2008 women’s lacrosse national championship is part of the NCAA Division II Springs Sports Festival in Houston, Texas. At this year’s festivals, champions will also be crowned in men’s and women’s golf, softball, and men’s and women’s tennis. The event is hosted by the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority and Rice University.
The semifinal games on Thursday will be broadcast on NCAA.com. Saturday’s championship game will be broadcast on CBS College Sports and NCAA.com.
For more information on the Division II Championship Festival, visit www.ncaa.com/diifestival.

Click here to download the 2008 Lady Saints Lacrosse NCAA Tournament Guide.