BOSTON – It was a banner year in 2024 for the America East. The conference claimed its first-ever national championship, had numerous alumni compete in the 2024 Olympics, multiple programs won their first-ever America East Championship, and a number of programs took down Power 4 programs.
 
Below some of the best moments from throughout the year in no particular order as we look toward another outstanding year in 2025.

Woke up as National Champions!

pic.twitter.com/mne45E91Sd

— America East (@AmericaEast) December 17, 2024

 
Catamounts Win Men’s Soccer National Championship

• Vermont men’s soccer claimed the America East’s first National Championship with a 2-1 overtime victory against No. 13 Marshall.
• The top ranked Catamounts took down No. 7 Hofstra, No. 3 Denver and No. 2 Pitt to reach the title game in what many outlets called the sports story of the year.
• In the week following the game, Sydney Wathuta and Max Murray were drafted in the first round of the MLS daft.

 
America East Represented Well in Paris

• Six former America East student-athletes and one incoming freshman competed in Paris this summer, five raced in the Olympics and Noelle Lambert competed in the Paralympics.
• Elle Purrier St. Pierre (New Hampshire), Emily Mackay (Binghamton), Grace Claxton (UAlbany), India Pagan (Stony Brook), Natalia Kuipers (Bryant) and Illias El Fallaki (NJIT) all competed at the Olympics.
• St. Pierre advanced to the finals of the 1500 and finished eighth overall while Mackay reached the semifinals in the 1500.

 
UMass Lowell Men’s Cross Country Dynasty Reigns

•  The River Hawks won their fifth straight cross country championship in 2024 as all seven of their runners finished in the top 16. It is the longest active men’s championship streak in the America East.
• UMass Lowell also claimed its second straight men’s outdoor track & field championship back in May.

 
Vermont Women’s Basketball is FABulous

• UVM women’s basketball fell in the #AEHoops championship but advanced all the way to the Fab 4 of the WNIT. It’s the furthest any women’s basketball program has advanced in a postseason tournament.
• The Catamounts took down Purdue 67-59 on the road in the Great 8 to advance to the Fab 4, where they lost to eventual champion Saint Louis by just three points.

 
America East Unveils New Brand Identity

• This past March the America East unveiled its new brand identity. The revamped look centered around a dynamic and powerful primary mark that accentuated the conference’s name as well as a compelling narrative built on the core values of unity, toughness and unyielding resolve. Where Champions Rise.

 
Binghamton Women’s Lacrosse Claims First #AEWLAX Championship

• The Bearcats earned a share of the 2024 #AEWLAX Regular Season title and then upended top seed UAlbany 12-11 after falling behind 8-4. It was the first championship for the program.

 
Black Bears Go Back-To-Back

• Maine women’s soccer secured the program’s first-ever regular season championship in 2024 and then won their second straight tournament title with an impressive 3-0 victory over New Hampshire.

 
Bryant Baseball Secures First Title

• Bryant baseball won its first-ever #AEBASE Regular Season Championship and then followed it up with the Bulldogs’ first Tournament Championship at Binghamton, 15-10 over UMBC.

 
UAlbany Sweeps Indoor Track & Field Championship

• For the first time since 2020, the Great Danes made it a sweep at the Indoor Track and Field Championship. The men edged UMass Lowell 165-144.5 while the women flew past Binghamton 191-134.
• Women’s track and field made it a sweep for the year with its 15^th straight outdoor title in May, the longest active streak of consecutive championships.

 
Vermont Men’s Basketball Earns Share of 8^th Straight Regular Season Title

• The Catamounts earned at least a share of their eighth straight #AEHoops championship in 2024. Vermont then took down UMass Lowell 66-61 for their third consecutive tournament championship.

 
New Hampshire Has Fall to Remember

• The Wildcats took home a pair of championships this fall, in women’s cross country and volleyball. They also totaled a league-record 169 points in the Commissioner’s Cup standings for the fall.
• UNH won cross country for the first time since 2019 as four runners place in the top-10.
• Wildcats Volleyball entered the #AEVB Tournament as the No. 2 seed and took down No. 4 UAlbany 3-1 for their first championship since 2018.

 
Woman of the Year Morgan Petty Leads UAlbany to Softball Title

• Morgan Petty capped off an illustrious softball career with UAlbany’s first softball title since 2018, as the Great Danes shut out UMass Lowell 4-0.
• Petty followed the performance up by being named the America East Woman of the Year in June.

Maine’s Man of the Year, Connor Goodman

• Connor Goodman became the first baseball player to be named America East Man of the Year in June. Goodman is just the second male Black Bear student-athlete to win the award.

 
Catamount First-Time Champions

• Vermont Swimming & Diving claimed the program’s first-ever championship this past February, edging New Hampshire 683-671.
• UVM Field Hockey came through for its first league title as the No. 4 seed this November. The Catamounts beat No. 1 UAlbany in the semifinals and then No. 2 New Hampshire 3-2 for the Championship.

 
UAlbany Men’s Lacrosse is Back!

• The Great Danes claimed their first #AEMLAX Championship since 2018 with a 12-11 victory over Vermont at home.
• UAlbany then went on to earn an NCAA First Round victory, thanks in part to the National Defensive Player of the Year, Jake Piseno.

 
Bearcats Take Home Men’s Swimming & Diving Championship

• Binghamton secured its second #AESD Championship in the past four seasons with a dominant effort in the pool. The Bearcats took down two-time defending champion UMBC with 795.5 total points.

 
Maine Women’s Basketball Back on Top

• The Black Bears won their 10^th #AEHoops Championship, but first since 2019 with a 64-48 victory over Vermont at home back in March. Two-Time Player of the Year Anne Simon was named MOP to cap off an impressive career. 

ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.