NCAA 2026 Countdown: No. 14 Army Always in the Conversation

Opening day of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's lacrosse season is Jan. 31.

Throughout the month of January, we'll pose three burning questions for each team ranked in the USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Preseason Top 20, presented by CWENCH Hydration, starting with No. 20 Michigan and finishing with No. 1 Maryland.

 Join the conversation on social media @USALMag (IG/X/FB). Wrong answers only.

Joe Alberici makes no attempt to hide his disdain for the ratings percentage index — commonly known as RPI — and the weight it receives come Selection Sunday. "There's a real flaw in our system," he said.

The Army men's lacrosse team has compiled a 23-5 combined record the last two years, including a 10-0 mark against non-conference schedule that has included traditional powers like North Carolina, Rutgers, Syracuse, UMass and Yale.

But consecutive Patriot League semifinal defeats put the Black Knights' fate in the hands of the NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Committee. And in both years, Army was left out of the NCAA tournament.

“It’s just been unfortunate dating back to 2017 where you can look at three or four years that we were the first one out,” Alberici said. 

Army added a 14th game to the schedule this year. The Black Knights will play Michigan at the Atlanta Lacrosse Invitational on Feb. 21, giving them five opponents who are either ranked or receiving consideration in the USA Lacrosse Division I Men's Preseason Top 20.  North Carolina, Rutgers, Yale and conference foe Boston University are the others.

"We've got a good schedule. If the team performs the way I think they should, we would put ourselves to be in great position to be in the conversation again," Alberici said.

Still, it does not erase the sting of missing the NCAA tournament especially last year, when Army had a 22-man senior class that included four players who were USILA first-team All-Americans.

"Last year's team was extraordinary," Alberici said. "From top to bottom, the best I’ve been a part of at Army."

What more must Army do?

The obvious answer is win the Patriot League championship, which the Black Knights did in 2023 before knocking off Maryland in the first round to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.

It's a conference known for chaos, however. Asked if it's difficult to scheme against teams like Boston University, Bucknell, Colgate and Lafayette — all of whom have institutionalized the 10-man ride — Alberici put the onus back on his team.

"If you beat them, it's not frustrating," he said.

BU (three times) and Colgate (twice) have accounted for all five of Army's losses the last two years.

The Black Knights' shooting may have gone cold at inopportune times last year, but they were still ranked 11th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to Lacrosse Reference.

Longtime offensive coordinator Justin Ward left for his alma mater, Loyola. Alberici promoted Rick Lewis to the role. Lewis started his college coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Army, spent three years as the offensive coordinator at Ohio State and returned to West Point when the Black Knights added a third full-time paid assistant coach to the staff after the 2023 season.

"We got back an even better version of him," Alberici said, noting the continuity in philosophy. "With him and Justin, we were all very collaborative as a staff. I don’t think that there’s a need to change things just for the sake of changing them."

How will the Black Knights reload?

Tewaaraton Award finalist Jackson Eicher, four-year starting defenseman AJ Pilate, short-stick defensive midfielder Christian Mazur, long-stick midfielder Christian Fournier were USILA first-team All-Americans last year. All-time Patriot League faceoff wins leader Will Coletti was a first-team All-American in 2024.

All have moved on from West Point.

"Five kids in that 22-man class were USILA first-team All-Americans," Alberici said. "I don’t know if you go back in history if there ever has been five in one class. I’m talking about great, great teams. That’s a hit. That would be a hit for anybody. It’s certainly a hit for us."

Army has a veteran anchor at each position to stabilize the group. It starts with Patriot League Goalie of the Year Sean Byrne, who led the nation in save percentage for most of the year and finished north of 60 percent. In front of him, there's fourth-year starting defenseman John Sullivan, short stick Keegan Tracy, two-time All-American midfielder Evan Plunkett and steady attackman Gunnar Fellows.

And Alberici is bullish on the Black Knights' sophomore class. It includes attackmen Brayden Fountain (35 goals, 16 assists) and Hill Plunkett (12 goals, 16 assists), the latter moving to attack from midfield to replace Eicher. Tommy Steins figures to crack the starting lineup at close defense and Aidan Weisenborn (10 goals) is a returning first-line midfielder.

Junior Robert Simone steps into the lead faceoff role. Alberici is excited about the addition of Ian moore to the coaching staff. Previously the offensive coordinator at UMass Lowell, he's Army's new faceoff and goalie coach.

Is Georgia the new hotbed?

Byrne, Fountain and the Plunketts are all from the Atlanta area. As is Lewis. The Peach State has been kind to the Black Knights and Alberici is glad to return the favor by scheduling games there.

"The idea is for us to be able to play a marquee game and bring those guys back home, which is important to me," Alberici said. "Just to be in Georgia, there are some great lacrosse players there and some guys who’ve made a really big impact on our program. Our goal is to get down south if not yearly then every other year."