Senior Jordan Levine

For Great Danes fans, reasons abound to get out and cheer.

Basketball season is in full swing. Lacrosse, baseball and softball are just about under way. And the men's lacrosse season opener against Johns Hopkins promises to be an exciting reprise of last year's opening contest.

As last year, men's lacrosse opens the season in Baltimore against Johns Hopkins, the defending national champions, in a nationally televised game on ESPNU. The game is set for Saturday, Feb. 23, with the opening face-off at noon. A year ago, the team beat Johns Hopkins, then spent much of the season as the No. 2 team in the country, and captured the first Great Danes victory in an NCAA Division I tournament. The team's season ended in an overtime loss to undefeated Cornell in the NCAA quarterfinals.

	Coach Scott Marr and the men's lacrosse team

The men's lacrosse team returns 24 letter winners from last year's squad, including All-America midfielder Jordan Levine. National Coach of the Year Scott Marr's team has been picked to contend for the America East title once again. The excitement on UAlbany's home turf, John Fallon Field, begins Feb. 26, when the team meets cross-town rival Siena at 2 p.m.

The lacrosse team isn't the only squad that hits the field this spring as a defending champion. The softball team, men's and women's outdoor track and field, and the baseball team all open the season as last year's America East title holders.

In a few short weeks, the defending America East men's basketball team goes for its third America East tournament title and another berth to the NCAAs.

Dane Zone
For fans keeping up online, check out the new feature to the ualbanysports.com Web site -- Dane Zone, the destination for exclusive live and on-demand streaming video and audio straight to your computer. This broadband video channel is the ultimate place for Great Danes fans on the Web, currently featuring men's and women's basketball games, and highlights.