NAMPA, Idaho -- The Northwest Nazarene men’s lacrosse program was unanimously voted into the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) as a full member in Division II.

The PNCLL held its annual conference meeting on Oct. 2 to prepare for the spring season. During this meeting, Nighthawks coach Tom Blanchard petitioned the league for full membership into the PNCLL.

“The three-year probationary period was put in place to protect the league from financially unstable teams coming in and out of the league. We don’t have those problems," said Blanchard. "Our program has the support of our administration and with that support comes the financial backing for our team. Based on this I felt we had a strong case to petition the league to become a full member heading into this spring season.”

The unanimous vote to bring Northwest Nazarene into the league as a full-time member makes the Nighthawks program eligible for league awards and league playoffs this upcoming spring.

“We are extremely appreciative to the PNCLL membership for bringing us into the league as a full member," added Blanchard. "We are going to work hard to represent the PNCLL to the best of our ability. We have some really strong teams in our conference, and we hope to elevate our league by being a competitive member.

“It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people that we are in the position we are in today."

Northwest Nazarene will compete in the South subdivision of PNCLL Division II along with College of Idaho, Pacific Lutheran, Southern Oregon and Western Oregon.

The Nighthawks will be eligible to participate in the 2022 MCLA National Championships, which will take place at the Round Rock (Texas) Multipurpose Complex from May 9-14.