WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Palm Beach Atlantic head coach Chris Southard announced his team's 2016 season schedule today, featuring last year’s national champion, the University of Dayton, and three other teams that qualified for the national tournament.

Last season was a banner year for the Sailfish, who finished 2015 in the SELC Championship Game. They also had a top-ten strength of schedule in 2015 (according to LaxPower), but were left on the outside looking in for last year’s national tournament field. The litmus test for this year’s PBA team will be reaching and surpassing last year’s success.

“We’re looking to improve on where we were last season," said Southard, entering his 14th season with PBA. “We will be tested again. Our program is excited to get better from one day to the next."

The Sailfish will get started right out of the gate, opening with two future NCAA opponents in the Sunshine State Conference: Lynn on Feb. 6 and Embry-Riddle on Feb. 13. After an early divisional game against Florida Atlantic (Wed., Feb. 17) and a date with Miami (SELC, Division 1), the intention is clear.

“Our goal is to win our league and advance to the national tournament,” said Southard.

Palm Beach Atlantic will hit the road in March, embarking on an 800-mile trek to the Christian Academy of Knoxville (Tenn.). The Warriors are launching lacrosse at the youth and high school levels in 2016 and will host an extended weekend of college lacrosse to kick off their season.

No. 10 Grove City will kick off the event against Missouri Baptist on Friday, March 4 at 4 p.m. before CAK’s first-ever lacrosse game later that night. GCC has a quick turn around, playing at 3 p.m. against Palm Beach Atlantic on March 5. The Wolverines bested PBA in 2015, winning in a come-from-behind
fashion, 12-11. Missouri Baptist plays No. 9 Siena Heights at 5 p.m., while No. 1 Dayton and No. 17 Reinhardt tangle at 7 p.m.

On March 6, the Sailfish meet the top-ranked Dayton at 1 p.m. In 2015, the ‘Fish and Flyers met in an early-season matchup, with Dayton coming out on top, 17-7. UD finished the year 16-3 and went on to win the Division II national championship.

Following a Monday game between No. 9 Siena Heights and No. 17 Reinhardt, the event will conclude as SHU plays Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday (both games at 1:00 p.m.). The Sailfish and Saints (Adrian, Mich.) have never played before previously.

Six teams from three conferences will clash in Knoxville for a weekend of games. Here are the distances from their respective campuses:

Reinhardt University – 168 miles
University of Dayton – 311 miles
Siena Heights University – 490 miles
Missouri Baptist University – 490 miles
Grove City College – 572 miles
Palm Beach Atlantic University – 802 miles

Palm Beach Atlantic ends its spring break at home, taking on Stonehill College (March 11 at 7 p.m.). The Hill and Sailfish have met twice before. PBA won 19-11 in 2014 and 13-11 in 2010. On March 14, Palm Beach Atlantic hosts SELC newcomer Columbus State. They'll compete in the Southwest Region, with the likes of Reinhardt and Kennesaw State, but shouldn’t be taken lightly. The Cougars beat six MCLA opponents last season.

After a game against Morehouse College on March 26, the ‘Fish will wrap up their home stand on Mar 30 at 7 p.m.against Lindenwood–Belleville. The Lynx traveled down to Palm Beach in 2014 and 2015, falling short by a goal in both games.

PBA opens its April slate of games on a trip to the Savannah area to take on the Savannah College of Art & Design and Coastal Carolina. It’ll be the first time the ‘Fish play both SCAD and CCU since the 2009 season -- a year in which all three teams tied for first place in (what was then) the SELC South division. But that was then and things are different now. Both the Bees and the Chanticleers play in the SELC Northeast.

SCAD, ranked fourth out of nineteen teams in the SELC Preseason Poll, will look to avenge last season’s 17-4 loss at Palm Beach Atlantic. Though they’re both 2-2 in the past four contests, the Bees lead the overall series dating back to 2008. The games will take place at the SCAD Athletic Complex (Hardeeville, S.C.) with a 2:00 p.m. start time on Saturday and a noon start time on Sunday.

On April 9, Palm Beach Atlantic resumes its Southeast division schedule against Georgia Southern. The Sailfish have won seven of eight games
against the Eagles and also won last year’s matchup in Statesboro, 18-9. PBA wraps up the regular season at home against No. 11 Florida Gulf Coast on April 16. Last year, the Eagles and Sailfish met twice: once for the division championship and once for the conference championship (FGCU won both). Palm Beach Atlantic will look to stem the advantage, knowing that a rematch could be in the cards during both the conference and national tournaments.

The 2016 SELC tournament will be held in Johns Creek, Ga., on April 22-24, with day two and three matchups to be held at Northview High School. The MCLA National Tournament powered by Under Armour is set for May 9-14, 2016 in Orange County, Calif.

The first two rounds will be played on the campus of UC-Irvine, while the semifinals and finals will be played at Chapman University. Follow the Palm Beach Atlantic University men’s lacrosse team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more information about the Sailfish.