The UMBC men’s lacrosse team, winners of two of the last three America East men’s lacrosse titles, is the preseason choice of the coaches to again claim the crown in 2009. The Retrievers received a total of 24 points and four first-place votes (coaches were not permitted to vote for their team), just ahead of University at Albany, the 2007 champion, which received 22 points and a pair of first-place votes.
Stony Brook University was chosen third with 16 points, while Binghamton University was tabbed fourth with 14. University of Vermont and University of Hartford rounded out the six-team poll with nine and five points, respectively.
The top four teams in the conference will qualify for the America East Championship with the winner of the tournament receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship.
UMBC (12-4, 5-0 America East in 2008) finished 2008 ranked 6th in the USILA Coaches’ Poll after winning a school-record 12 games and claiming both the America East regular-season and tournament titles. The Retrievers, led by 2008 America East Coach of the Year Don Zimmerman, rallied from an 11-2 deficit midway through the second quarter to defeat Albany 14-13 in the league championship game last season.
Zimmerman’s squad returns 31 players from that squad, which made the NCAA tournament for the third straight season. Senior attackman Ryan Smith (Fallston, Md.) a first-team all-conference selection and All-American a year ago, is the team’s top returning scorer after tallying 29 goals and 43 points in 2008, good for fifth and seventh in America East, respectively. Smith, along with junior midfielder Kyle Wimer (Lancaster, Pa.) were tabbed preseason honorable mention All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse Magazine in December. Ohio State transfer Peet Poillon (Cranberry Township, Pa.), an IL second-team preseason All-American, scored 32 goals for the NCAA quarterfinalist Buckeyes in 2008.
UMBC, who faces several top programs this season ,will open the 2009 campaign against Delaware on Saturday in Newark.