Boston University has been chosen as the preseason favorite for the America East Championship in a vote of the women's lacrosse coaches. The Terriers received four first-place votes and 46 points overall. Defending America East champion University of New Hampshire, which received three first-place votes and 44 points, was chosen second.
Complete Poll
University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) was third with 35 points. University at Albany (26), University of Vermont (19), Stony Brook University (18) and Binghamton University (8) 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 Women's Lacrosse Championship.
Boston University (9-10 overall, 4-1 America East in 2004) was recently chosen No. 20 by Inside Lacrosse Magazine in its preseason Top 20. Coach Liza Shoemaker's Terriers return four first-team all-conference selections in Mary Beth Miller (24 goals, 15 assists, 39 points) at attack, Kaitlyn Cuneo (26 goals, 7 assists, 33 points) and Alyssa Trudel (23 goals, 13 assists, 36 points) at midfield and defender Michelle Bussichella, as well as leading scorer Lindsay Lewis (50 goals, 16 assists, 66 points), a second-team all-conference attacker.
New Hampshire (15-5, 6-0), which was chosen No. 17 in the Inside Lacrosse Top 20, won both the America East regular-season title and championship for the first time since the conference started women's lacrosse in 1996. America East Player of the Year Jess Burnap returns for her senior season after leading the conference in goals with 72 in 20 games. She added nine assists for 81 points. The Wildcats also return the conference's top scorer in Katie Leland, who scored 60 goals and added 30 assists for 90 points. Midfielder Laura Dosdall and defenders Renee Nemmers and Cristina Covucci, the 2004 America East Rookie of the Year, each earned first-team all-conference honors a season ago for America East Coach of the Year Sandy Bridgeman.
UMBC (5-11, 4-2) earned an America East Championship berth last season, its first year in the conference. First-team all-conference midfielder Kelly Fiorani, who was sixth in America East scoring with 34 goals and 13 assists for 47 points, and defender Stephanie Crouch are the first-team all-conference players returning for coach Monica Yeakel.
Albany (6-11, 3-3) made its second America East Championship appearance in three seasons. Midfielder Kate Fontana was a second-team all-conference choice as a rookie, after leading the Great Danes and finishing seventh in the conference in scoring with 39 goals and 14 assists for 53 points. Fourth-year coach Dennis Short also signed eight newcomers as he continues to build the Great Dane program.
Vermont (4-11, 0-6) welcomes a new coach in Jennifer Johnson, a former three-time All-American at Penn State, who has served the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Connecticut. Senior attacker Vanessa Cox returns after finishing fifth in America East in scoring with 33 goals and 18 assists for 51 points. Cox recently completed the third and final training camp for the Canadian National Women's Lacrosse Team and was a final cut while Johnson was named to the squad.
Fourth-year coach Danie Caro adds 11 newcomers to a Stony Brook (6-9, 2-4) team with four sophomers, seven juniors and just one senior. The Seawolves return second-team all-conference defender Marrisa Trachtenberg.
Emily Edmonston begins her first season as coach at Binghamton (4-11, 1-5) after serving the past two years as an assistant at Dickinson.
The America East Championship will be held May 5 and 7 at the home field of the No. 1 seed.