By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference welcomes Northwest Nazarene University as an associate member in men’s lacrosse, beginning with the 2025-26 academic year.

The Nighthawks' addition brings RMAC men’s lacrosse membership to six teams beginning with the 2026 season. NNU joins RMAC members Adams State University, Colorado Mesa University, Westminster University (Utah), and associate members Concordia University Irvine and Dominican University of California. With Northwest Nazarene’s addition, the RMAC will also gain an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Men’s Lacrosse Championship beginning in 2026.

“We are glad to welcome Northwest Nazarene as they elevate their men’s lacrosse program to full varsity status,” said RMAC Commissioner Chris Graham. “The RMAC has diligently worked to grow men’s lacrosse in the West, and our efforts have led to this momentous occasion. Adding the Nighthawks program will allow our student-athletes to compete for an automatic bid as RMAC representatives at the sport's highest level.”

Northwest Nazarene men’s lacrosse begins its fifth season as a club program this spring. Last season, they posted a 14-3 record in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association’s Division II. Led by head coach Tom Blanchard, the Nighthawks won the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League tournament and advanced to the second round of the 2024 MCLA National Championships.

"The opportunity to be the first NCAA Lacrosse program in the state of Idaho is a special moment for Northwest Nazarene University,” said Northwest Nazarene Director of Athletics Paul Rush. “Joining the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference will give the young men in our program a tremendous experience and the opportunity to compete for NCAA Championships. We are thankful for the support of Commissioner Graham and the members of the RMAC for welcoming our men's lacrosse program."

During the upcoming 2025 men’s lacrosse season, the five RMAC institutions sponsoring men’s lacrosse are associate members of the Peach Belt Conference. They will compete for that league’s automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Division II Men’s Lacrosse Championship.

About the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The RMAC is a premier NCAA Division II conference located in Colorado Springs, Colo., with 15 member institutions across five states. The RMAC sponsors 22 varsity NCAA sports and has produced 67 NCAA Division II national champions and 54 national runners-up since 1992.
 
About Northwest Nazarene University
Founded in 1913, Northwest Nazarene University is a comprehensive Christian university in Nampa, Idaho with over 80 undergraduate areas of study, 18 master’s degrees in six different disciplines, six Education Specialist degrees, and four doctoral degrees. NNU sits on an 88-acre residential campus in the heart of the Boise Valley, with online and extension campuses in Idaho Falls and in 35 countries around the world. NNU Athletics currently sponsors 15 NCAA sports and two club sports, with men's lacrosse and STUNT set to become the 16th and 17th intercollegiate programs in the 2025-26 year. NNU competes primarily in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, with men's lacrosse set to be an affiliate member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. In the past five years, Nighthawks' programs have reached the NCAA postseason or had individuals qualify in baseball, men's basketball, men's track & field, men's golf, men's soccer, women's basketball, women's golf, softball, and women's track & field.