FROM STAFF REPORTS

MONTEVALLO– The University of Montevallo women’s lacrosse team will make its debut Friday, Feb. 5, in a match against Point University, marking the first ever National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II women’s lacrosse match in the state of Alabama.

Montevallo’s inaugural team will take on the Skyhawks, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics located in West Point, Ga. in the first match in program history.

The match is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the University of Montevallo Lacrosse/Track and Field Stadium.

Admission to the first women’s lacrosse match at Montevallo is free of charge. Members of the Greater Birmingham Youth Lacrosse Association are encouraged to attend wearing their uniform representing their community.

The Falcons, led by head coach Frank Rogers, feature student-athletes from nine different states and three separate Canadian provinces. The lacrosse student-athletes traveled an average of 797 miles from their respective hometowns to continue their playing careers at Montevallo.

Three student-athletes are from the state of Alabama, including Adrianna Smith of Ramsey High School, Kally Bradford of Hewitt-Trussville High School and Micah Wheeles of Spain Park High School.

Smith and another student-athlete, Jennifer Toney of New Orleans, La. both graduated from Ramsey High School after relocating to Birmingham as Hurricane Katrina refugees.

The inaugural Montevallo women’s lacrosse team will also feature a former Canadian National Player of the Year. Lauren Duckworth, the team captain on the Falcons’ first team, traveled 2,276 miles from her hometown of Sherwood Park in the Alberta province to play at Montevallo.

Rogers, who was hired in January 2015 to lead the newly established program, successfully recruited 19 student-athletes from all across North America to the University of Montevallo with his ties to the national lacrosse community. Rogers has spoken at the U.S. Lacrosse National Coaches Convention nine times and has served on the National Women’s Lacrosse League Coaches Committee.

The Montevallo program is the third program Rogers has built from scratch. Rogers was named the first head coach in the history of the Aquinas University women’s lacrosse program in Grand Rapids, Mich. in 2009 and led the school to a 20-2 record in its inaugural season in 2010.

Rogers arrived at Montevallo after serving as the first head coach in the history of the Brevard College women’s lacrosse program in Brevard, N.C. in 2014. Should the Falcons win on Feb. 5, it would give Rogers a milestone 100^th career victory, as he currently has 99 career wins as head coach.

Fans can keep up with all the action of the upcoming game by following Montevallo Falcons Lacrosse on Facebook, or on Instagram or Twitter.