HADLEY, Mass. - A thrilling finish to the regular season saw Tufts earn the top seed and a first round bye in the 2007 NESCAC Men's Lacrosse Championship. The Jumbos played in one of three final regular season games decided by one goal, as Tufts sophomore Chase Bibby's (Marblehead, Mass.) tally 1:45 into overtime secured a 7-6 win over Middlebury and the right for the Jumbos to host the semifinals and championship on Saturday, May 5, and Sunday, May 6 for the first time in tournament history. First round action for the seven-team tournament begins on Sunday, April 29 at 1:00 p.m. at Wesleyan, Trinity and Amherst.

Top-seeded Tufts (12-2, 8-1 NESCAC) finished tied with Wesleyan in the final standings, however the Jumbos earned a 9-6 victory over the Cardinals in the conference opener for both teams on March 24 in Middletown, Conn. Tufts took on Middlebury, the six-time defending NESCAC Men's Lacrosse champions, on Saturday with playoff implications on the line for both teams. The two squads battled for control throughout the entire contest, and although the Jumbos held a slim advantage late in the game, the Panthers were able to tie the contest and force overtime before Tufts finally won. Tufts has won six of its last seven games entering this year's championship, the lone loss a conference setback at Williams on April 16, 11-5. The Jumbos have advanced to the championship game only once in tournament history, falling to Middlebury 15-10 in the 2003 title game.

Wesleyan (14-1, 8-1 NESCAC) heads into this year's tournament as the second seed for the second year in a row riding a nine-game winning streak, as the only loss for the Cardinals this season came at the hands of the aforementioned Jumbos. Wesleyan wrapped up the regular season on Saturday with a 7-6 overtime victory over Bates, the second overtime win in as many games for the Cardinals and fourth overtime victory this season. Wesleyan will take on seventh-seed Bowdoin (7-7, 4-5 NESCAC) on Sunday in first round action after the Polar Bears held on for a 6-5 win over Williams on Saturday afternoon. The Polar Bears entered the weekend in jeopardy of not making this year's tournament after falling to Bates last Wednesday, 9-7, and needed a win combined with a Bobcat loss to make the field. Bowdoin will have the opportunity to both thank and repay Wesleyan on Sunday, after the Cardinals earned a 7-3 win over the Polar Bears on March 31 in Brunswick, Maine. Sunday's first round meeting will be the third all-time in tournament history, as the two teams have previously met twice in the semifinals. Bowdoin took the first meeting, 12-9 in the 2001 semis, while Wesleyan came away with a 16-15 overtime win last spring.

While third-seeded Trinity (9-5, 5-4 NESCAC) finished the regular season with an 8-2 loss to Connecticut College, the Bantams, who return to the NESCAC championship after last appearing in 2004, secured a first round contest at home for the first time in program history over a week ago. Trinity ended the conference slate tied with Amherst and Williams in the standings at 5-4, however the Bantams held the head-to-head tie-breaker over both teams with wins during the season. Trinity will look for another first in program history on Sunday when the Bantams try to advance to the NESCAC semifinals for the first time against sixth-seeded and defending NESCAC champion Middlebury (7-6, 4-5 NESCAC). The two teams met just over two weeks ago on April 14 with the Bantams picking up a 11-10 double-overtime victory over the Panthers. Overtime has been somewhat of a sore subject for Middlebury this season, as four of the Panthers' five conference losses this year, including the regular season finale on Saturday, came in overtime. Sunday's game will be the first meeting between the two in tournament history.

Fourth-seed Amherst (7-7, 5-4 NESCAC) capped off the regular season on Saturday with an impressive 15-10 win at Colby, the third win in the last four outings for the Lord Jeffs. After missing out on the semifinals last season for only the second time in tournament history, Amherst will look to return this year when they face fifth-seed and NESCAC rival Williams (7-5, 5-4 NESCAC) on Sunday afternoon. These two teams also met just over two weeks ago, with the Jeffs edging the Ephs in overtime 10-9 on April 14. Consistency has been an issue for Williams this season. After starting the season with three consecutive wins, the Ephs have not been able to string together a winning streak since, going 5-5 in their last ten games. Williams earned a 10-6 win over Middlebury last week before falling to Bowdoin 6-5 on Saturday. These two rivals have met only once in playoff history, with Amherst recording a 12-9 victory over Williams in the first round of the 2003 tournament. A win by Williams on Sunday will not only extract revenge for the regular season loss but also put the Ephs into the semifinals for the first time ever.

2007 NESCAC MEN'S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - Sunday, April 29 at Higher Seeds
No. 7 Bowdoin at No. 2 Wesleyan - 1:00 p.m.
No. 6 Middlebury at No. 3 Trinity - 1:00 p.m.
No. 5 Williams at No. 4 Amherst - 1:00 p.m.

Semifinals - Saturday, May 5 at Tufts
No. 1 Tufts vs. lowest remaining seed - 12:00 p.m.
Remaining first round winners - 3:00 p.m.

Championship - Sunday, May 6 at Tufts
Semifinal winners - 12:00 p.m.