Gymnastics: Last season, the gymnastics squad captured their sixth straight ECAC Championship and return just about all of that team in 2011. They welcome in a new coach, Vicki Chliszczyk, to replace the legendary Dick Filbert, who retired after 28 years at the helm of the program. The Tigers host just four events at the Towson Center in 2011, on Jan. 29, Feb. 20 and 25, and March 11, so be sure to go out and support their drive for a seventh straight title.

Towerlight Prediction: We’re knocking on wood here, but unless something unforeseen happens to any of the top gymnasts, I can’t see how they don’t repeat as ECAC champs. There is too much talent on the roster for this team to fall short of their goals.

Swimming and Diving: Like the gymnastics squad, this collection of Towson’s finest athletes will be heading into 2011 looking to repeat as conference champions. The Women’s Swimming and Diving team will be in pursuit of their fourth consecutive Colonial Athletic Association Championship, and they’re off to a fast start at 7-1 this season. With that record, they currently sit atop the Division I Mid-Major Rankings, led by seniors Meredith Budner and Brooke Golden.

Towerlight Prediction: There are only two chances to see the Tigers in action in 2011, Jan. 8 and 29. But whether you see them or not, this team appears on a mission to repeat in the CAA.

Men’s Lacrosse: As head coach Tony Seaman begins his 14th season directing the Tigers at Johnny Unitas Stadium, there is renewed confidence that this may be the year that they break through and reach the NCAA Tournament. After falling in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship Game the last two seasons, Seaman’s squad comes back re-stocked and with a plethora of intriguing matchups.

Towerlight Prediction: This season’s home slate of games has local rivals Johns Hopkins, Loyola and Maryland all coming to Unitas, along with CAA foes Hofstra and Massachusetts. The game to watch though is on March 26, when the Tigers travel to Newark, Del., for a rematch of the 2010 CAA title game against the Blue Hens.

Women’s Lacrosse: Last season was one to remember for the Tigers, as they reached the NCAA Tournament as an At-Large selection for the first time in school history before falling to Virginia 14-12. When they knocked off Stanford in March, it was the first time that they had defeated a team ranked in the top 10 in the country, and they’ll have multiple chances to win those kinds of games in 2011. The defending National Champion, the Maryland Terrapins, will pay a visit to Johnny Unitas Stadium this spring, as will local rivals Loyola and Johns Hopkins.

Towerlight Prediction: With a challenging schedule that should throw more than a few speed bumps in the path of the Tigers in Sonia LaMonica’s first season as the head coach, it’s unfair to place CAA Champs or bust hopes on this squad. This is a team that won 13 games in each of the last three seasons, and that stretch may very well end tin 2011.

Men’s Basketball: After a slow start this season, the men’s basketball team has plenty of work to do to get themselves in a position to make a run at a Colonial Athletic Association title in March. But with 10 home games at the Towson Center in 2011, where they play drastically better, there is reason to think this team can make that run. Isaiah Philmore has emerged as the team’s go-to option on offense, and a backcourt of Troy Franklin and RaShawn Polk is capable of putting up big point totals in a hurry when needed. The question mark is the inside game. If senior Rob Nwankwo regains his eligibility and is able to rejoin the team in 2011, it will make a huge difference for Pat Kennedy’s squad.

Towerlight Prediction: Every team makes the CAA Tournament, so there’s no need to worry about the Tigers missing out if they don’t perform well in 2011. But it’s all in their hands if they want to make a Cinderella run like they did in 2009. If Nwankwo returns, this team can make some noise and knock off some top teams come March.

Women’s Basketball: With their non-conference schedule about to wrap up, the Tigers look toward 2011 as one that can bump them to the upper echelon of the Colonial Athletic Association. They’ll play nine homes games in the new year and should continue to make strides as a squad. Head coach Joe Mathews has this team playing solid ball so far this season, with a different player standing out seemingly every night.

Towerlight Prediction: Come March, this team will be better than it is now, which can only mean good things, considering their fast start. It’s reasonable to think that they can compete for a top-four spot in the CAA Tournament and possibly make a run toward a conference title.