For student-athletes looking for a school in the Midwest with small class sizes and a balance between athletics, academics and social life, an NAIA program might be the right fit. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics consists of 300 schools and 13 sports, including men’s lacrosse. Aside from the small classes and balanced schedule, the NAIA also offers fewer eligibility requirements and scholarship rules, and a relaxed recruiting process with no timeline or calendars to follow. This means college coaches can contact athletes and vice versa at any time.
There are 33 NAIA schools for men’s lacrosse, which are comparable to Division II in the NCAA. NAIA lacrosse conferences include; Appalachian Athletic Conference, Independent, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, and Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. For a comprehensive list of NAIA schools, visit NAIA.org.
Each year, the NAIA polls head lacrosse coaches to rank all NAIA lacrosse programs across each conference. The top 10 teams in the NAIA men’s lacrosse rankings for 2023 are as follows: