Nine Mid-Atlantic Teams to Battle for No. 1 Seed at Virginia Tech This Weekend

2009 Mid-Atlantic Division Schedule

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Nine of the 10 teams in the Mid-Atlantic Division will have a chance at clinching the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Mid-Atlantic Division Championship as Virginia Tech will host the division cross-over tournament on March 20-22.

The University of Virginia, the current front-runner in the regular season division title race with a 5-0 record, will look to hold off challenges from Duke University (3-1), University of Pennsylvania (2-0), Pennsylvania State University (2-1), James Madison University (2-2), Virginia Tech (2-2), University of Pittsburgh (1-2), University of Richmond (1-2) and West Chester University (0-2) to take the top spot for the division championship tourney.

A 10-team division, only the University of North Carolina (0-4) has been eliminated from contention for the No. 1 seed as the Tarheels can not catch Virginia for the top spot in the eight-game regular season schedule.  At worst, Virginia can finish 5-3, one fewer loss/more win than UNC can record this weekend.

Beginning on Friday, March 20 with a single game between the host Hokies and North Carolina, the tournament will conclude the division regular season race for all but two of the teams as Penn and West Chester will play a single game on a date, at a site and at a time to be determined due to the Quakers and Rams relative proximity to one another.  However, unless tie-breakers are needed to determine seeds, this weekend should clear up which teams are at the top of the division.

The highlight of the tournament will occur in the final game on Sunday, March 22 when the division's only two currently undefeated teams, Virginia and Penn, will meet at 2:50 p.m.

In the history of the division, the Quakers and Wahoos have a unique championship connection. 

From 2006-08, the University of Pennsylvania won the regular season title, clinched the No. 1 seed for the division championship, captured the division championship and earned the division's automatic berth in the National Collegiate Club Championship.

However, the 2009 season marks the fifth anniversary of the last team to win the regular season title, but lose the division championship.  In 2004, Virginia rolled through the regular season with an 8-0 record, including a 10-9 win over Penn on March 19 at the University of Virginia, to capture the No. 1 seed for the division championship.

However, the Wahoos failed to win the division as Penn, the No. 2 seed after finishing 7-1, knocked off the Cavaliers 9-8 in overtime at Penn State University to win the division championship and an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Club Championship.

Since the Virginia-Penn title game upset, the last four regular season/championship No. 1 seed has gone on to win the division championship as Penn State (2005) and Penn (2006-08) have achieved the feat.