AEC Rewind: A Busy Weekend in the America East

Most weekends are busy here at the America East, but this particular weekend had action all over the country as another NCAA bid was handed out and four other teams got to play on the biggest stage in college sports. It's hard to believe that only one more America East champion will be crowned in 2012, but we've reached that time of year. Let's take a quick look back at action in softball, tennis, lacrosse, and track & field from the weekend.

Softball

A look at the forecast from a few days out put the threat of rain in everyone's mind. But thankfully, we were able to get every game in with only a 40 minute delay in game one of the championship on Saturday. The Stony Brook Seawolves were able to take advantage of that good weather and win their second America East Championship. They also became the first team since Hofstra in 1999 to come back and win four straight in the double elimination format after losing game one. 

The Seawolves bookend their weekend in Vestal with matchups against Albany. In game one, Brittany MacFawn and Albany shut the Stony Brook bats down. But on day two Stony Brook and Allison Cukrov ripped off two wins against Hartford and Binghamton to earn a rematch with Albany on Saturday. The only catch was that the Seawolves had to win twice. Of course it's not an easy task ever, but beating the America East Pitcher of the Year in two consecutive games would be a huge challenge. Cukrov and Shayla Giosia put the team on their respective backs and Stony Brook won it all. Check out the highlights from the championship game(s) here and here.

Women's Lacrosse

It was also a busy weekend for the Seawolves. As the softball team was busy completing the upset in Binghamton, the women's lax team was in Maryland for the first round of the NCAA tournament. The first round game pitted Stony Brook against Towson and it was a hard fought game. Goalkeeper Frankie Caridi held the lead for Stony Brook, making seven saves as her team went on to win 8-6. The Seawolves became just the third America East team to win an NCAA game and they also earned the right to face No. 1 seed Maryland on Sunday.

Though the Terps got the win in the second round, Stony Brook's season was one of the best in conference history and certainly deserves praise. Three of the players, Demmianne Cook, Claire Petersen and Janine Hillier, also took part in an awesome Google+ hangout that you should take a look at.

Men's Lacrosse

This Albany team had a high-scoring offense and a trio of Thompsons that made it fun to watch all season long. Lyle, Miles and Ty Thompson combined for 14 points in the final game of the season, a 19-14 defeat at the hands of Denver. The way the whole team played, not just the Thompsons, embodied a season that was truly great. Lyle is a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award (the Heisman Trophy of college lacrosse) as well. And another awesome thing? Lyle, Miles and Ty also did a Google+ hangout with us that you can check out here.

Linked Up

From over the weekend, Howie the Hawk goes over the edge for the Special Olympics.

Demmianne Cook and Janine Hillier are headed to the North-South All-Star Game.

Stony Brook pitcher Frankie Vanderka was featured in this New York Post article.

Women's lax player Kristen Bilney was named the UMBC Athlete of the Month.

Maine athletics named its 2013 Hall of Fame class.

Record Breakers: Track & Field

Mercedes Jackson winning the women's 200m dash.

We loved all the action at the lacrosse championships over the weekend, but there was also some must see action going down at the East Gym Track Complex at Binghamton University. In particular, two athletes stood out for their unbelievable performances at the 2013 Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Many of you have probably heard that Albany swept both the men's and women's team competitions (for the fifth straight year), but you might not know about the work of Alexander Bowen and Mercedes Jackson. Below, we'll tell you all about the sophomore duo that rewrote the America East record books over the weekend.

Alexander Bowen, Albany

If you didn't know his name after his outstanding freshman year, you probably heard about him breaking the conference indoor high jump record this February. If you still haven't heard about him...well you're hearing about him now. The meet nearly came to a stop on Sunday at Binghamton, as Bowen took his mark in front of the bar and began his approach. His first jump won the competition. His next attempt would be for the America East record. When he made that jump, the whole crowd had turned their attention to him.

With a calm demeanor and a slight smile, Bowen walked up to the official and told him the height he wanted the bar at for his next jump. "The bad news is that we don't have anyone tall enough to put the bar up that high," the official told Bowen with an even bigger smile. He would now have three tries at 7'3.25" inches, a height that would easily shatter the old record put him in the top 10 nationally. A crowd of athletes had gathered to watch him and one of the competitors whom Bowen had beaten in the high jump stopped by to talk strategy with him.

You can probably guess how this ended. Watch the record breaking jump below.




Mercedes Jackson, UMBC

Jackson burst onto the scene last spring in Orono, going stride for stride with another incredible sprinter, Boston U.'s Shelby Walton, in both the 100 and 200 meter dash events. Though Walton edged her in the 100, Jackson set a non-wind aided record in the 200 with a blistering time of 23.80. She went on to win Most Outstanding Rookie and then Most Outstanding Track Performer at the indoor championships this winter. But what she did over the weekend was her best act yet.

It's just one of those things at an America East track meet -- when Mercedes takes her place at the starting blocks, you stop what you're doing and watch. That's exactly what happened on Sunday in the finals, and she did not disappoint. The first moment came in the 100, where she pulled away from the field and clipped the old record of 11.69 seconds by .01 (you can watch that run below). Not more than two hours later, Jackson took her place at the start once more, this time for the 200 meters. And this time, Jackson destroyed her record from the previous spring by over two tenths of a second (a HUGE difference in track). In the picture at the top of the page, you see Jackson crossing the finish line with no one else in sight. No, that's not a photoshop job.



Linked Up

With the NCAA lacrosse tournament coming up, turn back the clock to 2010 when the Stony Brook men beat Denver in the first round and put two plays in the SportsCenter Top 10.

Another video, this time of the UMBC baseball shaving their heads for the Vs. Cancer Foundation.

Nominees have been announced for the America East 2013 Women of the Year Award!

Demmianne Cook of Stony Brook is on the Inside Lacrosse Women's Player of the Year watchlist at No. 9.

Getting to Know Your Postseason Opponents: Lacrosse

Albany is in the NCAA Tournament again.

Four more America East Champions were crowned this weekend as athletes and fans were treated to perfect weather both on Long Island for the lacrosse championships and in Vestal for the track & field championships. A championship weekend was capped last night for the Albany men and the Stony Brook women when they each found out where they'd be headed in the NCAA tournament. Let's take a few minutes today and breakdown those matchups.

Men's Lacrosse

No. 12 Albany at No. 4 Denver: Saturday, May 11 -- 7:30 p.m. EST (on ESPNU)

After winning twice this weekend at Stony Brook to claim the 2013 America East Championship, Albany rolls into the NCAA tournament with the belief that it can make a deep run. An at-large bid out of the ECAC, Denver will be the next opponent for the Great Danes. Here are some things you should know about the Pioneers:

•  12-4 record, 6-1 ECAC
• Key Wins
• at Duke (14-12)
• at Ohio St. (10-9)
• at Loyola (13-12)
• Top Players
• Eric Law -- 64 points (33 g, 31 a), 49.3 shooting percentage
• Wesley Berg -- 58 points (44 g, 14 a), 5 man up goals
• Cameron Flint -- 43 points (32 g, 11 a), 97 shots
• Chase Carraro -- 56.0 faceoff win percentage (116-207), 56 ground balls
• Ryan LaPlante -- 8-1 record, 9.57 GAA, 119 saves
• Denver does its best work in the middle two quarters, where it has outscored opponents 101-64, as opposed to 93-83 in the first and fourth quarters. The Pioneers are also strong in man-up situations, converting on 33.3 percent of those chances while holding their opponents to a 24.4 percent mark. They also have players who know how to create their own shot, as 87 of their goals on the year have been unassisted. Albany will have to play tight on defense and look to the Thompson Trio to come up big on offense.

Women's Lacrosse

No. 9 Stony Brook vs. Towson: Friday, May 10 -- 7 p.m. in College Park, Md.

Stony Brook won its first America East title yesterday after a dominant regular season. The Seawolves have been climbing in the polls all year and now sit in the top 10 as the postseason is set to begin. They know the hard work is just beginning though and if they beat their first round opponent, Towson, they'll have a date with the No. 1 overall seed in Maryland. Let's take a look at the matchup with Towson now:

• 10-8 Record, 6-1 CAA
• Top Players
• Ashleigh Rohrback -- 49 points (19 g, 30 a), 57.6 shooting percentage
• Rhiannon Coogle -- 46 points (41 g, 5 a), 88 shots, 13 free possession goals
• Paige Duncan -- 33 points (19 g, 14 a), 36 draw controls
• Katie Leech -- 41 draw controls, 28 ground balls
• Kelsea Donnelly -- 8.48 GAA, 1012:06 minutes, 120 saves, 45.6 save percentage
• Towson is a team that likes to start fast, having outscored its opponents 96-74 in the first period of play. Stony Brook is a high scoring offense, however, and will give the Tigers defense all it can handle. The Seawolves also come in allowing just 5.33 goals per game and match up well with Towson on paper. A team that's out to make a run in the tournament, Stony Brook will surely be on top of its game against Towson.

Linked Up

UMBC baseball raised over $1,500 for the Vs. Cancer Foundation.

Stony Brook women's lax coach Joe Spallina gave his thoughts on the the first round matchup with Towson to InsideLacrosse.com.

Make sure to check out the highlights from the Track & Field Championships this past weekend!

In case you missed it, Albany's Ty Thompson had the No. 3 play on the SportsCenter Top 10!

AEC Rewind: 4/29/13

The Stony Brook women after winning their
second straight America East tennis championship.

In the span of three days, the first conference champion of the 2013 spring sports season was crowned and two more championship fields were officially set. With three more trophies to be handed out by week's end, let's jump right into a quick recap from some of the America East action this weekend.

Tennis

With a pair of 4-0 victories of Hartford in the semis and UMBC in the finals, Binghamton won the America East tennis championship for the sixth straight season. Junior Ruben Haggai was named the tournament's MOP after winning both his singles matches and earning an important doubles win in the finals.

On the women's side, Stony Brook was impressive in winning its second conference title in a row. Ranked No. 115 in the ITA Women's National Singles Rankings, the Seawolves No. 1, Nini Lagvilava, looked dominant all weekend. Just a year removed from ending Boston U.'s streak of 18-straight championships, the Seawolves now have a streak of their own.

Head on over to Championship Central for a full recap and highlights from the final day.

Men's Lacrosse

There were some incredible tie breaker scenarios with just one weekend of men's lacrosse play remaining, but somehow everything shook out and we are all set to bring #OneGoal to Stony Brook and crown a champion. Here are the top four seeds:

No. 1: Albany

• Ranked No. 10 in the country
• Won seven of its last eight games
• Top scoring team in the country at 15.8 goals per game

No. 2 Hartford

• Beat Vermont 17-11 to lock up the No. 2 seed in the tournament
• Seeking second title in three years
• Third straight year as No. 2 seed

No. 3 UMBC

• Beat Binghamton 10-9 to clinch a playoff berth. Pat Young scored with 1:18 left to win it.
• Qualified for the championship every year (10) that it has been in the conference
• Will face Hartford at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday

No. 4 Stony Brook

• Lost to Albany this weekend, but beat Binghamton a week ago to clinch the tiebreaker.
• Will host the tournament at LaValle Stadium
• Have won three of the last four conference titles

Women's Lacrosse

The women had some interesting tiebreakers of their own heading into this weekend, with every game carrying huge championship implications. With Stony Brook carrying the top seed, the women will also be headed to Stony Brook for their championship.

No. 1 Stony Brook

• No. 7 team in the country
• Won first outright America East championship
• Own the nation's top scoring offense and defense

No. 2 Albany

• Have won back-to-back America East championships
• Won as a No. 4 seed in 2012
• Rachel Burek is second in the nation with 3.62 assists per game

No. 3 New Hampshire

• Beat UMBC to clinch playoff berth this weekend
• Erased a 5-1 deficit in the second half to win 6-5
• Kayleigh Hinkle scored the game winning goal with 33 second remaining

No. 4 Vermont

• Earned playoff bid in a tiebreak with UMBC
• Catamounts win over New Hampshire earlier in the season sent them to the playoffs
• First America East Championship since 2009

Linked Up

Check out Stony Brook's projected matchup in the latest women's lacrosse bracketology!

Hear from UNH women's lacrosse player Kathleen O'Keefe in the latest episode of 'Cat Chats.

If you're planning on heading to Stony Brook for the men's and women's lacrosse championships this weekend, here's all the information!

Gatorade coolers, championships, mischievous student-athletes and an unsuspecting coach? That sounds like the perfect recipe for an awesome America East .GIF. Check it out.

Hartford and women's basketball coach Jen Rizzotti have agreed to a contract extension that will keep the former UConn standout at the helm through 2018.

Daily Word: Spring Championships Begin

The scene for the 2013 America East Tennis Championships.

After making the eight and a half hour drive from Cambridge down to Baltimore yesterday, today we come to you live from the campus of UMBC and the America East Tennis Championships. The weather calls for clear skies and warm temperatures, a recipe for a great weekend. We couldn't be more excited that championship season is here again and by the time Sunday is over, we will have crowned the first America East Champion of the spring season. Let's give a quick rundown of what to look for this weekend on the courts before we get into some usual Friday material.

Tennis Championships

Men

Seeds: No. 1 Binghamton, No. 2 UMBC, No. 3 Stony Brook, No. 4 Hartford

Men's championship play will kick off on Friday morning with UMBC and Stony Brook facing off at 12:30. After a run to the finals last year, the Retrievers will look to get back to the championship behind the play of freshman No. 1 Justin Carter. In the other semifinal, Binghamton looks to continues its streak and win a sixth straight title. They also have a strong No. 1 in freshman Sid Hazarika. The Bearcats will begin that title defense today at 3:30. On Sunday at 11 a.m., today's winners will face off in the America East Championship.

Women

Seeds: No. 1 Stony Brook, No. 2 Albany, No. 3 UMBC, No. 4 Binghamton, No. 5 Hartford

Just one women's match is on the slate for today, as Binghamton and Hartford will play in the first round for the chance to meet top seed Stony Brook in the semifinals. The Seawolves are just a year removed from becoming the lowest seed to ever win the America East women's championship, knocking of 18-time defending champion Boston U. along the way. They will be led again by senior No. 1 Nini Lagvilava. Albany comes in looking to make some noise led by a Rocio Lopez Alberca and Irene Santos-Bravo, both from Madrid, Spain. The women's championship will be played on Sunday at 2 p.m.

The Home Stretch

The playoff race in both men's and women's lacrosse is tight and spots are up for grabs on both sides. Let's take a quick look at the facts before things get under way this weekend.

Men's Lacrosse

Saturday Schedule: Albany at Stony Brook (7 p.m.), Binghamton at UMBC (3:30 p.m.), Hartford at Vermont (1 p.m.)

With Albany as the only team that has clinched a spot in the championship, every one of these games has playoff implications. Stony Brook, Hartford and UMBC are all tie for the final three spots with a 2-2 record in conference. But with tiebreakers, every team still has playoff hopes. Make sure to stay tuned to Twitter and AmericaEast.com throughout the weekend to keep an eye on what will be a wild finish.

Women's Lacrosse

Saturday Schedule: Binghamton at Stony Brook (1 p.m.), New Hampshire at UMBC (12 p.m.), Vermont at Albany (1 p.m.)

Stony Brook and Albany have locked up the top two seeds in the upcoming tournament, but the final two are still up for grabs. Vermont controls its own destiny and can claim the No. 3 seed with a win. Additionally, the winner of the New Hampshire at UMBC game will be in the championship, but at which seed is still up in the air.

Linked Up

Here are this week's America East Plays of the Week!

Make sure you vote for the 2013 Fans Choice Men's and Women's Lacrosse Player of the Year!

Take a minute to check out this piece on the Northeast Classic (formerly known as the Catamount Classic) from LaxAllStars.com.

Congratulations to the 2012-13 America East winter scholar-athlete award winners!

Check out our Campus Spotlight, featuring some excellent work done by the SAAC at Binghamton and Albany.

The Push For the Playoffs: Softball

We've mentioned a few times lately how close spring conference championships are getting and the time certainly isn't passing any slower. Men's and women's lacrosse are less than a month away and softball isn't far behind. Baseball is the last championship of the season, but league play is heating up and the playoff picture is beginning to take shape. Over the next week, we'll take a look at each sport as the season continues to progress. Softball is up next as we are only a few weeks out from tournament play.

Brittany MacFawn has been lights out for Albany.

Softball

The Leader

After winning the America East Championship in 2011, Albany is looking to get back to the NCAA tournament in 2013. With just five conference dates left, the Great Danes boast an 11-1 mark against America East foes. The main strength of this team? Its pitching staff has been remarkable, led by Brittany MacFawn and her 1.72 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 179.1 innings. Her and Emily Ostrom have combined for a 2.30 ERA that leads the conference comfortably. Their 235 strikeouts, 33 complete games and 11 shutouts are also tops in the conference. If you want to beat the Danes, you'll have to do it against some top notch pitching.

In The Hunt

Conference play is winding down and the playoff picture is becoming a bit more clear. Let's take a look at it team by team.

• Binghamton (28-10, 10-2 AE)
• Remaining series: at Stony Brook, vs. Albany
• It's impressive enough for a player to be hitting over .300, but for an entire team to be above that threshold is another thing. The Bearcats have accomplished that feat thus far, batting .304 as a team and leading the conference in home runs (35), RBI (189), OBP (.399) and SLG (.492). They can run too, swiping 65 of 81 bags on the season. Binghamton is definitely in position to challenge for a championship this season and its series with Albany to close out the regular season will be an excellent tournament preview.
• Stony Brook (25-19, 7-5 AE)
• Remaining series: vs. Binghamton, vs. Boston U.
• Another formidable pitching staff, Stony Brook comes in to the week sporting a 2.85 ERA, second only to Albany in the conference. Christine Lucido is at the front of that group with a 1.86 ERA in 27 appearances but Allison Cukrov, last year's America East Pitcher of the Year, is another dangerous arm that the Seawolves can run out there. The sophomore has racked up 103 in her 129 innings and will certainly be a big part of Stony Brook's postseason performance.
• Hartford (16-26, 5-7 AE)
• Remaining series: at UMBC, at Maine
• The Hawks are in good position to make the America East Championship as the number four seed, but they'll have to play well against the two teams trailing them in the standings to make sure that happens. Zuzana Kudernatschova is the ace of the staff and ranks fourth in the conference with a 2.44 ERA. The Hawks are certainly capable of beating anyone when she's on the mound. Offense is the bigger question for Hartford but if the bats can get hot at the right time the Hawks are definitely capable of a run in the postseason.
• Maine (7-34, 3-9 AE)
• Remaining Series: at Boston U., vs. Hartford
• Though the offense has struggled at times, Jean Stevens has been one of the most potent bats in the league. The junior catcher leads the conference with 12 home runs and is tied for third with 33 RBI. Sophomore EmJ Fogel also has a .284 average and will look to pair with Stevens to get hot in the last portion of the schedule. The Black Bears will face off against defending conference champion Boston U. followed by Hartford, whom they trail by two games in the standings. 
• UMBC (8-35, 1-14 AE)
• Remaining Series: vs. Hartford
• It has been a bit of a struggle for the Retreivers this year, but sophomore Taylor Hall is one of the league's top hitters and she has been red hot all season long. Hall is leading the conference with a .412 batting average and also has seven home runs and 35 RBI. Another stat worth noting, in 138 plate appearances, she has struck out just seven times. UMBC will have an opportunity to finish strong against the current No. 4 seed Hartford.

Linked Up

One more Cameron Lyle story for you, this time a video from CBS This Morning.

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Hartford men's basketball coach John Gallagher wrote an open letter to the student body. Pretty cool.

In more basketball news, UMBC women's coach Phil Stern will remain at the helm.

The Vermont SAAC raised over $1,500 for the Special Olympics. Well done indeed.

The Push for the Playoffs: Baseball

We've mentioned a few times lately how close spring conference championships are getting and the time certainly isn't passing any slower. Men's and women's lacrosse are less than a month away and softball isn't far behind. Baseball is the last championship of the season, but league play is heating up and the playoff 

picture is beginning to take shape. Over the next week, we'll take a look at the playoff picture in each sport as the season continues to progress. We've taken a look at men's and women's lacrosse so let's switch the focus to baseball today.

Jay Lynch is having an excellent season for
the Bearcats.

Baseball

The Leader

Maine heads into the home stretch of the baseball regular season with a 24-15 record that includes a 13-4 mark in conference. The primary reason for its success so far this year has to the dynamic offense, which leads the conference in batting average (.298), home runs (14), RBI (200), SLG% (.390), OBP (.374), hits (395) and total bases (517). But don't look past the pitching staff, which boasts a 3.65 ERA and 222 strikeouts to 119 walks. With trips to Hartford, Albany and Binghamton remaining before the Black Bears host UMBC in the season's final week, there is still much to be decided.

In The Hunt

With a month of conference play to go, we're a long way from settling the standings, but let's take a look at where things stand so far.

• Albany (16-16-1, 10-8 AE)
• Remaining series: vs. UMBC, vs. Maine, at Stony Brook, vs. Binghamton
• Having won six of its last nine conference games, the Great Danes have shot up to second place in the standings. In the second game of this weekend's series vs. Hartford, the Albany bats broke out to the tune of 23 runs. Though scoring 23 runs is never an expectation, it's fair to expect this team to score plenty the rest of the way. The Great Danes have scored 175 runs this year, tied for second in the conference with Binghamton
• Binghamton (19-14, 9-8 AE)
• Remaining series: vs. Stony Brook, vs. Hartford, vs. Maine, at Albany
• One of the consistent factors in this season of America East baseball has been the Bearcat pitching staff. The three-headed monster of Jay Lynch, Jake Lambert and Jack Rogalla has combined for a 2.72 ERA and just 29 walks in 157.2 innings. Of course it also doesn't hurt to have Jake Thomas in the lineup. All the sophomore has done this year is put up a .388/.580/.582 line. His on-base percentage is the best in the country and the lefty has just 12 strikeouts compared to 32 walks.
• Hartford (12-24, 9-9 AE)
• Remaining series: at Maine, at Binghamton, at UMBC, vs. Stony Brook
• After winning seven games throughout the entire conference schedule in 2012, Hartford has nine wins already and is showing a much improved pitching staff. The Hawks have 257 strikeouts as a staff and Sean Newcomb leads the conference with 65 strikeouts in just 44 innings. Despite the high swing and miss rate, Hartford has committed a conference high 61 errors. If the defense can tighten up for the stretch run, the Hawks will be a team no one wants to play. 
• Stony Brook (14-26, 7-11 AE)
• Remaining Series: at Binghamton, at UMBC, vs. Albany, at Hartford
• While the Seawolves lost some firepower from 2012, this is still a dangerous team. Frankie Vanderka heads up a pitching staff that is capable of twirling a gem on any given day. With 239 strikeouts as a team, the Stony Brook pitchers boast some serious swing and miss stuff. While offense has been a bit of a struggle, freshman Jack Parenty has been a huge asset, batting .349/.401/.395 to lead the team. If last year taught us anything, we know you can never count them out.
• UMBC (10-20, 5-13 AE)
• Remaining Series: at Albany, vs. Stony Brook, vs. Hartford, at Maine
• Coming off a hard fought series with Binghamton in which the Retrievers followed up a 1-0 loss in game one with a 1-0 win in game two, UMBC is four games back with 12 conference games to play. The series with Stony Brook and Hartford will be key, as those are the two teams in front of UMBC in the standings. Though it is just 1-5 against the two foes this season, two of those losses came by just one run. If the Retrievers can turn up the offense in the final month, they'll have a good chance.

Linked Up

We linked to this story yesterday, but if you haven't seen it yet make sure you see it now: Cameron Lyle's decision to forgo his senior track season at New Hampshire and donate bone marrow is one of the best stories you'll ever read and it's gaining much deserved national attention.

With his first year in the books, Binghamton men's basketball coach Tommy Dempsey begins to reshape the roster.

Stony Brook's Miguel Maysonet is a sleeper on some NFL Draft boards right now (insider subscription).

Twenty-one Binghamton student-athletes were inducted into the National College Athlete Honor Society.

AEC Rewind: 4/22/13

Spring seems to finally be wrestling itself away from the jaws of winter as the calendar turns to May in just over a week. As we begin the process of digging out our summer clothes and uncovering the grill, America East spring sports are sprinting to the finish. Get a look at some great men's and women's lacrosse action from over the weekend with some huge playoff implications. It's Monday and it's the AEC Rewind.

Ty Thompson had a big weekend.

Men's Lacrosse

at Albany 16, UMBC 10: Box/Recap

Stony Brook 10, at Hartford 9 (OT): Box/Recap

Vermont 8, at Binghamton 7: Box/Recap

Rapid Fire

• Albany clinched its spot in the America East Championship.
• Ty Thompson (Alb) reached the 100-goal mark for his career with an eight goal showing against UMBC.
• Jeff Tundo led the Seawolves attack with three goals and an assist in a big win.
• Drew Philie had four points on two goals and two assists as Vermont kept its playoff hopes alive.
• Matt Gregoire netted four goals for UMBC in a close game with Albany.
• Andrew Cacchio and Kevin O'Shea each recorded a hat trick for Hartford.
• Brandon Planck also netted a hat trick this weekend for Binghamton.
• Stony Brook, Hartford and UMBC are in a three-way tie for second place at 2-2.
• Binghamton and Vermont are both at 1-3 in conference and are in a must win situation next week to make the postseason.

Sydney Mas notched a game-winner for Vermont.

Women's Lacrosse

Albany 22, at Binghamton 6: Box/Recap

at Fairfield 16, New Hampshire 9: Box/Recap

at Stony Brook 18, Boston U. 11: Box/Recap/Highlights

at Vermont 8, UMBC 7: Box/Recap/Highlights

Rapid Fire

• Rachel Burek broke Albany's single game points record by surging for 11 on four goals and seven assists.
• Demmianne Cook broke her own Stony Brook single-season goals record with her 69th of the year.
• Seawolves coach Joe Spallina earned his 100th career victory and has gone 27-7 at Stony Brook.
• Jenny Simpson and Laura Puccia each notched a hat trick for New Hampshire in the loss.
• Sydney Mas scored the game winning goal for Vermont with 2:22 remaining in the game.
• Albany and Stony Brook have punched their tickets to the America East Championship.
• UMBC, Vermont and New Hampshire are in a three way tie for the final two playoff spots at 2-3. UMBC and New Hampshire face off next weekend while Vermont plays Albany.

Linked Up

Make sure you take a few minutes out of your day to read this story about Cameron Lyle, a senior track & field athlete at UNH. Lyle is forgoing the final portion of his senior year to donate bone marrow, an incredibly selfless act.

The Maine Campus writes about Mike Connolly's versatility on the diamond and how its paid off for the Bearcats.

Stony Brook women's lacrosse moved up to ninth in the deBeer Women's Media Poll.

Robbie Bickford and Cody LaChance have been inducted into the Maine Senior Skulls Society.