DETROIT (1/31/2017) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse program will have a new conference next season, with the Titans set to join the Southern Conference for the 2017-18 school year, it was announced on Tuesday.
 
In a partnership with the Atlantic Sun Conference, the Southern Conference is adding women's lacrosse as its 22nd sport to form a six-member league that will have an opportunity to secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Titans have competed in the ASUN Conference since 2013, the first year of women's lacrosse for the conference and have reached four-straight ASUN Championship games. Starting in the 2017-18 school year, the Titans will be a member of the six-team SoCon, which will feature current ASUN women's lacrosse members -- Central Michigan, Delaware State, Furman and Mercer -- along with Wofford, which will open its first season in 2018.
 
The Titans, CMU and Delaware State are all associate members of the league, while Mercer, Furman and Wofford are full members in the SoCon.
 
Starting in 2018, both the SoCon and the ASUN Conference will field six-member leagues with both conferences having automatic bids into the NCAA Tournament. The ASUN Conference women's lacrosse participants will be Coastal Carolina, Howard, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Old Dominion and Stetson. The ASUN Conference has grown to an 11-member league this season, the largest in the five years as a women's lacrosse conference.
 
Detroit Mercy will be the senior member of the SoCon, competing in its ninth season of women's lacrosse in 2017. Delaware State began competing in women's lacrosse in 2013, while both Furman and Mercer debuted in 2015, joining the ASUN Conference. Central Michigan followed with its first full season in 2016 and Wofford is set to debut during the 2017-18 academic year.
 
The SoCon and ASUN Conference will field cross-over games with Detroit Mercy still playing many of its rivals that have been formed in the five years of ASUN women's lacrosse.

For full releases on the partnership between the SoCon and ASUN Conference, visit the respective league websites for further information.

The Titans are set to open their ninth full season of women's lacrosse in just 11 days, visiting No. 9 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday, Feb. 11. The game is set to begin at 3 p.m. ET.

2017-18 Women's Lacrosse Conference Lay-out
Southern Conference
Detroit Mercy
Central Michigan
Delaware State
Furman
Mercer
Wofford

ASUN Conference
Coastal Carolina
Howard
Jacksonville
Kennesaw State
Old Dominion
Stetson