Pictured: Franciscan junior Elizabeth Dawyot and senior Jonas McCaig PAC extends affiliate membership in women's, men's lacrosse to Franciscan 12/15/2017 11:00:00 AM NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – The Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) has accepted Franciscan University of Steubenville as an affiliate member in the sports of women's and men’s lacrosse, beginning in the 2018-19 academic year. The vote to accept Franciscan took place at the PAC Presidents’ Council meeting in Pittsburgh on December 7, 2017. “On behalf of the PAC Presidents’ Council, I am very pleased to officially welcome Franciscan University of Steubenville as an affiliate member in the sport of lacrosse,” said Westminster College President Dr. Kathy Richardson, who is serving as chair of the PAC Presidents’ Council during the 2017-18 academic year. “Under the direction of President Fr. Sean Sheridan, Franciscan is a very good fit as a PAC affiliate member.” With its affiliate membership set to officially begin on July 1, 2018, Franciscan’s first season of PAC competition in lacrosse will be in 2019. That will also be the first season for women's and men's lacrosse as varsity sports under the PAC banner. PAC lacrosse programs have competed in the single-sport Ohio River Lacrosse Conference (ORLC) since 2015, along with lacrosse-playing members from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC). The 2018 season will be the final season for PAC members to compete in the ORLC. “The addition of Franciscan University of Steubenville as a lacrosse affiliate member in the PAC makes sense on a number of levels,” said 12th-year PAC Commissioner Joe Onderko. “Franciscan brings a tremendous academic reputation coupled with a deep faith tradition, while being located in our geographic region. Baron athletic teams already compete against several PAC schools in multiple varsity sports, including lacrosse. We believe they will be a great addition to the PAC as we look to strengthen and grow our young lacrosse programs and continue to develop into one of the elite NCAA Division III athletic conferences in the nation.” Franciscan, which established its men’s and women’s varsity lacrosse programs in 2013, will continue to compete as a full member of the Allegheny Mountain Athletic Conference (AMCC). The Barons joined the AMCC in 2008. "The Presidents' Athletic Conference affiliate membership is a tremendous boon for the potential experience of our men's and women's lacrosse players. Not only is the league geographically ideal, but it also carries with it a certain level of prestige that will provide our lacrosse programs with a lofty barometer for which they can strive," said Franciscan Director of Athletics Mike Holmes. About Franciscan Franciscan University is located in Steubenville, Ohio and is a full member of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) while holding affiliate membership in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) and the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC). Franciscan sponsors 16 varsity sports, including seven men’s teams and nine women’s teams. As a Catholic university, Franciscan is committed to traditional Catholic values that have been a part of the University's history. These include the development of the human spirit as well as the body, the pursuit of excellence in all endeavors, the fostering of Christian character, the call to personal integrity and the acceptance of personal responsibility. About the PAC The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), built on the basic belief that an athletic program is an integral part of college life, but not an entity in itself, looks back on over sixty years of growth and ahead to years of continued academic and athletic excellence. The league's name clearly reflects its founding principle that operational control of all aspects of intercollegiate athletics is ultimately the responsibility of the presidents of each member institution, and thus active presidential leadership and oversight is paramount in conference administration. Currently comprised of 10 select private institutions – Bethany College, Chatham University, Geneva College, Grove City College, Saint Vincent College, Thiel College, Thomas More College, Washington & Jefferson College, Waynesburg University and Westminster College – the PAC remains a unique organization in this day of high pressure intercollegiate athletics, with academics at the center of each member's philosophy.