Both Carthage College lacrosse teams will be making a bit of history this spring, with each team playing a scheduled doubleheader. The Red Men will take on both Birmingham-Southern College and Rhodes College on Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013 at Rhodes' Fargason Field in Memphis, Tenn. Seven weeks later, on April 13, coach Lauren Hume's Lady Reds play host to both Loras College and the University of Dubuque in a day-night twinbill at Art Keller Field.

Based on some anecdotal research by Jac Coyne of “laxmagazine.com,” this will be the first time that an NCAA men's lacrosse program has played a pair of regular-season contests in the same day. Several NCAA Division III women's lacrosse teams have played doubleheaders before.

NCAA schedules are based on dates of competition, not actual contests. Carthage will utilize its maximum 17 dates in 2013, but will have 18 regular-season games. Credit Carthage head coach Dave Neff for being budget-conscious. His 2013 schedule was already set when he was contacted by Birmingham-Southern, a team Carthage had played in the past. The possibility of doubling up his trip to Memphis — a hefty, 10-hour bus ride —especially against a 2012 NCAA qualifier like the Panthers, was irresistible.

The actual results of the double dip are inconsequential for Neff. "My mindset is we're more worried about the conference and we're just going to get two games in a day and hopefully we'll do well in it, but even if we come home 0-2, we'll get a lot of experience," he said. "It's a win for us either way from that standpoint."

Click here to read Jac Coyne's blog article on the men's doubleheader at
"laxmagazine.com.”