GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum College director of lacrosse Richard Carrington has announced the program's inaugural men's lacrosse schedule Friday morning. The Pioneers will play a 13-game regular-season schedule this coming spring as men's lacrosse begins a new era at Tennessee's oldest college. (2014 Schedule)

Tusculum will compete as NCAA Division II members of the South Atlantic Conference, which will be sponsoring men's lacrosse as a championship sport for the first time this year. The Pioneers will play a seven-game league schedule with SAC contests against Brevard College, Catawba College, Coker College, Lenoir-Rhyne University, Mars Hill University, Queens University of Charlotte and Wingate University.

"In building our men's lacrosse program at Tusculum, we set out to find people who view adversity as opportunity. Our recruiting class represents more than 30 student-athletes from 13 different states and Canadian provinces, and we feel that these student-athletes are mentally tough enough to meet the challenges of an inaugural season," said Carrington. "Our goals, both on and off the field, are ambitious, but I feel that our group understands just how difficult and rewarding this process will be. I look forward to experiencing this journey with the Tusculum College community and the men who represent our program."

Tusculum will take the lacrosse field for the first time on Feb. 8 as the Pioneers travel to Vienna, W.Va. to take on Ohio Valley University. The Fighting Scots are coming off a 6-11 campaign and are members of the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II Lacrosse League (ECAC II).

Tusculum lacrosse will make its Pioneer Field debut on Feb. 15 when the Orange & Black hosts Lees-McRae College. The Bobcats, members of Conference Carolinas, were winless in their 15 contests last season.

A week later, the Pioneers travel to Young Harris College to face the Mountain Lions. YHC posted a 5-8 record in that program's inaugural season this past spring.

Tusculum will host Lenoir-Rhyne on Mar. 1 in the Pioneers' first South Atlantic Conference battle. The Bears played their first three seasons as members of the Deep South Conference, including last year finishing with an 8-8 overall record and advancing to the DSC Tournament semifinal.

On Mar. 4, Post University ventures to Greeneville to take on the Pioneers in the TC's first-ever night contest. Located in Waterbury, Conn., the Eagles will also be competing in their inaugural varsity season this spring.

The Pioneers travel to Brevard on Mar. 8 for a conference battle as the Tornados will be fielding their first lacrosse team in school history.

One of the program's sternest tests of 2014 will come on Mar. 11 when the Pioneers venture to Gaffney, S.C. to face two-time NCAA II national champion Limestone College. The defending Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament champions went 16-2 last year, while advancing to the national semifinal.

Coker ventures to Tusculum on Mar. 15 as the Cobras are coming off a 5-10 record and a sixth place showing in Conference Carolinas. All of Coker's athletic programs are competing as SAC members this year.

Tusculum returns to the road on Mar. 22 for a trip to Salisbury, N.C. to do battle with Catawba. The Catawba Indians finished 9-6 last season, while finishing fourth in the Deep South Conference. Catawba made a strong postseason push to advance to the DSC Tournament championship game.

The Pioneers host cross-mountain rival Mars Hill on Mar. 27 for a league clash. The match will hold special meaning for TC's Coach Carrington, who is a 2003 MHU alum. The Lions posted an 11-3 record in 2013 playing as a D-II Independent.

Tusculum will be at Queens on Apr. 5 to face the Royals for a league match-up. The Royals went 7-7 last season and finished third in their final season in Conference Carolinas.

The Pioneers close out SAC-play on Apr. 12 when they travel to Wingate as the Bulldogs are coming off a 2-13 season where they finished eighth in the Deep South Conference.

The inaugural South Atlantic Conference Lacrosse Tournament will be held Apr. 17 & 19 on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte, N.C. as the top four teams in the league advance.

Tusculum will close out its regular season on Apr. 24 when the Pioneers host Alderson Broaddus University. The Battlers, who play in the ECAC II, went winless this past spring.

The NCAA II national quarterfinal (May 10) and semifinal (May 17) will be held at campus sites, while the D-II national championship will be held May 25 in Baltimore, Md.

Tusculum College, located in Greeneville, Tenn., is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA and is a NCAA Division II member of the South Atlantic Conference. Tusculum, the oldest college in the State of Tennessee, sponsors 15 intercollegiate sports, including men's lacrosse, which will be competing in its first season during the 2013-2014 academic year.

Tusculum, the 28th oldest college in the nation, is a liberal arts institution committed to providing a liberal arts education in a Judeo-Christian and civic arts environment, with pathways for career preparation, personal development and civic engagement. Approximately twenty-one hundred students are enrolled on the main campus in Greeneville and three off-site locations in East Tennessee. The academic programs for both traditional-aged students and working adults served through the Graduate and Professional Studies program are delivered using focused calendars whereby students enroll in one course at a time.

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