Patriot League overview: Lafayette College

Nickname: Leopards

Colors: Maroon and white

Located in Easton, Penn., Lafayette boasts 22 D-1 teams and was recently ranked third nationally in student-athlete graduation rates.

After making two consecutive NCAA appearances and capturing Patriot League championships in 1999 and 2000, the Lafayette men’s basketball team has gone downhill in the years that followed, but experienced a revival last season with a 19-15 record and an appearance in the Patriot League Championship game, which they lost to Bucknell by a score of 64-56.

Despite only averaging nine wins over the last five seasons, the Lafayette women’s basketball team has a formidable presence in the paint with 6-7 center Danielle Fiacco, who has amassed 281 blocks over her first three seasons last year, including a career-high 3.73 blocks per game in 2011-12, which was second amongst all players in the nation, trailing only Baylor’s Brittney Griner (5.15 blocks per game).

One of the most dominant teams at Lafayette, the Leopard field hockey team has appeared in two NCAA tournaments, most recently in 2012, and has captured 11 Patriot League championships. Now, with the departure of six-year coach Andrew Griffiths to Old Dominion University, first-year coach Jennifer Stone will have to lead a team that was ranked third in the 2013 Patriot League preseason poll.

The women’s lacrosse team has collected 10 Patriot League championships and won the 1980 NCAA National Championship over the course of the program’s tenure. Despite their storied history, the Leopards have not recorded a double-digit wins in a season in 11 years.

Ranked fourth in 2013 Patriot League preseason poll, the Lafayette men’s soccer team is coming off of a successful 2012 campaign that saw the team win the Patriot League championship and an appearance in the NCAA tournament.