Next Level Sports to Start Collegiate Lacrosse League

Next Level Sports will start a new Olympic-style lacrosse league featuring Mid-Atlantic colleges and universities, including several Historically Black Colleges and Universities in April.

The Next Collegiate League will showcase the new Olympic-style lacrosse format, which is a faster-paced, higher-scoring version of the sport. The discipline is called Olympic Style Lacrosse in hopes of being added to the 2028 Olympic Summer Games schedule in Los Angeles. The season will begin in April with the inaugural Crown Classic Tournament with a 10-game season from early April to mid-May.

The inaugural members include Bowie State University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Lincoln University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University and Morgan State University.

“The Collegiate League is our way to establish a global audience, innovate and elevate the sport of lacrosse to make it more prominent and more accessible on college campuses and throughout the country,” said André Gudger, Next Level owner and chief executive officer. “We envision providing a platform for Olympic-style lacrosse that has global reach and it will give athletes an opportunity to rapidly expand the sport and compete at the Olympic level.”