Sep. 23rd, 2002 - PNCLL Conducts Fall Meeting; Simon Fraser Picked To Win 2003 League Title

September 23, 2002 – For Immediate Release

The Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) conducted its Annual Meeting on Saturday, Sept. 21st at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. Evergreen State College was admitted to the PNCLL by unanimous vote of the league members present. The Geoducks will compete in the PNCLL B Division for the 2003 spring season, with Pacific Lutheran serving as mentor during their inaugural season.

Simon Fraser University was picked to win the league title in the PNCLL's annual Pre-Season poll. The Clansmen from Burnaby, British Columbia received 9 first-place votes and 125 points total. The University of Washington Huskies (Defending PNCLL champion) and the University of Oregon Ducks placed second and third, respectively, in extremely close poll balloting. Each squad earned two first-place votes, with UW edging UO by one single point (111- 110) in total votes cast. Pacific Lutheran University was picked at the #4 spot, followed by Gonzaga University at #5. Whitman College, Oregon State University, University of Montana, Washington State University and the University of Puget Sound rounded out the Preseason PNCLL Top 10 Poll.

In other league news, the PNCLL vote to amend their league bylaws and expanded their Conference Executive Board from four to six people. Gonzaga Head Coach Matt Montag was elected as the new PNCLL Secretary replacing PLU Head Coach Dr. Jason Stockton. Dr. Stockton was then elected to one of two new At-Large Member positions on the Board. The other At-Large Member elected was Simon Fraser Univ. Recreation and Club Sports Director Geoff Vogt. Vogt's election represents the first time in conference history that a university official has served on the PNCLL Executive Board. Western Washington University was dismissed from the conference for repeated violations of stated league regulations.

The PNCLL also made tentative plans to conduct their 2003 Final Four Tournament in Portland, Oregon. The PNCLL Division A semi-finals are scheduled for Friday evening, April 25th (Location TBD). The Division A and Division B finals would be played on Saturday at the Portland Invitational Tournament in Delta Park. The league also accepted a tentative offer to play the annual PNCLL All-Star game in Seattle at the new Seahawks Stadium on May 17th, as part of the Washington State High School Lacrosse Championships.

"We are all excited by the prospects of playing our championships in front of big crowds in Portland again," said PNCLL President Dan Wishengrad. "We are committed to moving the event each season so that different schools and geographic regions get a chance to host the PNCLL Final Four. After two great tournaments the past two seasons in British Columbia (2001) and Tacoma (2002), it was the consensus that it was again Portland's turn to host the event. The Portland Invitational Tournament draws some of the world's top teams and players, and has also added high school competition the past few years. We are thrilled to be able to showcase the PNCLL in front of the Oregon kids in April, and then to showcase the league's top talent in front of the Washington kids in May at a world-class venue like Seahawks Stadium."



The Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) is a collegiate lacrosse club league based in the Northwestern United States & Canada affiliated with the US Lacrosse Men's Division Intercollegiate Associates. Currently, the PNCLL membership consists of 14 collegiate lacrosse clubs in 3 NW states & British Columbia, Canada. For more information on the PNCLL, please visit the official league web site at:
http://www.pncll.com

Contact: PNCLL President Dan Wishengrad, danwish@yahoo.com