The CSU Pueblo Men’s Lacrosse team was informed January 19th that this would be the last season the team would compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Athletic Department informed us that this decision involves moving to a club level team. This decision is devastating news for players and coaches. The CSU Pueblo Men’s Lacrosse team was started 14 years ago, and through the hard work of coaches, assistant coaches, and players the program has seen great success and growth. The team’s head coach has committed over a decade of hard work and determination. He has built the program into what it is today, despite a majority of the seasons where funding for the program dwindled. The team consistently attracts players from across the country and world to CSU Pueblo to play on the team who would not otherwise have chosen the school as the place to obtain their college degrees.

This decision greatly impacts the team’s current roster as the only two players out of the team’s 38 are graduating, leaving 36 players left to choose quitting their sport or uprooting their lives to transfer. This change affects not only the athletic lives of these players, but the educational lives as well. The move to a club level team also means that players that once depended on athletic scholarships would have to pay to play on the club level. This would essentially cancel out the scholarship if they choose to continue their education at CSU Pueblo. 

The timing of this decision comes just a week before the team’s first scrimmage of the season and after all players have enrolled in classes, paid athletic and tuition dues, and fundraised around $20,000 for new equipment that will get used for only a single season. If the Athletic Department had been more transparent in making this decision, players could have entered the transfer portal earlier or generally been given more opportunities to decide their futures. Instead, players and coaches were blindsided and left without any good options. 

The withdrawal from Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference has implications for more than just CSU Pueblo. The withdrawal keeps the RMAC Men’s Lacrosse teams at 5, but the conference needs a total of 6 teams to gain an automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. This goal was in reach as the conference was going to add another team this coming year. All schools in the RMAC have now lost the opportunity to earn a bid into the NCAA tournament due to the decision to cut the CSU Pueblo Men's Lacrosse team from the conference.

Over the years it's been in existence as a DII team, the CSU Pueblo Men's Lacrosse program has shaped players into community leaders that also help to shape future players through their work leading youth lacrosse clinics and more. The program has also attracted hundreds of new students to Pueblo, generating revenue for the school as well as the community, where students pay rent, shop, and work. With the average cost of in and out of state tuition, the team brings in an estimated $600,000 to $800,000 a year, as around 65% of this team comes from out of state. 

It is understood that this was not an easy decision made by the CSU Pueblo Athletics Department. However, the abrupt nature of this choice made without the input of coaching staff is simply unacceptable.

On behalf of CSU Pueblo Men’s Lacrosse players, past players, and fans, we ask the Athletic Department of CSU Pueblo to extend the program for a minimum of one year to gain the opportunity to grow, and play in the NCAA tournament next year, as well as to give current rostered players more time and opportunities to come up with good options for their athletic and and most importantly, educational futures. We wish for another chance to keep and continue to strengthen the legacy of CSU Pueblo Men’s Lacrosse and all it stands for. 

PLEASE NOTE: Donations are used to promote this petition, the team itself does not receive the funding. Thank you.