Lacrosse Releases 2017 Schedule

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2017 Oklahoma Baptist Women's Lacrosse Schedule
 
SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist Women's Lacrosse head coach Jordan Beech unveiled his squad's schedule for the 2017 season Monday afternoon. It is the Lady Bison's first season as an associate member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, as well as the squad's first season playing a full NCAA Division II schedule.
 
An even split of home and away games is on the docket for OBU in 2017, featuring seven home and away contests. Nine of the Lady Bison's 14 games will be against RMAC opponents, with five of OBU's conference tilts played in front of home fans at the OBU Lacrosse Complex.
 
"It's great to have more home games this season," said Beech. "Last year we were a little uneven, playing only five home games, and most of those were at the start of the season. This will give family, friends and fans more opportunities to watch these ladies compete at a high level in person."
 
The schedule sees the Lady Bison travel as far east as Huntsville, Alabama, as far west as Salt Lake City, Utah, and as far north as Lebanon, Illinois. Overall, Oklahoma Baptist will travel to five states, including Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri and Utah.
 
Oklahoma Baptist kicks off the season with a trip to Alabama to take on the University of Alabama at Huntsville and the University of Montevallo. The first-ever meeting between OBU and the Chargers will take place on Friday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. EST in Huntsville. A rematch between Oklahoma Baptist and Montevallo will occur the following day, Saturday, Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. EST.
 
Fans will have their first opportunity to catch the Lady Bison in action at the OBU Lacrosse Complex on Saturday, Feb. 18 in the team's home opener against Missouri Valley College at 6 p.m. to kick off a three-game homestand on Bison Hill. The following Friday, Feb. 24, OBU will take on the University of St. Mary. The home stretch ends with Oklahoma Baptist's inaugural conference opener against Regis on Saturday, March 11. It is the first of eight straight conference contests for the Lady Bison.
 
"We're very excited about having a conference home this season," said Beech. "We had our first taste of RMAC competition last year during our spring break trip to Colorado. From an overall scheduling standpoint, it makes life a lot easier while also providing an excellent challenge."
 
Spring break will be spent in Utah and Colorado. The first conference road test for the Lady Bison will be Westminster College in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, March 14. Two days later, on Thursday, March 16, OBU will face Colorado Mesa for a second straight year in Grand Junction. The trip wraps up on Saturday, March 18 with a meeting with Fort Lewis College in Durango.
 
A home contest against Colorado State – Pueblo on Wednesday, March 22 kicks off a run of four straight games in Shawnee, the Lady Bison's longest home stretch of the season. The following Saturday, March 25, the Lady Bison will host Adams State in the team's inaugural "Lax-4-Life" game in support of suicide prevention and awareness. Oklahoma Baptist then welcomes the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on Saturday, April 1. Senior Day for Oklahoma Baptist's nine seniors is set for Saturday, April 15 against Rockhurst.
 
The 2017 season concludes with a two-game road swing. First up is a first-ever meeting with McKendree in Lebanon, Illinois, on Thursday, April 20. The Lady Bison then head to St. Louis, Missouri, to challenge Lindenwood in the season finale.
 
Oklahoma Baptist is ineligible for the postseason due to being in Year 3 of the NCAA Transition Process. Additionally, the National Christian College Athletic Association does not currently sponsor women's lacrosse.
 
The Lady Bison are the only varsity lacrosse program in the state of Oklahoma.