Attackman

Grant Catalino broke out of what some might consider a mini-slump at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament last weekend, but the Maryland senior attackman said he never thought of it as a slump. "Not at all," he said. "The way our team is playing right now, anybody can have a big game. We're not a one player-dominated team. I don't necessarily have to score four goals in a game or have five points for our team to win. Players like [junior midfielder] Joe Cummings and [senior attackman]

At times, Ben DeLuca is like so many opposing defensemen who are caught watching Cornell fifth-year senior attackman Rob Pannell's wizardry. Unlike those defensemen, however, DeLuca, who is the head coach of the Big Red, is not tasked with guarding Pannell. “Sometimes I definitely catch myself watching in awe some of the things that he does and some of the plays that he makes,” DeLuca said after Pannell recorded a game-high seven points on four goals and three assists in the team's 16-8 upset of sixth-seeded Maryland in the first round of the NCAA tournament Sunday.

Wherever he goes, Maryland senior attackman Ryan Young is reminded of his mother. Maria Young died on April 17 after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. A quick trip to a local convenience store in College Park recalled the bottles of water and sports drinks that Maria Young devoured during her stay at a hospital near the family's home in Manhassett, N.Y. An encounter with a cardinal while leaving a class brought back the memory of a framed drawing of the bird above Maria Young's hospital bed. But rather than depress him, Ryan Young said those prompts have revived the cherished moments he spent with his mother before her death.

Scoring goals behind his back or behind his head comes naturally for Maryland's Jay Carlson. He was taught to shoot every way possible by his father Chip, who played at Johns Hopkins. “When I was younger, my dad told me to score however you can,” the sophomore attackman recalled Tuesday afternoon. “I remember playing in the backyard and my dad just fed me and I was just kind of having fun with it and it ended up working pretty well for me. So I just kept it going. It can be risky, but I just try to get it in the goal when I can.” As the No. 9 and sixth-seeded Terps (10-3)

Seventeen days ago, Adam Pomper seemed to have it all. His lacrosse team, Loyola University, had just defeated Maryland for its first NCAA Division I championship. And though Pomper, a freshman attackman, didn't see action, his entire family had driven to Foxborough, Mass., to root for the Greyhounds and cheer on the youngest son of a lacrosse-playing clan from Long Island. “We all tailgated, after the game, and Adam was in the spotlight,” said Max Pomper, 24, his brother and captain of Virginia's 2009 lacrosse team.

Each week, The Baltimore Sun publishes a Q&A with a college lacrosse player or coach to get you more acquainted with the player and his/her team. Today's guest is North Carolina senior attackman Marcus Holman , who leads the team in goals (18) and assists (14), and is an early candidate to be named a Tewaaraton Award finalist. Holman, a Baltimore native and Gilman graduate who recorded 39 goals and 35 assists last season, will lead the No. 10 Tar Heels (4-3) into Saturday's game with Atlantic Coast Conference rival and top-ranked Maryland (6-0)

Conventional wisdom suggests that No. 3 Cornell's bid for its first national championship since 1977 took a serious blow with the news on Tuesday from InsideLacrosse.com that senior attackman Rob Pannell could miss as much as six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his left foot. But don't count on the Big Red players falling into that line of thinking. “We're disappointed in the loss, but I think we're also excited as a group because we can show everyone what we do have,” junior defenseman Jason Noble said.

Watch Maryland attackman Matt Hahn. The Towson State defense surely will.For the past two years, No. 7-ranked Maryland and No. 14 Towson State have engaged in brutal, close lacrosse games. And for the past two years, Hahn has proved to be the difference.Today, the Terrapins enter Minnegan Stadium with an out-of-sync attack, a banged-up defense, their top faceoff specialist sidelined and a goalkeeper still adjusting to a starter's role.L It's time for Hahn to step up once again -- and he knows it."

Johns Hopkins junior attackman Dan Denihan has trudged through seasons of unrealistic hype and expectations. And he actually invites the tremendous pressure of drawing one of the opposition's top defensemen.Yet oddly enough, the turning point of Denihan's career occurred when he gave all of this up.The sport that he had played for 13 consecutive springs pushed aside.The school where he had always dreamed of playing a distant and painful memory down the turnpike.After two up-and-down seasons with the Blue Jays, Denihan decided to withdraw from Hopkins last spring, a resolution made after an off-campus altercation which he declined to talk about specifically.

Sometime in the near future, Loyola needs to hang a portrait of attackman Eric Lusby in the hallways of Ridley Athletic Complex with his elbows away from his body, arms extended and ready to shoot. That's what we kept seeing here all weekend -- Lusby showing that perfect form and finishing goal after goal after goal. Lusby wasn't just hot in championship weekend; he was phenomenal throughout the NCAA Division I tournament, setting a record with 17 goals in four games. He mesmerized the announced 30,816 at Gillette Stadium again Monday, scoring four more goals as No. 1 seed Loyola defeated unseeded Maryland, 9-3, in the national championship game.

After Saturday's contest at No. 11 Maryland, Colgate will retire to the offseason, and senior attackman Peter Baum will graduate and begin the next stage of his life. One of his pursuits would be to help continue the growth of lacrosse in his native state of Oregon. The Portland native refined his talent at Lincoln High School and with the West Coast Starz. The first player west of the Mississippi River to win the Tewaaraton Award, Baum is one of several Division I players from Oregon, including Drexel senior midfielder Aaron Prosser and Syracuse redshirt sophomore midfielder Henry Schoonmaker.

Friday's editions included a Q&A with Johns Hopkins sophomore attackman Wells Stanwick. Due to space constraints, here are some more answers from the Baltimore native and Boys' Latin graduate that did not make the cut. How does it feel to be the quarterback of the offense from behind the net? It's definitely something that I've always wanted to do. It's just kind of the position that I play. You always want to control the game from there, and I'm trying to get better at it. I'm probably not exactly there yet, and I'm working on it and trying to be more of a leader on the offensive end as the year goes on and into next year.

Each week, The Baltimore Sun publishes a Q&A with a college lacrosse player or coach to get you more acquainted with the player and his/her team. Today's guest is Johns Hopkins sophomore attackman Wells Stanwick, who leads the team in assists with 22 and points with 45. The Baltimore native and Boys' Latin graduate entered the week ranked fourth in Division I in shooting percentage (.500). After Saturday's 8-4 loss to then-No. 7 Loyola, the No. 13 Blue Jays (8-5) are in danger of missing the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1971, the debut of the event.

Senior Zach Palmer returned to No. 13 Johns Hopkins after sitting out two games with an undisclosed injury and finished with zero points on four shots in Saturday's 8-4 loss to then-No. 7 Loyola. But rather than take up his usual spot on attack with sophomore Wells Stanwick and junior Brandon Benn, Palmer ran with seniors John Ranagan and John Greeley as members of the second midfield. Senior John Kaestner made his third consecutive start with Stanwick and Benn for the Blue Jays (8-5)

For Peter Baum, winning the Tewaaraton Award last year was a life-changer - both good and bad. When the Colgate attackman was named the top college player in June after an impressive junior season in which he racked up 67 goals and 30 assists, he called the honor "one of the proudest moments of my life. " Amid his struggles a season later, it would dawn on Baum why only one player has won the Tewaaraton twice since it was first awarded in 2001. "It's funny the way you look at it because this is an award that only one person has won twice.

Mike Sawyer never went anywhere. The Loyola senior attackman may have blended into the background because of the development of junior attackman Justin Ward (team-leading 28 assists and 54 points) and the play of the team's defense, but aside from sitting out two games due to an undisclosed injury, he toiled away. But Sawyer, a 2012 Tewaaraton Award finalist and a nominee again this year, picked an opportune to re-establish himself on the national scene. His three goals powered the No. 7 Greyhounds to an 8-4 victory over No. 13 Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field in Baltimore Saturday.

LOWELL, Mass. -- The Bayhawks added a little scoring punch to their lineup yesterday when they made Hofstra attackman Tom Kessler their first-round pick in the Major League Lacrosse college draft. "We're excited that Tom was still available," said Bayhawks co-coach Craig Campbell, whose team will begin its second season Thursday. Kessler, who was the No. 6 choice in the draft, headed a list of five selections by the Bayhawks in the draft, which was held on the Cawley Stadium turf as part of the MLL's annual Warrior Challenge fan event.

During any game, Navy attackman Tim Paul might exchange a few words with coach Richie Meade on the sideline. The discussion can be animated, even heated at times, but always ends with Paul having a great deal of respect for Meade. Paul is a rebel, but one with a clue. His game matches his outgoing personality. He is extremely fast, shifty and accurate. He can beat a defense in many ways. And he isn't afraid to take risks, which sometimes draws criticism from Meade. "I think one of my strengths is being able to push Coach Meade's buttons a little bit," said Paul, a Loyola High graduate from Parkton.

Cory Dobyns has sat out Towson's past two contests, and the sophomore attackman's status could remain the same for Saturday night's regular-season finale against St. Joseph's at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson. Tigers coach Shawn Nadelen said Dobyns remains a game-time decision as he continues to deal with an unspecified injury suffered in a 9-5 victory over Massachusetts on April 6. The team has already clinched the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Colonial Athletic Association tournament and could elect to rest Dobyns for another weekend, but Nadelen said if Dobyns is available, he will play.

Senior attackman Zach Palmer and senior midfielder John Greeley sat out No. 13 Johns Hopkins' 15-4 thrashing of Navy on Saturday, and their status for this Saturday's regular-season home finale against No. 7 Loyola remains unresolved. Palmer, who is tied for second on the Blue Jays (8-4) in assists (12) and ranked third in points (24), has been sidelined for the team's last two games after sustaining an undisclosed injury during practice on April 10. His absence has been mitigated by the play of senior John Kaestner, who has totaled five goals and three assists in two starts for Palmer.