Berkman

Wednesday night, Salisbury's Jim Berkman became the first college men's lacrosse coach to amass 400 victories in a career after his team trounced Mary Washington, 16-8. Berkman, who is 400-42 in 25 years, is understandably honored at the accomplishment, but he is even happier to celebrate a clean bill of health. Berkman suffered a mild heart attack while working out at his gym March 11. After having two stents inserted to remove a blockage in one of the arteries, he was permitted to return to the top-ranked and reigning national champion Sea Gulls eight days later.

Prior to this season, Salisbury had wrapped up the regular season with a finale against local rival Washington just a week before its opening game in the NCAA tournament. But this spring, the annual War on the Shore series was shifted to the weekend prior to the Capital Athletic Conference tournament, which wrapped up April 28. That means that the Sea Gulls (19-0) will have a two-week break before playing the winner of Goucher-Washington in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday.

The Cardinals opened the winter looking to upgrade at least two of the three infield spots alongside Albert Pujols but haven't done anything more significant that importing Ryan Theriot to replace shortstop Brendan Ryan. Cardinals pitchers will miss Ryan's fielding, just as they may wonder how general manager John Mozeliak could have signed Lance Berkman to play the outfield. … The Twins made a good move re-signing Jim Thome, as Justin Morneau remains an unknown in his comeback from postconcussion syndrome.

Now that Salisbury secured one of the few coveted at-large berths in the NCAA tournament, Jim Berkman feels secure enough to stand on a limb and proclaim that the team can win the national championship for the third consecutive year and the 11th time in the program's history. Sounds crazy? Maybe, but aside from SUNY-Cortland, the top seed in the North region, and Dickinson, the top seed in the South, no other team in the field has less than two losses. “The crazy thing about this is, I really believe that we can still win the whole tournament,” the Sea Gulls coach said Monday morning.

Winning national championships has become synonymous with Salisbury, but Sunday's 14-10 victory over SUNY-Cortland in the NCAA tournament final might be the most poignant one for the players and coach Jim Berkman. Berkman suffered a mild heart attack while working out at his local gym March 11. After having two stents inserted to remove a blockage in one of the arteries, he was permitted to return to the team eight days later. In the aftermath of what has been a whirlwind journey, Berkman reflected on the path to the program's 10th national title during his post-game comments at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

It's been a long time since Salisbury hasn't entered a season ranked atop the preseason polls, but that's the scenario facing the 10-time national champion this spring. The Sea Gulls, who have captured the last two NCAA titles, are ranked No. 3 in polls compiled by both Inside Lacrosse and Lacrosse Magazine. Inside Lacrosse has Stevenson, Salisbury's former rival in the Capital Athletic Conference, ranked No. 1 and SUNY-Cortland, the team the Sea Gulls beat in last year's NCAA tournament final, No. 2. Lacrosse Magazine has Cortland at No. 1 and Stevenson at No. 2. It's an unfamiliar position for Salisbury, but considering that the team graduated six starters - including its entire starting attack - from last season's squad, coach Jim Berkman said he understands.

SALISBURY -- Being called a second-half team is not an insult to Salisbury men's lacrosse. That's not to say that the Sea Gulls, ranked No. 1 in Division III by Inside Lacrosse, overlook the importance of the first half. Rather, it's a recognition of the mastery of their coach, Jim Berkman. A week ago, Salisbury walked into halftime with a three-goal cushion against No. 10 Villa Julie in the Capital Athletic Conference tournament. In the locker room, Berkman adjusted the offense to feature a two-man game between senior midfielder Bruce Richardson and sophomore midfielder Mike Von Kamecke, both of whom were marked by short-stick defensive midfielders.

Salisbury's 7-6 double-overtime loss to Washington & Lee Wednesday might raise the panic meter surrounding the 10-time national champion, which is 1-2 for the first time and under .500 for the first time since 1989. But coach Jim Berkman said that the Sea Gulls' two-game losing streak is just a minor hiccup for the program. “There are 17 games in the lacrosse season. We just played three, and we've lost two games by a goal - one in double overtime. I don't panic,” Berkman said Thursday morning.

Salisbury's 13-12 loss to No. 9 Lynchburg Saturday will surely result in the 10-time reigning national champion falling from its No. 1 ranking in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) preseason poll when it is eventually updated. The setback also ended a 31-game winning streak for the Sea Gulls, who had previously lost, 16-12, to Stevenson on April 16, 2011. As far as coach Jim Berkman is concerned though, the loss isn't exactly stunning considering how graduation sapped the team of six starters from last season's squad that went 23-0.

Loyola's Charley Toomey was named the recipient of the F. Morris Touchstone Award as the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division I Coach of the Year, while Salisbury's Jim Berkman was named the top coach in Division III for the third time, the association announced today at the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association convention at the Marriott Waterfront hotel in Baltimore. Toomey guided the Greyhounds to an 18-1 record and the school's first-ever NCAA Division I championship in 2012 after Loyola started the year unranked in many preseason polls.