ATLANTA – By a majority vote of the Board of Directors, the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA), the preeminent non-varsity league in the country, will add a new conference to its roll for the 2021 season.

The Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC) will be a Division I-only league consisting of eight teams formerly of the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC): Clemson, East Carolina, George Washington, Liberty, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

The ALC will be eligible for an automatic qualifying berth in 2021 if they satisfy criteria established during the approval process by the board.

“Creating a new conference is no small undertaking, but the board felt that the leadership structure and size of the Atlantic Lacrosse Conference would be a positive for the continued growth of our organization,” said MCLA president Ken Lovic.

Liberty coach Kyle McQuillan has been elected president of the ALC while Virginia Tech coach Panchito Ojeda will act as vice president and secretary.

NC State coach Christopher Demarest will be treasurer and West Virginia assistant coach Jim Mills serves as competition coordinator. Clemson coach Buff Grub will be the awards chairman.

“The SELC has grown to become one of the premier conferences in the MCLA and we are all proud to have been a part of that,” said McQuillan. “Dividing this historic conference has been a difficult decision to make, but we feel that it is in the best interests of all teams – not only within the SELC but for the entirety of the MCLA. We are all grateful to the SELC for its years of service, and the amazing opportunities they have provided its membership for over 30 years.”

The ALC will be divided into North and South subdivisions with George Washington, Liberty, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia residing in the North while Clemson, East Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee will compete in the South.

A six-team conference tournament featuring the top three teams from each division will determine the automatic qualifier to the 2021 MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance.

The ALC is open to adding a Division II component as early as the 2021 season, although it has not been established at this point.

The SELC leadership team and the Division I coaches will meet in the coming weeks to reshape the subdivisional make-up with the remaining programs.