Arcadia University announced Men’s Lacrosse as a new varsity sport on May 5, with Andrew S. Delaney of Riva, Md., as the full-time head coach for the new NCAA Division III program.

Men’s lacrosse began as a club sport at Arcadia in 2006-07, and the Knights will transition to their first varsity season in the Middle Atlantic Conference in 2012-13. The MAC currently sponsors 14 women’s teams and 13 men’s teams. Coach Delaney’s Knights will play a highly competitive club schedule in 2011-12 as he prepares them for NCAA intercollegiate competition.

“Arcadia is very fortunate to have Andrew coming to be the first full-time coach of Men’s Lacrosse,” says Shirley Liddle, Director of Athletics. “Andrew has a very strong background playing and coaching college lacrosse, and he understands our commitment to the Division III student-athlete experience. His collegiate coaching experience will be an advantage as he transforms our club into a competitive varsity program.” Lacrosse is the fastest-growing sport at the NCAA Division III level, with more than 150 men’s lacrosse Division III programs in the nation.

Delaney is concluding his position an assistant men’s lacrosse coach at Washington College in Chestertown, Md. He played collegiate lacrosse for Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., where he earned a B.A. in History, Government and Sociology in 2003. He is working toward an M.A. in History from Washington College.

Delaney served for three seasons as the assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Division II power Limestone College, in Gaffney, S.C., from 2008-10. Under his guidance, the Saints’ defense ranked in the top five nationally in goals-against average in each of those three seasons. While at Limestone, he coached six All-Americans and 18 All-Conference honors. In 2008, the Saints received the Jim “Ace” Adams National Sportsmanship Team Award, an honor presented by the National Intercollegiate Lacrosse Officials Association. He also spent time as the college’s assistant sports information director.

Delaney’s start in collegiate coaching came at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., where he served as an assistant coach from 2004-07, guiding one All-American and eight All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference honorees. He played a key role in recruiting and planned and organized all practices. Prior to his time at Washington and Lee, Delaney spent one year as the Assistant Dean of Students for Residential Life and as an assistant coach at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio.

During his playing days at Franklin & Marshall, Delaney was honored with the Diplomat Award for Sportsmanship as a senior. He was a four-year letter winner for the Diplomats and helped to lead them to the 2003 NCAA Division III Quarterfinals.