CAMBRIDGE, Mass. ? Boston University has been tabbed to win its fourth straight league title in 2008, as voted on by the league’s head coaches in the America East Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Terriers received four first-place votes and 35 total points to finish ahead of the University of New Hampshire, which garnered one first-place vote and 29 points, and Stony Brook University, which tallied one first-place vote and 27 points. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own team. Click here for the Complete Poll and Release in PDF format.
UMBC and the University at Albany tied for fourth place with 19 points apiece. The University of Vermont and Binghamton University round out the seven-team poll with 11 and six points, respectively.
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.
The three-time defending champion Terriers (13-6, 5-1 America East in 2007) have played in nine straight conference title games and won six championships during that span. Second-year head coach Liz Robertshaw returns a pair of all-conference selections from last season and three all-rookie honorees, including the 2007 Rookie of the Year, Traci Landy.
The Wildcats (7-10, 4-2) earned the No. 3 seed for the 2007 conference tournament after being chosen first in the Coaches’ Poll. Twelfth-year head coach Sandy Bridgeman will be led by first-team all-conference selections Bailley Mazur and Sarah Von Bargen, who led UNH with 29 goals last season.
Stony Brook (13-4, 5-1) earned a share of the regular-season crown last season by scoring a league-best 344 goals. Last season’s America East Coach of the Year, Allison Comito, has a powerful attack led by 2007 Player of the Year Kaitlin Leggio. Leggio led the conference with 4.18 points per game on 36 goals and 35 assists in 2007.
Albany (8-9, 3-3) reached the America East Championship title game for the first time in 2007. The Great Danes upset top-seeded Stony Brook, 10-7, on May 4. Second-team and all-rookie selection Kayla Best will pace third-year head coach Lindsey Hart’s squad.
UMBC (7-10, 2-4) hopes to play like it did in 2006 when the Retrievers grabbed of their first-ever regular-season conference and head coach Courtney Connor was named Coach of the Year. Maggie Chizmar, a first-team all-league choice last season, will lead UMBC defensively, while second-team selection Ali Landusky will pace the offense.
Vermont (5-12, 2-4) looks to continue to grow in 2007 as Jen Johnson’s squad will return all but four players from last year’s roster. Kristen Millar earned first-team all-conference honors and was an all-region selection after ranking second in America East with 45 goals.
Binghamton (1-14, 0-6) is one of the youngest teams in America East with 16 underclassmen. First-year head coach Tony Zostant comes to Binghamton from St. Bonaventure, where he was twice named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year.
The America East Championship will be held April 25 and 27 with all rounds played at the No. 1 seed.
For more information on America East women’s lacrosse log on to the conference’s official website www.AmericaEast.com.