LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Rider University Athletic Director Don Harnum, has announced that women's lacrosse will be added as Rider's 21^st NCAA Division I athletic program with regular-season competition starting in Spring 2024.

The Broncs will join current full Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference members Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan, Marist, Mount St. Mary's, Niagara, Quinnipiac and Siena in offering women's lacrosse, becoming the league's 10^th program.

"We are excited to be adding women's lacrosse to our portfolio of sports offerings for women," said Harnum. "Women's lacrosse is a sport that continues to grow and thrive, both nationally and in the MAAC, and fits extremely well into our geographic recruiting footprint."

The sport of women's lacrosse has shown great growth in recent years, including a 300% increase in TV viewership of the Division I National Championship Game from 2021 to 2022. Rider will become the 61^st Division I program (of 128) to add women's lacrosse since the turn of the century, while 93 programs have been added since 1991. The United States won the gold medal this past July at the 2022 World Lacrosse Women's World Championship and the sport is in consideration for the 2028 Olympics.

A National search for the program's first head coach will begin immediately.