Conference

Unlike last season, Towson will not have to wait until the final weekend of the regular season to find out if it has qualified for the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. Despite Saturday's 14-11 loss to No. 15 and league rival Drexel, the Tigers clinched the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. “Obviously, we're excited,” coach Shawn Nadelen said Monday afternoon. “We've played decently within the CAA this year, and we've earned enough wins to qualify us for postseason play.

Seeking to solidify its membership following Maryland's decision to depart for the Big Ten, the Atlantic Coast Conference said Monday that 15 current or future members have signed documents granting the conference their media rights for the foreseeable future. The agreements, effective immediately and extending until at least 2027, according to reports, were viewed by ACC members as a powerful means of promoting stability. Like many conferences, the ACC has been rocked by the imminent departure of a member - Maryland is leaving next year - and rumors that more defections could occur.

No. 19 Connecticut took a 6-4 lead into halftime and never relinquished it, upsetting No. 7 Notre Dame at home, 10-7, in women's lacrosse Sunday. The Huskies (13-1, 5-1 Big East) won all their home games in a season for the first time in program history. The Fighting Irish (11-3, 5-3) scored just three goals in the second half, two by Lauren Sullivan. Morgan O'Reilly had four goals on senior day to lead UConn, Carly Palmucci added a pair of first-half goals and Lauren Kahn scored her team-leading 32nd goal of the season.

Frostburg State has already accomplished a school first by cementing a spot in the Capital Athletic Conference tournament, but the program has its eyes on a bigger prize. If the Bobcats can defeat Wesley this Saturday, they will clinch the No. 4 seed in the six-team tournament and host a first-round contest. It's a goal that the team and coach Tommy Pearce have aspired to all season. “That's where we want to be,” Pearce said Friday morning. “We think we should be right in that discussion with the teams that are getting the No. 4 seed in the playoffs.

When Stevenson was a member of the Capital Athletic Conference, the program took home regular-season crowns in 2009 and 2011. The No. 4 Mustangs have an opportunity for another league championship, but as members of the Middle Atlantic Conference. Stevenson (13-2 overall and 6-0 in the league) only have to defeat No. 16 Widener (9-4, 5-1) on Saturday night to capture the regular-season title, and coach Paul Cantabene said the accomplishment is a coveted honor. “Any time you can win a conference title, it's good for the program,” he said Thursday.

No. 12 Washington College's 7-6 come-from-behind win against No. 5 and reigning national champion Salisbury on Wednesday night may prove to be a psychological lift for a program that had dropped 12 straight contests to the Sea Gulls. Perhaps more immediately, the victory might propel to the Shoremen (11-2) to their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament regardless of how they fare in the Centennial Conference tournament. With a 4-2 record in the league, Washington is currently third behind conference leaders Dickinson (12-0 overall and 5-0 in the Centennial)

When Goucher opened the season with a 13-9 victory over Birmingham-Southern, the initial thought was that the team that had captured two of the last three Landmark Conference tournaments might be able to extend that success under Kyle Hannan - who left for Division I Mercer - into 2013. The Gophers then dropped their next six contests before turning the tide with a 5-1 record over their last six games, and they are now tied with Scranton for first place in the conference with identical 4-0 marks.

The disappointment of St. Mary's 15-4 loss to No. 5 Salisbury, the reigning Division III national champion, last Saturday has given way to the excitement surrounding the team's upcoming home contest against Capital Athletic Conference foe York this Saturday. The Seahawks (9-5 overall and 4-1 in the conference) are battling the Spartans (12-3, 4-1) for the No. 2 seed in the CAC tournament, which begins next Wednesday. A victory would give either side a first-round bye in the six-team field and at least one home game.

Frostburg State's first victory in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) was a meaningful step for the program. But the team - which is playing in its third season in the league - is in position to qualify for its first conference tournament. At 9-5 overall and 1-3 in the CAC, the Bobcats are currently jockeying with Mary Washington for the No. 4 seed in the six-team tournament. And they can further pad their cushion when the Eagles (7-5 overall and 1-3 in league) visit Frostburg on Wednesday evening.

Those watching No. 3 St. Paul's build a 7-4 halftime lead Tuesday afternoon against No. 8 Loyola might have thought the host Crusaders would be content to settle for a routine margin of victory over a tough boys lacrosse rival. But they would've been mistaken. St. Paul's is looking to make amends for a down year in 2012 during which the Crusaders did not win a conference game and finished a dismal 3-15. To that end, the Crusaders pressed forward at every opportunity to widen the gap in what would become a dominant 19-9 victory over the Dons, who suffered their third consecutive Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference loss.