CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — America East Conference and CBS College Sports Network jointly announced today that the national network will broadcast a pair of the conference’s men’s lacrosse games this season, including the Stony Brook-UMBC regular-season matchup on April 1 and the title game of the America East Championship on May 7. It will be the first time in the league’s history that the men’s lacrosse championship game is televised.
Stony Brook’s La Valle Stadium will be the backdrop when the 15th-ranked Seawolves and Retrievers square off on CBS College Sports Network on Friday, April 1 at 7:00 PM, ET The two teams have combined to win the last three America East titles and two NCAA contests since 2007.
The America East Championship title game, taking place on Saturday, May 7 at the site of the highest remaining seed, will air on the network at 3:00 PM, ET. The winner of that contest will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship, where three different America East programs have won games since 2007.
“We are thrilled that CBS College Sports Network has given us the platform to showcase our top-flight men’s lacrosse programs nationally,” said America East Commissioner Patrick Nero. “With all of our teams competitive this season, the league portion of the schedule and conference tournament promise to offer an exciting brand of lacrosse that will captivate a national audience.”
Of the six Division I conferences that receive an NCAA automatic qualifier (America East, CAA, ECAC, Ivy, MAAC, Patriot) to the Men’s Lacrosse Championship, America East is the only one to have three different programs reach the NCAA quarterfinal round within the last four years. Albany and UMBC won first-round contests, over Loyola and Maryland, respectively, in 2007. The Great Danes came within one goal of the Final Four that year, falling to top-ranked Cornell, 12-11 in overtime, in the quarterfinal round. Last season, Stony Brook downed Denver in the first round and like Albany in 2007, fell just short of the Final Four. The Seawolves were edged by top-ranked Virginia, 10-9, in the quarters.
Into its third decade of operation, America East has evolved into one of the most comprehensive NCAA Division I conferences with a commitment to broad-based, competitive athletics programs, complementing the academic integrity and missions of the member institutions. Progressive in its approach to its more than 3,400 student-athletes, America East recognizes champions in each of its 20 sports and also conducts the nation’s most comprehensive academic recognition program for student-athletes. With a geographic footprint covering the Mid-Atlantic to Northeast regions of the United States, America East strives to develop champions in academics, athletics and leadership at its nine member institutions: University at Albany, Binghamton University, Boston University, University of Hartford, University of Maine, UMBC, University of New Hampshire, Stony Brook University and University of Vermont.
CBS College Sports Network, which will officially become CBS Sports Network on April 4, is the original 24-hour cable network dedicated to covering college sports. The Network features over 15 men’s and women’s college sports, while providing compelling coverage of over 250 live events each season, in addition to a variety of live studio shows and award-winning original programming. CBS College Sports Network is widely available across the country through local cable and video providers and nationally via DirecTV channel 613 and Dish Network Channel 152. For more information, go to www.cbscollegesports.com.