In response to a growing concern over player safety in women’s lacrosse, the NCAA has announced significant changes to its penalty system, set to take effect in the 2024 season. These revisions, approved by the NCAA’s Playing Rules Oversight Panel in July, aim to curb the physicality that has increasingly characterized the sport.
Starting in 2024, players will face stricter penalties for a range of infractions, including charging, holding, illegal picks, cross-checks and pushing. Unlike the past system where players received two warnings, the new rules call for immediate carding and a one-minute game suspension for these violations. The repercussions for receiving a red card, reserved for particularly severe contact, have been escalated from a 2-minute to a 5-minute sideline penalty.
These changes are among the most significant safety enhancements the NCAA has implemented in women’s lacrosse in recent years. Kimberly Wayne, Davidson College’s women’s lacrosse coach and chair of the NCAA’s Women’s Lacrosse Rules Committee, emphasized the committee’s focus on balancing physicality with maintaining the integrity of the game.
“Our focus going into the meetings was to discuss physicality in our game while also maintaining the integrity of the game,” Wayne said in an email with Michael A. Fletcher of ESPN.
Injuries highlight need for change
The need for these changes was highlighted by the serious injury suffered by Taylor Everson, a Yale University attacker, during a February game against Stony Brook University. Everson sustained a ruptured kidney and severe internal bleeding from an apparent cross-check, leading to a two-week hospital stay and months of recovery. She made a notable return in an October scrimmage, an event that was met with emotional applause and celebration from the audience.
Everson’s injury is not an isolated incident; it reflects a trend of severe injuries in the sport, attributed to an increase in physicality and a lagging rules structure. Officials recognize that while women’s lacrosse was traditionally a noncontact sport, the nature of play has evolved, necessitating updated protective measures.
“The ability to make contact in legal ways has led to players using their sticks in illegal ways, which then leads to foul and physical harm,” Wayne said.
To enhance player safety, the oversight panel also approved the use of close-fitting padded compression shirts under jerseys from next season. This gear aims to reduce injuries from stick jabs. The panel has further adjusted rules for defenders, requiring them to maintain a greater distance from players near the goal and ensuring all defenders in the area are actively guarding a player.
In addition to the NCAA’s changes, Yale University has taken a proactive stance in response to Everson’s injury. They have instituted a policy to have an ambulance present at women’s lacrosse games, a measure typically reserved for high-contact sports.
Everson, who now wears one of the protective shirts, expressed optimism about the rule changes.
“I think these rules have the potential to be successful, but we are very much in a trial-and-error period right now,” she said. “I believe that focusing on mitigating cross checks and overly-aggressive play is the most important part of these rule changes — which comes from not only the rules themselves but also coaching and refereeing.”
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