HADLEY, Mass. - Middlebury College, winners of six consecutive NESCAC Women's Lacrosse titles, has earned the number-one seed and a first round bye in the 2007 NESCAC Women's Lacrosse Championship. The Panthers will host the semifinals and championship for the seventh-straight season on Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6 at Peter Kohn Field in Middlebury, Vt. First round action for the seven-team tournament kicks off on Sunday, April 29 at Wesleyan, Trinity and Colby at 12:00 p.m.

Top-seeded Middlebury (12-1, 9-0 NESCAC) wrapped up the number-one seed and a first round bye last Saturday afternoon, as a Panther victory over Connecticut College combined with an Amherst loss to Bowdoin put Middlebury out of the reach of its opponents in the NESCAC standings. The Panthers finished the season with an unblemished conference record thanks to a 15-8 victory over Tufts on the final day of the regular season, making it the seventh year in a row that Middlebury has finished its NESCAC schedule with a perfect conference mark. Since the inception of tournament play in 2001, the Panthers have hosted the tournament each year, winning the last six NESCAC crowns.

Second-seeded Trinity (11-3, 6-3 NESCAC) will not only make its first appearance in the tournament since 2003 but also host a first round game for the first time in program history, as the Bantams' second-place finish in the NESCAC standings is the highest ever. Trinity closed out the regular season on Saturday afternoon at Connecticut College, picking up a 19-14 win to extend its winning streak to four games heading into Sunday's first round contest against seventh-seeded Williams (5-7, 4-5 NESCAC). The Ephs came within striking distance of hosting a first round game in this year's tournament after leading the Polar Bears of Bowdoin early on during Saturday's regular season finale. Williams, however, could not hold on to the advantage for the entire contest, falling to Bowdoin 15-12. Williams enters the playoffs having lost five consecutive games and six of its last seven, the lone win coming on April 7 over Wesleyan, 11-6. The Bantams and the Ephs met just two weeks ago on April 21 with Trinity earning a 12-9 victory over Williams in Hartford. Sunday's first round matchup will be the second meeting between the two teams in playoff history, as the only tournament game between the two came during Trinity's last appearance in the playoffs in 2003. Williams came away with a 10-4 victory over then sixth-seeded Trinity. The Ephs have advanced to the semifinals in each of the six previous tournaments, the last two times as the lower seeded team in the first round.

Also hosting a first round game for the first time in tournament history this year is third-seed Wesleyan (8-5, 5-4 NESCAC). The Cardinals finished the regular season in a four-way tie for third place with Amherst, Bowdoin and Colby, however Wesleyan and Colby both held a 2-1 head-to-head record against the group, with the Cardinals' 12-7 win over the Mules on April 14 serving as the final tie-breaker for the third seed. Wesleyan closed out the regular season on Saturday at Bates with a 10-9 overtime victory, snapping a brief two-game losing skid. Although the Cardinals are 3-3 in their last six games, two of the losses have been by two goals or less. Wesleyan will face sixth-seeded Amherst (8-6, 5-4 NESCAC) in the first round for the second year in a row and the third time in tournament history. The lone meeting between these two teams this season may seem like ages ago, as their March 11 match was the season-opener for both squads. Amherst netted a 10-5 win in the game and went on to win six of its first seven outings this season, but since an April 7 loss to Middlebury (11-3) the Jeffs are just 2-5, falling in their final three games. Amherst has won the previous two meetings between these teams in the first round, taking last year's match by a 17-8 score. The Jeffs join Williams and Middlebury as the only programs to have made the semifinals in each year the tournament has been held.

Fourth-seed Colby (10-4, 5-4 NESCAC) extended its current winning streak to five on Saturday at Amherst, finishing the regular season with an 11-6 win over the Jeffs. While the Mules lost the head-to-head tie-breaker with Wesleyan for the third seed, the win secured Colby a first round game in the tournament for the third year in a row. After starting the season at 3-3 and 1-3 in NESCAC play, the Mules have gone 7-1 over their last eight games, the lone loss coming at Wesleyan. Colby will look to advance to the NESCAC semifinals for the first time since 2003 on Sunday when the Mules host fifth-seed and Maine rival Bowdoin (9-5, 5-4 NESCAC). The Polar Bears enter Sunday's showdown with a bit of momentum as well, having won three in a row and four of their last five, most recently overcoming Williams on Saturday afternoon, 15-12. These two teams have met three times in tournament history, with all three meetings coming in the first round. Colby holds a 2-1 series edge, however Bowdoin's lone win came in the last playoff meeting between the two, 13-4 in 2004.

2007 NESCAC WOMEN'S LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round - Sunday, April 29 at Higher Seeds
No. 7 Williams at No. 2 Trinity - 12:00 p.m.
No. 6 Amherst at No. 3 Wesleyan - 12:00 p.m.
No. 5 Bowdoin at No. 4 Colby - 12:00 p.m.

Semifinals - Saturday, May 5 at Middlebury
No. 1 Middlebury vs. lowest remaining seed - 12:00 p.m.
Remaining first round winners - 2:30 p.m.

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