Lacrosse
When it comes to the hypothetical idea of adding a different sport to the University of Iowa’s athletics, there’s no doubt in my mind that lacrosse would be a popular choice.
First of all, the noise behind lacrosse as an upcoming sport is loud. As of the 2024 spring season, over 700 girls and boys competed in lacrosse leagues across the state of Iowa. It was declared by the NCAA as one of the nation’s fastest growing sports, with interest from younger athletes peaking more by the day.
The Premier Lacrosse League, a men’s professional league that debuted in 2019, saw a 10 percent increase in year-over-year viewing numbers, per an August 2025 release. The Women’s Lacrosse League is now in its second year.
The fast-paced gameplay appeals to audiences of all different sporting backgrounds, with its intense action and high scoring appeal. I mean, who wouldn’t want to watch players like former Duke Blue Devil Brennan O’Neill bulldoze through defenders and score dangerous goals from all lengths of the field?
And catering to this new team? No problem. The Iowa Soccer Complex already has a full-size natural grass competition field with lights and seating. Lacrosse fields are almost the same size as soccer fields and only need different nets and lines in the grass. Not too much of a burden for the university.
Not to mention, the Big Ten conference already holds six schools with men’s and women’s lacrosse teams, including Ohio State, Rutgers, Johns Hopkins, Penn State, Michigan, and Maryland. Why wouldn’t we want Iowa to join the bandwagon for a sport that’s consistently been on the rise?
Overall, adding lacrosse would bring attention to the university through increased high school recruits, new fan bases, and boost Hawkeye athletics as a whole. What’s not a win about that?
Ice hockey
Athletics and the University of Iowa are synonymous with each other. Yet one of the four major sports in American culture has always been missing at Iowa and its varsity sports. It’s time to add men’s and women’s hockey to the UI.
The sport has great momentum following the United States’ victory against Canada at the 2026 Milan Olympics, with both men and women’s teams taking home the gold medal and receiving national attention. At the end of 2025, USA hockey found that membership had grown by 13,396 players since the year prior. The timing couldn’t be better. The sport is on the rise.
The Iowa volleyball team already uses Xtream Arena in Coralville, and it would be a perfect host for potential Iowa hockey teams. With the Iowa Heartlanders of the ECHL suspending operations for next season, the arena will sit dormant. This leaves a perfect opportunity for the UI to not let the venue sit without a hockey team.
The Big Ten features Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame with men’s squads. The Gophers, Nittany Lions, Buckeyes, and Badgers also feature women’s squads. The Hawkeyes would fit in seamlessly and usher in a new chapter in UI’s history. What Iowa fans wouldn’t want to watch the Hawks take on long-time rival Minnesota in hockey?
The answer is easy; hockey being at the UI is long overdue. The facilities are already in place, the conference is already there, and in a perfect world, the sport would exist at the varsity level.