HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Harford Community College’s women’s lacrosse program has been eliminated. The decision came after the NJCAA announced this summer that it would no longer offer women’s lacrosse as a sponsored start beginning with the 2024-2025 school year.
Last year, the NJCAA decided to replace the national championship with a women’s invitational tournament after several years of low participation in the event by NJCAA schools.
The last time a team was disbanded at Harford was in 2015, when golf was discontinued, school officials said.
“Women’s lacrosse has a long history in Harford County, the state of Maryland and the
NJCAA,” said Ed Liesch, Harford Community College athletic director. “We are saddened that women’s lacrosse will no longer be offered. However, we will cherish the memories of the hundreds of women who have come through the program, the great coaches who have led our teams, and our two national championships.”
Harford’s women’s lacrosse team received the news shortly after their appearance at the 2024
Women’s Invitational, hosted by Harford Community College in May. Harford was awarded the
Application to host the national men’s championship tournament and the women’s invitational tournament
until 2028 and will now focus exclusively on the men’s competition.
“While I am disappointed in the NJCAA’s decision, I understand that it was not feasible to continue sponsoring the sport with a limited number of participating programs,” commented Addie Kalama, head coach of the Fighting Owls women’s lacrosse team. “During my short time here, I have grown to love this community and have been amazed every day by the accomplishments of my players on and off the field.”
The NJCAA further said there is potential for the sport to return once interest grows and more programs are willing to field teams. Other sports have resurfaced in the past and it is not impossible to imagine women’s lacrosse could do so as well, the NJCAA stated.
“College sports are dynamic and constantly changing. If you look at what college sports looked like 10 or even 20 years ago, you can see that it is very different than it is today,” Liesch said. “Trends in sports come and go with changes in popularity, funding and influence on college sports.”
Harford Community College will offer women’s flag football in 2026 and is exploring the possibility of adding esports to the program to keep up with NJCAA trends, as well as the potential for two-year college-level programs to provide additional opportunities for already successful teams.
