Mission & History
USVI Lacrosse provides leadership to the community through the delivery of quality services and programs in order to grow the game at all levels and enrich the experience of all participants.
Brief history of Lacrosse in the US Virgin Islands
Nancy Hasson served as a Physical Education teacher and Athletic Director at St. Croix Country Day School from September of 1990 until she retired in June of 2015. Nancy Grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Springfield College with a degree in Physical Education in 1989. Upon arriving at St. Croix Country Day School in the summer of 1990 to prepare for her first job as a Physical Education teacher, she was excited to see a set of “STX ball” lacrosse sticks in the equipment closet.
Over the next 25 years she would use this lacrosse equipment to introduce hundreds of Middle School and High School students to the game. She also made sure that new teachers in her department were trained on how to teach the sport so that all students could experience lacrosse along with other traditional PE sports.
USVI Lacrosse Executive Director, Rich Carter, arrived in St. Croix in the summer of 2000 following a four year career playing Division I Lacrosse at Villanova University. Over the next 10 years he would use the same equipment to teach lacrosse to the students of St. Croix Country Day School, St. Patrick’s School and The Good Hope School.
Since that time lacrosse has remained a part of the physical education programs at these schools and has been added by Antilles School and VI Montessori School on St. Thomas. In the fall of 2019 Rich assembled a committed group of board members and created the US Virgin Islands Lacrosse Association. The USVI Lacrosse board helped set up independent lacrosse clubs on each island that hold regular clinics, practices, games and events to allow players to continue developing their skills outside of school.
Timeline of Lacrosse in the US Virgin Islands
1990 - 2015
- Nancy Hasson teaches lacrosse PE classes at Country Day School in St. Croix.
2000 - 2001
- Rich Carter teaches lacrosse in PE classes at St. Croix Country Day School.
2001 - 2002
- Rich Carter teaches lacrosse in PE classes at St. Patrick’s School in St. Croix.
March 2004
- Three NCAA Women’s Lacrosse teams practice and play games on St. Croix: Mary Washington College, Va. (pre-season ranked No. 7), Oneonta State University, N.Y. (pre-season ranked No. 9) and Sweet Briar College, Va. Hundreds of residents on St. Croix see live Women's Lacrosse for the first time
2006 - 2010
- Rich Carter teaches lacrosse PE classes at The Good Hope School in St. Croix.
2007 - 2010
- Kim Russell is a physical education teacher at VI Montessori School in St. Thomas and teaches lacrosse. Kim went on to be the Head Coach at Oberlin College.
March 2009
- Four NCAA Women’s Teams practice and play games in St. Croix: Mary Washington University, Roanoke College, Elizabethtown College and Oneonta State College. Hundreds of residents on St. Croix see live Women's Lacrosse for the second time.
May 2015
- Former University of Maryland player, national champion and experienced coach, Liz Goodell Morrison, is appointed Head of School at Antilles School in St. Thomas.
March 2018
- St. Thomas Lacrosse Club was founded as the first independent club on St. Thomas and practices at Antilles School.
October 2019
- USVI Lacrosse Association is founded and begins operations.
November 2019
- First USVI Lacrosse Association Board Meeting is held.
January 2020
- Governor Albert Bryan, head of the U.S. Virgin Islands Legislature, confirms his support of the USVI Lacrosse and our mission to grow the game of lacrosse in the territory.
June 2020
- St. John Lacrosse Club was founded as the first independent club on St. John by Anysia Lane & Scott Hutchens.
July 2020
- St. Croix Lacrosse Club was founded by Scott Cofiell and Tom Guthrie.
August 2020
- St. Croix Lacrosse Club hosts the first free clinic at Leathback field. 12 players and 5 coaches are in attendance for the event.
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