Albany, Stony Brook, Vermont and Hartford will play for the 2016 America East men’s lacrosse title as the four teams will head to Albany for next week’s conference championship. The tournament field and bracket were finalized Saturday as Vermont and Hartford earned the final two berths while Albany captured its fourth-straight outright regular-season title.
The championship, which will feature two of the nation’s top-15 teams and three Tewaaraton Award nominees, will be held at Albany's Casey Stadium for the second-straight year. Semifinal action takes place on Thursday, May 5 with #2 Stony Brook, the 15th-ranked team in the country, facing #3 Vermont in the first semifinal at 4:30 p.m. followed by #1 Albany, the 5th-ranked team in both polls, battling #4 Hartford at 7:00 p.m. in the nightcap.
The two winners will face off for the league title on Saturday, May 7 at 10 a.m. with the winner earning a trip the NCAA Tournament, where America East teams have won five games in the past nine seasons.
#1 Albany (12-2, 6-0 AE)
- Locked up the America East regular-season title outright with a 15-14 overtime win at UMBC Saturday.
- Seeded first for the fourth-consecutive year and seventh time overall.
- First team to go unbeaten in conference play in four consecutive seasons
- Won 28 straight games against America East opponents.
- Ranked 5th in both national polls.
- Have a pair of Tewaaraton Award nominees in Connor Fields and Blaze Riorden.
- Seeking fourth-straight America East title and eighth all time.
#2 Stony Brook (12-3, 5-1 AE)
- Earned the No. 2 seed with a 16-8 win over Hartford Saturday.
- Seeded second for the second year in a row.
- Totaled 25 wins in the last two seasons.
- Ranked 15th in both national polls.
- Led by Tewaaraton nominee Challen Rogers, who ranks among league leaders with 56 points on 20 goals and 36 assists.
- Seeking first championship since 2012 and fourth in school history.
#3 Vermont (8-7, 4-2 AE)
- Qualified for the tournament via Hartford's 16-8 loss Saturday and earned the No. 3 seed with a 17-9 win over Binghamton.
- Making consecutive tournament appearances for the first time in program history.
- The four conference wins and No. 3 seed match their bests in program history.
- Vermont’s eight total wins are its most since 2001.
- Aiming for first conference title game appearance and first league crown.
#4 Hartford (9-6, 3-3 AE)
- Reached the tournament by virtue of Vermont's win over Binghamton Saturday.
- Making its fifth tournament appearance in the last six years.
- The nine wins are Hartford’s most since 2011.
- Enter the tournament having won five of its last six games.
- Won its lone league title in 2011.
High-definition video streams of the semifinals will air for free on AmericaEast.TV Thursday while the championship game will air on ESPNU on Saturday. For all the latest information on the America East Men’s Lacrosse Championship, including to purchase tickets, visit Championship Central.
2016 America East Men’s Lacrosse Championship
at Albany’s Casey Stadium
Semifinals – Thursday, May 5
#2 Stony Brook vs. #3 Vermont, 4:30 p.m. (AmericaEast.TV)
#1 Albany vs. #4 Hartford, 7:00 p.m. (AmericaEast.TV)
Final – Saturday, May 7
Semifinal Winners, 10 a.m. (ESPNU)
