BOSTON – In a tight race with just nine points separating the top four teams, Stony Brook was tabbed the 2021 America East men’s lacrosse preseason favorite as the league’s preseason coaches’ poll was unveiled Tuesday.
Stony Brook, winner of the 2019 #AEMLAX regular-season title, four of a possible seven first-place votes and 44 points. UAlbany finished just one point behind, earning two first-place tallies and 43 points. UMBC, the 2019 #AEMLAX champion, received the final two first-place votes and 38 points.
Here is the full poll:
2021 America East Men’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll
No. School Points (1st Place Votes)
1. Stony Brook 44 (4)
2. UAlbany 43 (2)
3. UMBC 38 (2)
4. Vermont 35
5. UMass Lowell 23
6. Hartford 20
7. Binghamton 14
8. NJIT 7
Preseason All-American Tommy Lingner (UMBC) headlines the top returnees in the conference along with 2019 #AEMLAX Offensive Player of the Year Jakob Patterson (UAlbany) and past All-Conference choices Tom Haun (Stony Brook) and Chris Pickel, Jr. (Stony Brook).
The Seawolves will be the first team in action as they kick off their season this Sunday, Feb. 14 against Sacred Heart. Conference play begins on March 6 as teams are scheduled to play a total of nine league games, including contests against each opponent once and two twice. Due to COVID-19 schedules are subject to change. Full 2021 #AEMLAX Schedule
The top four teams in the conference standings will qualify for the America East Men’s Lacrosse Championship, which will be held at tournament's No. 1 seed. The semifinals take place on May 6 and the championship tilt on May 8. The winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, where #AEMLAX teams have combined to win 14 games all time, including UAlbany advancing to Championship Weekend in 2018.
Fans will once again be able to watch the majority of #AEMLAX this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the brand new America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
Follow the @AEDigitalNet Twitter account to stay up-to-date on America East women’s lacrosse news all season long and use #AEMLAX to join the conversation.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
– #3Pillars – Building the Complete Student-Athlete –