Navy awaits word on NCAA bid

By Edward Lee | Sun reporter
April 30, 2008

Article tools

The Navy men's lacrosse team is charting unfamiliar territory.

For the first time since 2003, the No. 15 Midshipmen did not win the Patriot League tournament and receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. That means Navy (9-5) must wait until Sunday for the selection committee to determine its postseason fate.

"It's really nerve-racking, putting our season in somebody else's hands," senior attackman Nick Mirabito acknowledged. "We had an opportunity to secure that, but we didn't get it done."

Unranked Colgate derailed the Midshipmen's plan to win the Patriot League tournament with a 12-9 victory in a semifinal Friday night. (The No. 11 Raiders eventually defeated No. 12 Bucknell to earn the conference's automatic qualifier.)

Seven of the NCAA tournament's 16 bids go to conference champions of the America East (either No. 7 UMBC, Stony Brook, Albany or Binghamton); Colonial Athletic Association (No. 6 Drexel, No. 19 Hofstra, Delaware or Villanova); Eastern College Athletic Conference (No. 13 Loyola); Great Western Lacrosse League (No. 4 Notre Dame, No. 17 Ohio State, Denver or Quinnipiac); Ivy League (No. 8 Cornell or No. 20 Princeton); Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (Providence, Canisius, Manhattan or VMI); and Patriot League (Colgate).

Six of the remaining nine at-large bids figure to be taken by No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Syracuse, No. 3 Virginia, No. 5 Johns Hopkins, No. 9 Maryland and No. 18 North Carolina, and analysts predict that the runners-up in the GWLL and Ivy League will get two invitations.

That leaves No. 10 Georgetown, No. 12 Bucknell, No. 14 Army, Navy and No. 16 Brown battling for the final at-large spot.

Midshipmen coach Richie Meade declined to plead his team's case, saying he trusts the selection committee to make the decisions.

edward.lee@baltsun.com

More articles

Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun

Would you recommend this?

Rate it:
No Somewhat Neutral Yes Highly
QUICK LINKS  | College Lacrosse
PHOTOS
• 2008 NCAA tournaments
• 2008 season
• 2007 NCAA tourneys
• 2007 season
• More lacrosse photos
• Reader photos
• Photo search
Lax scoop
Web links to lacrosse resources and information on all the area teams
• Polls
NCAA tournament: Men's brackets
Div. 1 | Div. 2 | Div. 3

NCAA tournament: Women's brackets
Div. 1 | Div. 2 | Div. 3
Subscribe to this blogBLOG: Re: Lax Re: Lax

Subscribe to this blogBLOG: Faceoff Faceoff
Hopkins desktop wallpaper
• More sports wallpaper

Search Classifieds

JOBS   CARS   HOMES   SHOP

Other Features

  • Contests
  • Special Sections
  • Fifty Plus

Featured Video Advertisers
More coverage
> HS boys lacrosse
> HS girls lacrosse

Online resources

Download desktop wallpaper created from Sun sports photos
> Orioles
> 1983 World Series
> Ravens
> More

> Sports photo galleries
> Sports blogs
> Sports contests
> Submit sports feedback
Sports Direct newsletter - Subscribe
Sign up for our breaking sports alerts and weekly e-newsletter

Going deep

Sun sports special reports and in-depth coverage
> 1983 O's
> Recruiting Tavon Austin
> Football: The tie that binds
> Orioles
> Baltimore Colts
> Going deep: Other sports