PHILADELPHIA – The Temple men’s lacrosse team is excited to announce its move to the MCLA starting with the 2020 season.

The Owls will be members of the Continental Lacrosse Conference (CLC) for the upcoming season and will be slotted in the Division I East subdivision along with Boston College, Buffalo, UConn, New Hampshire and Northeastern.

"This is not an idea that developed overnight, but rather one that was several years in the making,” said Temple coach Chris Berkelbach. “Over the past several years we have been fine tuning the way that we do things both on and off the field to prepare us for this transition, helping us to hit the ground running during our first year.

“The organization and structure of the MCLA finally allows us to showcase Temple lacrosse on a national stage. With Philadelphia as one of the premier hotbed lacrosse areas in the country, we feel that Temple and the MCLA are the perfect fit."

The Temple program was founded in 1980 and participated in NCLL Division II from 1998-2015, capped by an undefeated national championship season in ’15. The Owls moved to NCLL Division I from 2016-19, qualifying for the national tournament the past two seasons.

In advance of joining the MCLA, the Owls scrimmaged four association teams in 2019, going 2-2.

"We could not be more excited for our first MCLA season,” said Berkelbach. “We know that it will not be without its challenges, but we know that facing these consistent challenges will enable our program to continue to grow and improve. Each of our previous five seasons has improved on the previous one, and we expect this year to be no different.”