BOSTON - The three-time reigning champion Stony Brook Seawolves are the unanimous favorites to take home the America East women's lacrosse title again according to the 2016 preseason coaches' poll. The Seawolves received all six possible first-place votes and 36 points in a vote of the league’s seven head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own team.
The University at Albany, which lost to Stony Brook in the 2015 America East title game, was picked second with 31 points, UMBC came in third with 23 points, followed by Vermont in fourth with 22 points. New Hampshire (18) and Binghamton (11) came in fifth and sixth, respectively. UMass Lowell, which is in its second season as a program, rounded out the poll in seventh.
1. Stony Brook Seawolves (18-2, 6-0 AE)
- Won three-straight America East regular-season and tournament titles.
- Advanced to the NCAA second round in each of the past three seasons, including hosting Princeton last year.
- Ranked 4th in the Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Poll and 8th in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Poll
- Return six of their eight double-digit scorers from last year, including three student-athletes highlighted as Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-Americans (Courtney Murphy, Kylie Ohlmiller and Dorrien Van Dyke).
- Open the season Feb. 28 vs. at Bryant.
2. Albany Great Danes (14-5, 5-1 AE)
- Picked second after advancing to its fifth-straight America East title game in 2015.
- Received the program's first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA tournament in 2015.
- Went a perfect 9-0 at home in 2014 including a win over then-No. 20 UMass.
- Averaged a league-best 14.21 goals per game last season, led by Alie Jimerson who totaled 58 points on the season.
- Open the season Feb. 27 against Cornell.
3. UMBC Retrievers (8-9, 3-3 AE)
- Returned to the America East Championship for the first time since 2012 last year after finishing fourth.
- Return four of their top point scorers from 2015 including Sam Nolan and Jennie Milligan, who combined for 70 points.
- Start the season at Towson on Feb. 17.
4. Vermont Catamounts (11-7, 4-2 AE)
- Reached the America East tournament for the third-straight season.
- Return five of their six top scorers from last season.
- All-Conference selections Vanessa VanderZalm, Courtney Cole and Elena McWright will be joined by 14 newcomers.
- Vermont starts the season on Feb. 13 vs. Bryant. The Catamounts play three-straight home games to open their schedule.
5. New Hampshire Wildcats (6-10, 2-4 AE)
- Fourth-year head coach Sarah Albrecht returns leading scorer Laura McHoul who finished with 57 points for the Wildcats in 2015.
- UNH looks to return to the America East tournament after missing in 2014 with a fifth-place finish.
- Start the season at home vs. Hofstra on Feb. 13.
6. Binghamton Bearcats (6-11, 1-5 AE)
- Picked sixth and will look to qualify for the America East tournament for the first time in program history.
- Start the season Feb. 14 at Syracuse.
- The Bearcats return All-Conference selection, Allie Rodgers, and All-Rookie pick Tiffany Ryan.
7. UMass Lowell River Hawks(0-17, 0-6 AE)
- The River Hawks enter their 2nd season as a program and look to notch their first victory.
- Head coach Carissa Medeiros brings back 16 veterans while adding 14 freshmen to the roster.
- UMass Lowell opens the season at Dartmouth on Feb. 20.
| Rank |
Team (1st-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Stony Brook (6) |
36 |
| 2 |
Albany (1) |
31 |
| 3 |
UMBC |
23 |
| 4 |
Vermont |
22 |
| 5 |
New Hampshire |
18 |
| 6 |
Binghamton |
11 |
| 7 |
UMass Lowell |
6 |