America East's top three men's lacrosse teams from last season are ranked among the country's Top 25 teams for 2010, according to 32 of 60 Division I head coaches, who were surveyed for the the 2010 Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook Preseason Coaches Poll.
UMBC, the league's reigning champion, was tabbed 12th, while University at Albany came in 19th and Stony Brook University was tabbed 23rd. Additionally, five players from the three squads were tabbed preseason All-Americans by the organization.
The Retrievers, winners of 24 games and a pair of conference titles over the last two years, will rely on two preseason All-America choices in 2009 in seniors Kyle Wimer and Bobby Atwell. Wimer, a first-team choice, also earned first-team All-America East honors as a midfielder with 24 goals and 18 assists last year. Atwell, a second-team defender in 2008, missed last season due to injury and will try to lead UMBC to its fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Albany returns six starters from last year's squad that went 7-7, including Brian Caufield, a third-team preseason All-America choice. The junior earned first-team all-conference honors in 2009 and was an honorable mention All-American after racking up 24 goals and 27 assists last season. The Great Danes also welcome back another first-team all-league attack, Joe Resetarits, who had 34 scores last year.
Stony Brook reached its first America East title game since 2004 a year ago and welcomes back all but one starter from that squad. Preseason All-Americans Kevin Crowley and Jordan McBride, both first-team all-league choices last year, were key reasons why the Seawolves ranked among the nation's most potent offenses with 11.2 goals per game. Crowley, a second-team choice, was among the nation's top scoring midfielders with 51 points, while McBride, an honorable mention selection was second nationally with 42 goals.
The 2010 season gets underway Feb. 10, 2010 with all six America East squads in action. Conference play will start on April 3, while the America East Championship will be held the week of May 3.