?????? Say hello to @DaemenWLAX - the newest @NCAADII & @ECCSports team that will begin competition during the 2022-23 academic year!

Watch the press conference and meet the head coach live today at 2:30 streaming on the @ECCSportsNet at https://t.co/PZb3jJvGLA pic.twitter.com/tUpm7rpcN6

— Daemen Wildcats (@DaemenAthletics) June 3, 2021

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College will add women's lacrosse as the 18th varsity sport offered at the College, and the 17th competing at the NCAA Division II level. Plans call for the program to begin competition during the Spring 2023 semester. In addition, New York State native Dominique Hamman was introduced as the program's first head coach at a press conference held today at Lumsden Gymnasium.

The Daemen women's lacrosse team will compete in the East Coast Conference, a league that the College has been affiliated with dating back to 2013. Since adding women's lacrosse to the conference's sponsored sports in 2006, the ECC has produced 22 NCAA tournament teams and four national champions. 

"We are thrilled to continue the growth of Western New York's Premier Division II Team with the addition of a women's lacrosse program," said Traci Murphy, director of athletics. "It's a shining example of how Daemen continues to operate from a position of strength despite the many challenges that institutions of higher education have faced over the past 15 months." 

A native of Walworth, N.Y., Hamman returns to her home state to lead the Wildcats in her first head coaching position. She comes to Daemen following a two-year stint as a graduate assistant on the women's lacrosse coaching staff at Grand Valley State University, an NCAA Division II institution in Allendale, Mich. 

At GVSU, she contributed to a program that went a combined 15-3, including a 12-2 mark this spring that included the Lakers' first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament championship since 2016. Working primarily with the team's goalkeepers, Hamman oversaw a group that ranked first in the GLIAC and 17th nationally in save percentage.   

In addition to Hamman's coaching experience, she played four years of collegiate lacrosse at the Division I level, helping to usher in the program at Central Michigan University. A member of the program's inaugural recruiting class, Hamman went on to be a two-time All-SoCon and Academic All-SoCon (Southern Conference) selection. 

"I want to thank Director of Athletics Traci Murphy and the hiring committee for entrusting me and my vision in being the first Head Women's Lacrosse Coach at Daemen College," Hamman said. "I'm excited to lay the foundation of women's lacrosse here and see it flourish alongside all of the other established athletic programs. Daemen College's strong academics and tight-knit family atmosphere will pave the way in bringing in phenomenal student-athletes who will be ready to excel both in the classroom and out on the field. I look forward to experiencing all of the firsts that come with building a program and doing it with amazing young women who will say 'yes' to the vision and see the potential of Daemen women's lacrosse."

"We are thrilled to land such a bright and energetic coach as Dominique Hamman to lead our new women's lacrosse program," Murphy said. "Her passion for the game and for developing student-athletes was immediately evident. She brings great experience from Grand Valley State which is widely recognized as one of the top Division II athletic programs in the country. And, her experience as a student-athlete helping to establish a young program at Central Michigan should really serve her well in this role at Daemen." 

Women's lacrosse has been one of the fastest growing sports in the United States and within the NCAA. In the last 20 years the number of teams at NCAA-affiliated institutions more than doubled. For the 2019-20 academic year, the NCAA reported women's lacrosse sponsorship at 523 institutions (representing 47% of NCAA membership) and nearly 13,000 participating student-athletes. 

The growth of the sport is even more staggering at the NCAA Division II level where sponsorship increased 137.5% since 2009. Currently, 114 NCAA Division II members sponsor women's lacrosse.

"When studying options for additional sport sponsorship here at Daemen, it became hard to ignore the growth that women's lacrosse has made across the country, and specifically right here in Western New York," Murphy said. "We are excited for the opportunity to provide a meaningful student-athlete experience with a scholarship-level program in an area that's already rich with lacrosse talent. The academic programs that Daemen offers will fit the needs of many college-bound lacrosse student-athletes."

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT DAEMEN'S ADDITION OF WOMEN'S LACROSSE...
"As the premier Division II program in Western New York, we are thrilled to add the sport of women's lacrosse. This new program will give students another opportunity to receive a first-rate academic experience while also competing at a high level athletically - a win-win for our student-athletes."
- Dr. Gary Olson, president, Daemen College 

"Daemen is Western New York's premier Division II athletic program and with women's lacrosse being so popular in the region, I think this is a perfect fit. I envision a competitive team that is supported by our strong academic programs in the health professions and liberal arts."
- Dr. Greg Nayor, vice president for strategic initiatives, Daemen College

"The East Coast Conference is very excited to have Daemen College come on board as our eighth women's lacrosse program. The conference has a long history of success in this sport and we know that the newest Wildcat team will be a great addition to the ECC and NCAA Division II"
- Dr. Robert Dranoff, commissioner, East Coast Conference

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT DOMINIQUE HAMMAN...
"Dom has tremendous passion and enthusiasm for mentoring young women through the game of lacrosse. Her experience starting a program as a student-athlete and coaching experience at the Division II level have definitely prepared her for this new endeavor. I think she will be a great role model for players in the New York area and beyond at the helm of the Daemen program."
- Mackenzie Lawler, head women's lacrosse coach, Grand Valley State University

"Dom is the perfect person to start a new program. She is passionate, mature and driven. Dom will be an outstanding role model for her future student-athletes as she works to build the culture and competitiveness of the Daemen women's lacrosse program."
- Liz Beville, head women's lacrosse coach, Le Moyne College 

"Dom arrived at Central Michigan University ready to lead and help us build the program from the ground up. Taking the lessons learned from her time as a player in a new program, Dom understands what it takes to build Daemen College women's lacrosse into a respected program."
- Sara Tisdale, head women's lacrosse coach, Central Michigan University

"I am so excited to see Dom get this great opportunity to be the first women's lacrosse coach at Daemen. Her work ethic, leadership, passion, and character will take these student-athletes to the next level on and off the field."
- Pete Bell, director of coaching, Common Goal Lacrosse