Two-time defending America East champion University at Albany is again the choice to win the conference championship in a poll of the league's coaches. Albany received four first-place votes and 44 points overall. University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) was second with a first-place vote and 37 points to narrowly edge defending regular-season champion Binghamton University, which received two first-place votes and 36 points.
Complete Poll
Stony Brook University (31), University of Vermont (23), Quinnipiac University (16), and University of Hartford (9) rounded out the poll.
The top four teams in the conference will advance to the America East Championship with the winner of the tournament receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship.
Albany (10-6 overall, 4-2 America East) has won each of the last two America East Championships after winning the conference regular-season title in its initial year in 2002. Scott Marr's team defeated Binghamton, 10-4, in the 2004 America East Championship to advance to the NCAA Championship for the second-straight year. Senior Luke Daquino, the 2003 America East Player of the Year and a first-team all-conference choice last season, returns to lead the Great Danes. Daquino scored 20 goals and added a conference-best 32 assists for 52 points. America East Rookie of the Year Merrick Thomson led the conference in both goals (47) and points (59) last season. Senior Kevin Rae (10.16 goals against average, .578 save percentage) has been the backbone of the Great Dane defense for four seasons.
UMBC (6-8, 4-2) earned the No. 2 seed in the America East Championship last season, its first year in the conference. First-team all-conference attackman Brendan Mundorf, who finished second in America East scoring last season with 33 goals and 15 assists for 48 points, and senior goalkeeper Kevin Cepelak (8.01 goals against average, .577 save percentage) return for veteran coach Don Zimmerman.
Binghamton (10-6, 6-0) posted a perfect mark in conference play in just its third season as a varsity program. Goalkeeper Kevin McKeown (7.03 goals against average, .589 save percentage) was the America East Player of the Year last season as a sophomore. He was joined on the first-team all-conference squad by junior defender Michael Baudouin, who helped the Bearcats compile a nation-leading 6.94 goals against average.
Stony Brook (9-6, 4-2) welcomes new coach Lars Tiffany, who joined the Seawolves after four seasons as an assistant at Penn State. Stony Brook has qualified for the America East Championship in each of its three seasons in the conference, winning the championship in 2002. Junior attackman Jason Cappadoro, who was third in America East scoring with 26 goals and 20 assists for 46 points, and senior defender Kyle Pearl were both first-team all-conference choices last season. Goalkeeper Brendan Callahan led America East in both goals against average (5.96) and save percentage (.687) as a rookie.
Vermont (6-9, 2-4) has consistently ranked among the nation's leaders in defense in each of coach Steve Beville's six seasons with the Catamounts. Goalkeeper Mike Gabel (8.55 goals against average, .593 save percentage) returns for his senior season to anchor the defense.
Quinnipiac (2-11, 1-5) coach Eric Fekete returns Mike Stottler, who led the Bobcats with 19 goals in 12 games, and goalkeeper James Nastro (11.47 goals against average, .484 save percentage).
Hartford (0-14, 0-6) welcomes its third coach in as many years as William Warder takes control of the program. Warder, who has coached at Hobart College, Geneva High School and Avon Old Farms School, will make his collegiate head coaching debut with the Hawks. A standout player at Hobart as a collegian, he can also draw from four years worth of professional playing experience with both the National Lacrosse League and Major League Lacrosse.
The America East Championship will be held May 4 and 7. The semifinals will be held at the home fields of the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. The championship game will be played at the home field of the higher remaining seed.