American Lacrosse Conference

The Atlantic Coast Conference boasts more teams in the NCAA women's lacrosse quarterfinals than any other conference - No. 1 seed Maryland, No. 3 North Carolina, Duke and Virginia. Those teams have posted a .822 winning percentage against non-conference teams this season. Boston College also made the tournament, but fell in the first weekend as ACC teams went 6-1. Only two ACC teams will make it to the final four, however, since in Saturday's semifinals Maryland will play Duke in College Park and North Carolina will play Virginia in Chapel Hill.

The Atlantic Coast Conference boasts more teams in the NCAA women's lacrosse quarterfinals than any other conference - No. 1 seed Maryland, No. 3 North Carolina, Duke and Virginia. Those teams have posted a .822 winning percentage against non-conference teams this season. Boston College also made the tournament, but fell in the first weekend as ACC teams went 6-1. Only two ACC teams will make it to the final four, however, since in Saturday's semifinals Maryland will play Duke in College Park and North Carolina will play Virginia in Chapel Hill.

Quint Kessenich equates the move to a college football power leaving the SEC. "I don't see any positive for the lacrosse program," the ESPN analyst says of the University of Maryland's jump to the Big Ten Conference. "You're talking about the potential of severing rivalries with North Carolina, Duke, Virginia. " In leaving the ACC for the Big Ten, Maryland's football and basketball teams will trade one set of big-time opponents for another. But the picture is murkier in lacrosse, perhaps the university's third signature sport.

No. 14 Yale broke a 6-6 tie with five straight goals in the third quarter to defeat No. 12 Princeton, 12-8, in the Ivy League men's lacrosse tournament championship Sunday afternoon at Cornell. The Bulldogs (11-4) beat the Tigers (9-6) in the title game for the second straight year and earned the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament field of 16. Nine Bulldogs scored in the contest. Yale's Dylan Levings, who won 19 of 23 faceoffs, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

The No. 2 Northwestern women's lacrosse team has a habit of handing out beat-downs, not taking them. But No. 4 host Florida used a fast-starting offense to build a big lead and win, 22-4, Saturday. The Wildcats (13-2, 4-1 American Lacrosse Conference), who have won seven NCAA championships in the past eight years, suffered their worst loss since the program returned to Division I 12 years ago. Florida also clinched a share of the American Lacrosse Conference regular-season crown for the third straight year.

Within the next two years, Johns Hopkins' women's lacrosse program will leave the American Lacrosse Conference and begin competing as an independent. Blue Jays coach Janine Tucker said Friday that the change will give her more control over scheduling, but she doesn't expect it to dilute her team's strength of schedule or its chances to make it to the NCAA tournament. The Blue Jays' men have had great success as an independent and she would like to be able to schedule the same way. “We've been talking about this for a long time,” Tucker said.

Three Baltimore-area women at Florida received top honors when the American Lacrosse Conference announced its position players of the year and all-conference teams Wednesday. Offensive Player of the Year went to Kitty Cullen (McDonogh), Midfielder of the Year to Brittany Dashiell (John Carroll) and Defensive Player of the Year to Sam Farrell (Severna Park). Johns Hopkins freshman Dene' DiMartino was named Rookie of the Year. The No. 2 Gators (16-1), who are seeded first for the ALC tournament beginning Thursday at Johns Hopkins, also had the Goalie of the Year, Mikey Meagher, and the Coach of the Year, Amanda O'Leary.

Division I women's college lacrosse is in the middle of one of its biggest growth spurts in years, and several recent changes appear likely to spark even more expansion soon. This spring, the NCAA tournament bracket expands to 26 teams, and Division I grows to 100 teams with eight new programs, including Southern California. And a shifting conference landscape that includes some of the biggest women's lacrosse powers could prompt more schools to add the sport. Several Division I schools, including Maryland, recently decided to switch conferences in moves often driven by their football or basketball programs.

Projected NCAA seeds 1. Syracuse Big East Conference Last season: 19-4, NCAA finalist Coach: Gary Gait (seventh year, 76-27) Top returning point-getter: Alyssa Murray, junior A (74 goals, 31 assists) Other key returnees Michelle Tumolo, senior A (52, 43) Becca Block, senior, D Alyssa Costantino, junior G Key newcomers Kayla Treanor, freshman A-M Erica Bodt, freshman M Outlook: The Orange reached the NCAA final for the first time in school history last spring where it fell, 8-6, to Northwestern, but it was impressive in rallying from seven goals down to beat Florida in the semifinal.

MEN Chris Boland, Johns Hopkins Senior, Columbia, attackman Boland ignited the No. 4 Blue Jays' come-from-behind, 12-11 overtime win against No. 8 Maryland last Saturday. He scored all five of his goals in the second half, including four in a 6-1 run that helped Johns Hopkins overcome a 7-2 deficit at halftime. Boland, who played in just two games last season before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, leads the team in goals (24) and points (34)

Three Baltimore-area women at Florida received top honors when the American Lacrosse Conference announced its position players of the year and all-conference teams Wednesday. Offensive Player of the Year went to Kitty Cullen (McDonogh), Midfielder of the Year to Brittany Dashiell (John Carroll) and Defensive Player of the Year to Sam Farrell (Severna Park). Johns Hopkins freshman Dene' DiMartino was named Rookie of the Year. The No. 2 Gators (16-1), who are seeded first for the ALC tournament beginning Thursday at Johns Hopkins, also had the Goalie of the Year, Mikey Meagher, and the Coach of the Year, Amanda O'Leary.

North Carolina senior attackman Marcus Holman (Gilman) was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday. Holman is the 11th Tar Heel to earn ACC Player of the Year honors. He was chosen as the ACC tournament Most Valuable Player after tallying four goals and seven assists in two games. He has a league-leading 74 points this season, matching the third-most in a single season in North Carolina history, and he has the chance to be the first Tar Heel to finish the season atop the league in points per game since 1985.

Led by Gilman alumnus Marcus Holman , second-seeded North Carolina won its first Atlantic Coast Conference men's lacrosse tournament since 1996 by outlasting Virginia, 16-13, on Sunday in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels held at least a two-goal lead throughout the final 32 minutes in presenting coach Joe Breschi with his 150th career win. Holman, a senior attackman who was named tournament Most Valuable Player, finished the game with five assists. His school-record 29-game goal-scoring streak ended, but his five points lifted his career total to 207, breaking the school record of 204 set by Bruce Ledwith (1970-1973)

Each week, The Baltimore Sun publishes a Q&A with an area college lacrosse player to help you become more acquainted with the player and his/her team. Today's guest is Johns Hopkins midfielder Sarah Taylor, from Farnham, England. Taylor, who leads the Blue Jays in goals with 36, played for the Scottish national team in the 2007 under-19 world championships and for England in 2011. This summer, she will play for England in the elite World Cup. Taylor also has 23 draw controls and 17 ground balls for the Blue Jays, who visit Ohio State in the regular-season finale Sunday before hosting the American Lacrosse Conference tournament at Homewood Field beginning May 2. The junior is majoring in biology with a focus on pre-med.

Senior attacker Jasmine DePompeo scored the game-winning goal 41 seconds into double overtime as No. 12 Navy captured the Patriot League regular-season title by defeating American, 11-10, in Washington Sunday afternoon. The Midshipmen (16-1, 6-0 Patriot League) will host the four-team Patriot League tournament next weekend. The Mids took a 3-2 lead on goals by sophomore attacker Loren Generi, sophomore midfielder Casey Brown and junior attacker Aimee Gennaro. But the Eagles (8-9, 5-1)

The No. 2 Northwestern women's lacrosse team has a habit of handing out beat-downs, not taking them. But No. 4 host Florida used a fast-starting offense to build a big lead and win, 22-4, Saturday. The Wildcats (13-2, 4-1 American Lacrosse Conference), who have won seven NCAA championships in the past eight years, suffered their worst loss since the program returned to Division I 12 years ago. Florida also clinched a share of the American Lacrosse Conference regular-season crown for the third straight year.

The Johns Hopkins women upset No. 10 Penn State, 13-12, in the first round of the American Lacrosse Conference tournament Thursday in Gainesville Florida. Taylor D'Amore, the only Blue Jay to make the All-ALC first team, scored three goals and had five assists as the Blue Jays (9-8) won only their second game against a conference foe this spring. They finished 1-4 in the conference and were seeded last in the six-team field. On April 21, they fell to the Nittany Lions, 12-9, in State College.

The bracket for the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse tournament will expand from 16 teams to 26 effective with the 2013 championship. As a result, play-in games are eliminated, and the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Committee will recommend to the Division I Championships/Sports Management Cabinet at its September meeting that the following 13 conferences receive automatic qualifiers for the 2013 tournament: America East Conference ...

If Johns Hopkins coach Janine Tucker had any concerns that her team would suffer a letdown after last week's upset of then-No. 15 Virginia, she learned early against UMBC on Wednesday she needn't have worried. Hopkins looked every bit the national women's lacrosse power, holding the host Retrievers scoreless for the first 24:34 and building an early five-goal lead before cruising to an 11-5 win at UMBC Stadium. It could've been a trap game, with No. 6 Penn State coming to town Sunday for a critical conference contest.

Cori Murray scored the game-tying goal with 42 seconds left in regulation and the game-winner with 1:57 left in the second overtime as No. 10 Massachusetts (10-2, 2-0 Atlantic 10 Conference) extended its conference winning streak to 22 games with a 12-11 victory over Richmond. The Spiders fell to 3-9 and 0-2. No. 6 Notre Dame 16, Louisville 15, 2OT: Betsy Mastropieri scored three minutes into the second overtime to push the visiting Fighting Irish (9-0, 3-0 Big East Conference)