BOSTON – It was another impressive year for the America East as we crowned 18 conference champions and recorded multiple NCAA Tournament victories over the course of 2023. Below are some of the top moments and performances we captured on social media this year!
America East Men’s Soccer Sends Three to NCAA Tournament
For the first time in conference history, the America East had three men’s soccer programs qualify for the NCAA Tournament. #AEMSOC Champion Bryant made its first appearance while Vermont and New Hampshire earned at large bids. Both the Catamounts and Wildcats advanced to the Round of 16 and finished the year ranked in the top-15 nationally, thanks to second round victories over #12 UCF and defending national champion Syracuse!
Bryant Men’s Basketball Takes Down #10 FAU
The Bulldogs earned their first win over a top-10 team in program history and the first for an America East school since March 2018 with a 61-52 victory over Florida Atlantic. Bryant led nearly the entire second half and stretched its lead as high as 12 in the final ten minutes before finishing with win against FAU. Earl Timberlake and Sherif Gross-Bullock both had double-doubles in the contest.
UVM Men's Basketball Scores 6 points in Under 1.0 Second to Beat Yale
The Catamounts pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks in school history, scoring six points in the final second of the game to come back from a 65-60 deficit and stun Yale. Aaron Deloney connected on a layup with 0.6 seconds left and after UVM drew an offensive foul, Deloney found TJ Long for a game-tying three while being fouled. Long made the ensuing FT for the 66-65 win.
Maine Women’s Soccer Wins First #AEWSOC Title
Second seeded Maine secured the first conference title in program history with a 3-2 victory over UMass Lowell at home. The game went to overtime after UMass Lowell came back from a 2-0 deficit, but Lara Kirkby provided the game-winner in 2OT!
UAlbany Women’s Lacrosse Beats #12 Virginia in NCAA First Round
The Great Danes trailed #12 Virginia 10-3 in the third quarter of their NCAA Tournament First Round contest, but had a comeback for the ages. UAlbany scored 13 goals in the last 25 minutes of the content to win their first NCAA contest since 2011. Sarah Falk finished with a team-high seven goals, all in the second half, while Grace Cincebox had seven saves to lead the team to victory.
#AEBASE Claims multiple #SCTop10 Plays
Vermont Sweeps Men’s and Women’s #AEHoops Titles at Home
UVM became the first school since UAlbany in 2015 to sweep the men’s and women’s basketball championships in 2023. The women started the winning for the Catamounts on Friday evening with a dramatic 38-36 victory over UAlbany which came down to the final buzzer for the program’s first title since 2010. The men followed it up by outscoring UMass Lowell by 17 points in the second half to secure a 72-59 victory for its fifth title in the past seven seasons.
UMass Lowell Women’s Track & Field Wins Indoor Title by 0.5 Points
It came down to the final heat of the final event, but UMass Lowell held off nine-time reigning champion UAlbany 196.5-196 to capture the program’s first-ever conference championship at the Track at New Balance. In the 4x400 relay, UAlbany won the event, but the River Hawks finished fourth, just ahead of fifth place UMBC to claim the title by half a point.
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