DALLAS (AP) — Southern Methodist University (SMU) will establish a Division I men's lacrosse program starting in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in the spring of 2028, the university announced on Thursday. With this addition, SMU will become the sixth men's lacrosse program in the ACC, joining existing teams from Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Virginia. This expansion allows the ACC to meet the necessary threshold for an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament.
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All current ACC programs have secured at least one national championship since 2009, and each has qualified for the 2026 national tournament. SMU athletic director Damon Evans noted the significance of the announcement, stating, "This is a historic moment for SMU and for the sport of lacrosse. We are proud to be the first Division I school to bring men’s lacrosse to Texas, a sport that has tremendous growth potential across our state. This is a bold investment that will bring another elite program to our campus, and we expect to compete and win immediately."
The new program will be only the fourth Division I men's lacrosse team located west of the Mississippi River, following Denver in the Big East, and Air Force and Utah in the Atlantic Sun. SMU has already raised $15 million of its $25 million goal to fund the program.