The Wingate Memorial Trophy was the award given to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) national champion in men's college lacrosse from 1936 to 1970, and the NCAA Men's Champion in 1971-1972.

The first intercollegiate lacrosse tournament was held in 1881, with Harvard beating Princeton 3-0 in the championship game. From this point through 1970, USILA and the collegiate lacrosse associations from which it evolved - the ILA (1882-1905), IULL (1894-1905), USILL (1906-1925) and USILA (1926-1970) - chose the annual champions based on season records.[1][2] In 1936, the family of W. Wilson Wingate, a longtime Baltimore sportswriter who had played the sport in college and often covered it, donated a memorial trophy in his name to be presented to the USILA champion. Wingate is credited with nicknaming lacrosse "the fastest game on two feet."[3]

The NCAA held its first NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship in 1971. The Wingate Memorial Trophy was presented to the first two NCAA champions, and retired following the 1972 season. Currently, the NCAA tournament annually determines the top lacrosse teams in Division I, Division II, and Division III.

Wingate Memorial Trophy winners

Year Champion
1936 Maryland
1937 Maryland, Princeton
1938 Navy
1939 Maryland
1940 Maryland
1941 Johns Hopkins
1942 Princeton
1943 Navy
1944 Army
1945 Army, Navy
1946 Navy
1947 Johns Hopkins
1948 Johns Hopkins
1949 Johns Hopkins, Navy
1950 Johns Hopkins
1951 Army, Princeton
1952 RPI, Virginia
1953 Princeton
1954 Navy
1955 Maryland
1956 Maryland
1957 Johns Hopkins
1958 Army
1959 Army, Maryland, Johns Hopkins[1]:209
1960 Navy
1961 Army, Navy
1962 Navy
1963 Navy
1964 Navy
1965 Navy
1966 Navy
1967 Maryland, Navy, Johns Hopkins
1968 Johns Hopkins
1969 Army, Johns Hopkins
1970 Johns Hopkins, Navy, Virginia
1971 Cornell
1972 Virginia

Team championship records

Team Championships Winning Years
Navy 15 1938, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1954, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1970
Johns Hopkins 11 1941, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1957, 1959, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970
Maryland 8 1936, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1967
Army 7 1944, 1945, 1951, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1969
Princeton 4 1937, 1942, 1951, 1953
Virginia 3 1952, 1970, 1972
Cornell 1 1971
RPI 1 1952

Championships by state

State Titles University
Maryland Maryland 34 Navy (15), Johns Hopkins (11), Maryland (8)
New York (state) New York 9 Army (7), Cornell (1), RPI (1)
New Jersey New Jersey 4 Princeton (4)
Virginia Virginia 3 Virginia (3)

References

  1. ^ a b Scott, Bob (1976). Lacrosse Technique and Tradition. The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-2060-X.
  2. ^ Fisher, Donald M. (14 Mar 2002). Lacrosse: A History of the Game. The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 64-71.
  3. ^ "Men's National College Lacrosse Championships". Archived from the original on April 26, 2013. Retrieved 2014-10-05.

See also

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