Team on top: Siena has played in each of the past six Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament finals, and there is little to suggest that the program won't be there again in May. The Saints graduated five starters and three of their top six scorers. But redshirt senior attackman Richie Hurley, who recorded 34 goals and 48 assists last year, is back and the midfield will be powered by senior Conor Prunty (26, 11). Siena, which has captured league championships in 2009, 2011 and 2014, is trying to join Providence (which won the MAAC in 2006 and 2007) as the only teams to win the conference title in back-to-back seasons.
Team on the rise: Detroit has been to four consecutive MAAC tournaments, winning it all in 2013 as a No. 4 seed. If Siena stumbles in conference play, the Titans appear to be more than ready to swoop in. The team welcomes back eight starters, including its entire close defense of junior Paul Bitetti and seniors Chris Shevins and Joe Gifford. The offense returns four of its top six scorers, including senior attackman Shayne Adams (42, 7).
Team on the decline: Manhattan qualified for six MAAC tournaments in the first 11 years of the league's existence. But since 2011, the program has been left out. The drought is something the Jaspers would love to snap this spring, but the odds are not favorable. Manhattan lost six starters from last season, including two of its top three scorers in attackmen Patrick Hodapp (17, 11) and Ryan Payton (24, 1). The team also must also find a new goalie after the graduation of Rich Akapnitis.
Prime-time player: Hurley was named the MAAC Offensive Player of the Year last spring, and barring a serious injury or a slump, he is the leading candidate to take home that honor again. Only four players in the country had more points than Hurley's 82, and that total set a single-season record for the league. His 48 assists eclipsed a Siena single-season record of 47 posted by Tony Asterino in 1981.
Underrated player: The top five goalkeepers in the country – according to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's All-American teams – were Maryland's Niko Amato (first team), Loyola's Jack Runkel and Penn's Brian Feeney (second) and Penn State's Austin Kaut and Bryant's Gunnar Waldt (third). But none had a better save percentage than Detroit sophomore Jason Weber, who led the country with a .642 percentage. Weber, who was chosen as the conference's Defensive Player and Rookie of the Year, also ranked 16th in goals-against average (9.07).