TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 5, 2025 – This Friday night, there might be USF fans at Corbett Stadium who aren't quite sure what they're watching when the Bulls' lacrosse program debuts in its inaugural game against Kennesaw State.

But they wouldn't miss this occasion for the world.

It's part-history, part-opportunity and all-excitement.

It's a thrill-a-minute, fast-break-on-grass sport that's still relatively new for many Floridians. Still, USF coach Mindy McCord promises a family-friendly, breakneck atmosphere of success and entertainment that will capture your hearts and keep you returning for more.

For the first time in nearly three decades, USF is instituting a new sport in its athletic program. That usually means patience, a huge learning curve, and some predictable early bumps and bruises.

USF lacrosse has designs on something greater — and something accomplished much quicker.

"My hope is for us to contend for the AAC championship this May,'' freshman defender Ansley Knor said. "We have a program that I believe people will quickly become aware of because of the hard work we have put in daily."

That hope and belief is based on faith in the culture and leaders USF has put in place. McCord built an impressive track record at Jacksonville University (170-62 over the program's first 13 seasons) with eight NCAA Tournament appearances and two trips to the Sweet 16. JU teams led the nation in scoring seven times.

McCord loved JU and wasn't looking to leave. In fact, she had to be persuaded to visit USF and consider guiding its fledgling program when it was conceived in 2022. Once McCord heard the vision of Michael Kelly, the vice president for athletics, while learning about the athletic program's resources and commitment, she was sold.

"At Jacksonville, I think it took about a decade to compete against the Florida's and the top 10 programs in the country, which don't change too much from year to year,'' McCord said. "I don't think I would've pivoted to another program if there weren't the resources to do that in a quicker time frame. And that's what I saw at USF — such an amazing opportunity."

"Consistently breaking into the top 15 for a mid-major program (at JU) was pretty special. But at USF, you look at the resources, you look at the administrative support, you look at the players we can attract, you look at the appeal of the Tampa Bay area, you look at USF's academic reputation, you look at the fact that we will open this beautiful on-campus stadium (in 2027) and … oh my goodness, what are we talking about it? Yes, I believe we can build something great here, something that will last and something that will attract the top players from everywhere.''

The ultimate goal?

"Well, we are recruiting players who want to win a national championship,'' McCord said. "That's our goal and our dream, right? If you don't have dreams, you're dead. So we will never undervalue any opponent or look too far ahead — because the true focus is always on the next practice or the next game — but we're not going to put a ceiling on what our program can accomplish, either.''

McCord added that USF's program will always stand for more than on-field victories and championships. She said the Bulls have been "reverse engineered'' with traditional high-school recruiting classes, then selective additions through the transfer portal. That's because she's seeking a certain kind of person — even beyond their lacrosse skills.

"Some players want to go to programs with a track record and pre-established tradition,'' McCord said. "I think we found players who really wanted to be pillars in our culture. They wanted leadership opportunities, and they wanted to leverage their education. They wanted to be the first at something.

"When they look back in their 30's, 40's and 50's, they're going to say, 'Wow, we were pioneers.' They don't even know yet the impact of being alumni, what it will be like coming back to this school. We have one of the top lacrosse conferences in the country (American Athletic Conference), which is extremely high-level from the beginning. I think it's going to hit all the big milestones for a women's sport, which is preparation, growth, building cohesion as a team, building confidence and achieving goals.''

At the heart of McCord's mission is building opportunities for young women and exposing them to role models, along with growing the sport of lacrosse.

That's a full Bingo card, but McCord said she's eager to take on all challenges.

And her players can't wait for their opportunities — on and off the field. Who will score the first goal? What will be the circumstances of the first victory? When will the first championship occur?

It's all ahead for USF lacrosse.

"We've been recruiting people to come to our games for two years now … so the first time out (Friday night) could be really insane,'' said attacker Alison Harbaugh, a graduate transfer from Notre Dame. "We're so ready to lay it all out there and show people what we can do. I think the whole opening-night thing is going to be so special, something to really look back on, the night that the foundation was laid. You're going to see a whole lot of joy out there on that field.''

"We finally get the chance to show USF and the lacrosse world what this program is all about,'' said sophomore attacker Sofia Chepenik, a transfer from Clemson. "I'm totally stoked about the whole thing. We're athletic. We've got freak athletes. The fans will love our run-and-gun style. We are driven to accomplish big things with this team. I hope and believe it will happen from the very beginning. The first night will be historic, no doubt. But with our talent and culture, it's just the beginning of a lot of great things to come with USF lacrosse.''

ABOUT USF LACROSSE
The University of South Florida announced the addition of women's lacrosse to its now 21-sport varsity athletics program in November of 2021. The program embarks on their inaugural season on Feb. 7, 2025. The Bulls named eight-time conference coach of the year Mindy McCord to lead the program in May of 2022. McCord, who came to USF with 240 career wins, earned 21 regular season and conference tournament titles at Jacksonville University and led the program to eight NCAA appearances after starting and leading the Dolphins' program in its first 13 years. She developed 13 All-Americans, 81 all-conference selections, and 13 conference Player of the Year honorees during that span. USF runs a fast-paced, high-scoring offense influenced by the early 1990s Loyola Marymount men's basketball record-setting fast break, which ranked among the national leaders in shots, points per game, and scoring margin numerous seasons during McCord's tenure at JU.
 
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