Over the first 25 years of the 21st century the America East has thrived. The league has four national championships to its name, along with a multitude of NCAA victories and memorable conference championship moments. To celebrate the America East’s success, the league compiled a list of the top 25 moments from the past 25 years. These moments range from the spring of 2001 to the fall of 2025, featuring a variety of sports and schools.
The league will release five moments a day, in no particular order, beginning on Dec. 23 and continuing on Dec. 24, 26, 29 and Dec. 30. Descriptions of the events and links to rewatch the moments will be added below each day.
December 24
New Hampshire’s Elle Purrier Wins 1-Mile in 2018 Indoor Track & Field Championship
- Ellie Purrier took home the national championship in the 1-mile race at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, winning by less than a tenth of a second.
- The top seed in the event, Purrier held off a late push from Colorado’s Dani Jones to capture her first and only NCAA National Title. Purrier finished in the top-five at the NCAA Championships five different times in her career.
- Purrier went on to represent the United States in the Olympics in 2020 and 2024, while also claiming gold in the 3K at the 2024 World Indoor Championship. Her time of 8:20.87 is currently the American Record
Stony Brook Baseball Reaches 2012 College World Series
- The Seawolves went on one of the most impressive runs in college baseball history, capped off by taking two straight games from baseball powerhouse LSU in Baton Rouge to advance to the league’s first College World Series.
- Stony Brook, beat No. 1 Miami in its first NCAA Regional game but was forced to come out of the losers bracket in the regional final, taking down UCF twice, 12-5 & 10-6. In the Super Regionals against host LSU, the Seawolves dropped the opener 5-4 in 12 innings, but rebounded to capture the final two games 3-1 and 7-2 to complete the improbably comeback.
- In the College World Series, they fell to No. 2 UCLA and then No. 3 Florida State to finish the year with an America East 52-15 record. Head coach Matt Senk was named NCBWA National Coach of the Year while was Travis Jankowski named ABCA/Rawlings National Co-Player of the Year.
Lyle & Miles Thompson of UAlbany Men’s Lacrosse Win Tewaaraton Award in 2014
- Brothers Lyle and Miles Thompson became the first co-winners of the Tewaaraton Award and also the first Native Americans to take home Lacrosse’s highest Player of the Year honor.
- The duo led UAlbany to a 12-6 overall record, with four of those goals by a single goal, including a 14-13 defeat to national runner-up Notre Dame in the Semifinals.
- Lyle ranked No. 1 in the nation in points with 128 (51g, 77a), while Miles was second in the nation with 119 points (82g, 37a). Lyle’s 128 points are still the most ever in a single season in NCAA history, while Miles’ 82 goals are tied for the most in a single season in NCAA history.
Vermont Men’s Basketball Beats Syracuse in 2005 NCAA First Round
- Vermont men’s basketball captured its first NCAA Tournament victory with a dramatic 60-57 overtime victory against Syracuse in the NCAA First Round, the league’s first MBB NCAA victory since 1996.
- The Catamounts got 20 points, five assists, 4 steals and nine rebounds from Germain Mopa Njila, while TJ Sorrentine hit a back-breaking three in overtime to put the game out of reach.
- Vermont fell to Michigan State 72-61 in the Second Round finishing the year 25-7. The Catamounts had reached the NCAA Tournament with a 76-65 win over Binghamton in the conference championship. The Michigan State loss marked the final games for TJ Sorrentine and Taylor Coppenrath.
UMBC’s Emily Escobedo Takes Third in 2017 NCAA Swim & Dive Championship
- The best swimmer in league history, Emily Escobedo put it all together in the 2017 NCAA Championship, taking third in the 200 breaststroke for First-Team All-America honors.
- Escobedo’s time of 2:05.20 was the eighth-fastest in the history of the event at the time of the swim. She also took 9th in the 100 breast (58.48) and 11th in the 200 IM (1:55.13) to earn Second-Team All-America honors in both events, Her total of 30 points was good enough for UMBC to place 24th in the nation with just her point total.
- Escobedo was named the league’s Most Outstanding Swimmer of the champion meet all four years she competed and eventually went on to compete in the 2021 Olympic Trials, taking 3rd in the 200 breast, and then won gold in the 2021 FINA Short Course Swimming World Championships.
December 23
UMBC Men’s Basketball Shocks No. 1 Virginia in 2018 NCAA Tournament
- UMBC became the first No. 16 Seed to beat a No. 1 Seed in the Men’s Basketball NCAA Tournament, stunning top overall seed Virginia with a dominant 74-54 victory.
- The Retrievers, fresh off a last second victory in the America East Championship over Vermont, were tied with Virginia 21-21 at the half, but hit seven threes in the second half and outscored Viriginia 53-33 oven the final 20 minutes to blow open a close contest.
- Jairus Lyles led four players in double figures with 28 points while Arkel Lamar added 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Retrievers fell to Kansas St. in the Second Round 50-43, but were down by just one point with six minutes left in regulation.
Binghamton’s Rory Quiller Claims Pole Vault Title at 2008 Indoor Track & Field Championship
- Quiller gave Binghamton its first-ever national champion as a Division I school as he cleared the bar on his final attempt at 18-feet, one half inch to claim the title.
- The victory marked a dominant run for Quiller who finished as a three-time America East champion in the event and still owns the America East indoor pole vault record at 17’8.75”.
- Quiller was a three-time All-American with second and fourth place finishes at the NCAA Championships, in addition to his title. He was honored on campus on the 15th anniversary of his national championship.
UAlbany Field Hockey Reached 2014 Final Four
- The Great Danes took down No. 5 Wake Forest 2-1 and then No. 2 Maryland 2-1 to reach the program’s first National Semifinal, led by National Player of the Year Paula Heuser.
- Playing at Maryland, UAlbany grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opening half and then extended their lead to 2-0 early in the second. The Terapins scored with seven minutes left, but couldn't tally the equalize The Great Danes fell to defending national champion UConn 1-0 in the semifinals.
- UAlbany finished the year with a 20-3 record as Heuser led the nation in both goals (29) and points (69). The four-time All-American led the Great Danes to three conference titles in her career.
AE Women’s Basketball Makes Waves in 2010 NCAA Tournament
- Vermont earned a #10 Seed in the NCAA Tournament after taking down Hartford in the conference championship, but the Hawks secured an at-large bid as a No. 10 Seed after finishing the regular season ranked 21st nationally in the AP poll.
- The Catamounts earned their first NCAA victory with a 64-55 win over No. 7 Wisconsin in the First Round, led by 25 points from Courtney Pilypaitis. UVM fell to No. 2 Notre Dame in the Second Round as they finished their season with a 27-7 record.
- Hartford lost to No. 7 LSU in the First Round, finishing 27-5 overall after a 16-0 mark in conference play during the regular season. The Hawks concluded the year with an RPI of 34 while Vermont owned an RPI of 38.
Towson Men’s Lacrosse Reaches 2001 Championship Weekend
- The Tigers became the first America East team to reach championship weekend by taking down Duke and Maryland on the road, before being tripped up by eventual champion Princeton in the semifinals 12-11.
- Towson earned the No. 6 seed in the 12-team tournament and after beating Duke 12-10 the Tigers edged Maryland 12-11 by scoring twice in the final minute of regulation. Facing a Princeton team looking for its sixth title in a decade, Towson kept it close but couldn’t net the equalizer in the last four minutes, falling 12-11.
- Head Coach Tony Seaman was named the National Coach of the Year after leading his charges to a 14-4 overall record while Dan Cocchi earned Second Team All-America honors.
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.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -