How UIndy became the women's lacrosse juggernaut of the Midwest and won a national title

This isn’t supposed to happen. Not here, in Indianapolis, in a sport where the powers thrive out east. Just take a look at the other schools that have won Division II women’s lacrosse titles since the tournament’s inception in 2001:

Adelphi, in Long Island, has won nine. LIU Post, in Long Island, has won four. Stonehill (Massachusetts) and West Chester (Pennsylvania) have won two titles each. There’s Le Moyne (New York), Florida Southern and Lockhaven (PA). Last year, Lindenwood (Missouri) broke the mold.

And now? The University of Indianapolis.

The Greyhounds won the first women’s lacrosse national title in program history on Sunday, beating East Stroudsburg 11-9.

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The two teams were tied 5-5 at halftime, but UIndy led 10-7 with 10:50 to play. East Stroudsburg answered with a pair of goals to trim the deficit, but a goal from Quinn Malcolm gave the Greyhounds some cushion over the final minutes.

It’s the culmination of an utterly dominant run. The program hasn’t lost a home game since the season opener in 2018. This year’s team ended the season with 17 straight wins, and the program has lost six games combined in the last four seasons.

And to think the program didn’t even exist until 2016.

“It took a lot of belief and a lot of hard work from the original members of the program,” Greyhounds coach James Delaney said. “They're the ones that went through a lot of the tough times. They're the ones that put in a ton of blood, sweat and tears for us to have the platform we do now, to be in a position to call ourselves national champions. The kids that started the program deserve so much credit for (Sunday's) success.”

The program’s first game came on Feb. 13, 2016. The Greyhounds lost 15-0 to the No. 3 team in the country. They finished that first season with 6 wins and 12 losses. The next season, Delaney joined the program as an assistant. The team posted a winning record. The next season, with Delaney as an interim coach, the Greyhounds made their first NCAA tournament. The team began the 2019 season ranked in the national Division II poll, and reached as high as No. 9. The next season, they reached No. 6.

Abigail Lagos, a captain and graduate student from New Hampshire, joined the program as a freshman in 2017.

“Coach Delaney said, ‘This team is going to win things in the future, and we have the opportunity to build that program up and get to that point.’ That's what really sold me on going there. I want to be a part of a lot of the big firsts — our first conference win, our first NCAA appearance and now our first national championship. It's just been really cool to see that through.”

A stress fracture in her femur meant she missed the entire season, but she came back the next year to be named second-team All-Conference. Then, the injury bug bit again, when she tore her ACL.

She came back again, this time to lead the team in points and goals scored. Last season, she was named an All-American and National Attacker of the Year. Now, she’s the program’s all-time leading scorer. She and Sarah Klein combined for seven goals in the title game.

“She is the standard of what it means to be a UIndy lacrosse player,” Delaney said.

Peyton Romig, also a graduate student and captain, has earned plenty of her own accolades. Last season, she was named National Player of the Year. She’s the all-time NCAA draw controls leader. She was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

“We wanted to build the lacrosse community and competitiveness here,” Romig said. “I've always talked about wanting to show everyone that the East Coast isn't the only place that lacrosse can be very good. We wanted to prove to everyone that a small school in the Midwest can be just as competitive as the schools that have been around for a while.”

The Greyhounds have made the tournament in each of the past three seasons. And they’re hoping this is just the beginning.

“An expectation of being a part of this program is having a platform to compete for national championships,” Delaney said.

Follow IndyStar trending sports reporter Matthew VanTryon on Twitter @MVanTryon and email him story ideas at matthew.vantryon@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: UIndy women's lacrosse wins 2022 NCAA Division II national title