Bobby Benson

They began their collegiate careers on the bench, where freshmen typically reside, but Johns Hopkins attackmen Bobby Benson and Adam Doneger are no longer anonymous. When they take the field at the University of Maryland's Byrd Stadium as starters on Saturday in the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament semifinals against Syracuse, Benson and Doneger will be marked men on the main stage. "It's all starting to make sense now," Doneger said. "We're freshmen, and we're starting in the Final Four.

Dave Pietramala, a 1990 graduate of Johns Hopkins, enters his fourth season as head coach at his alma mater. Johns Hopkins finished with a 14-2 record and lost in the NCAA championship game to Virginia last year. Baltimoresun.com: What do you like about your team? Dave Pietramala: I like that we are more versatile in our ability to attack in different ways We're a little more athletic between the lines. We return all three face off guys from last season and that's an important piece of our puzzle.

It's not that Bobby and Joe Benson didn't talk about how great it would be to win a national championship., As kids growing up in Baltimore - lacrosse sticks never far out of reach - the Bensons had their dreams, too, yet in those dreams, glory for one sibling always seemed to come at the expense of the other. "I can remember a couple of conversations where we talked about going to different schools and beating each other. We never talked about playing on the same team," Bobby Benson said.

Baseball EXPOS: Activated P Claudio Vargas. ORIOLES: Purchased contract of OF Pedro Swann from Triple-A Ottawa. Transferred 1B David Segui from 15- to 60-day DL. MARINERS: Recalled IF Luis Ugueto from Double-A San Antonio. Basketball NETS: YankeeNets officially put team up for sale. Named two investment banks, Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers, to find buyers. College JOHNS HOPKINS: Junior G Gary Kane Jr. was named Centennial Conference soccer Player of the Week. MARYLAND: Suspended 44 members of men's and women's lacrosse teams for part or all of fall season after concluding investigation into allegations of underage drinking and hazing.

The United States began its quest for a sixth straight International Lacrosse Federation world championship by defeating the Iroquois Nationals, 21-6, yesterday in Perth, Australia. Attackman Kevin Lowe led the Americans with four goals. Ryan Boyle (Gilman) and Bobby Benson (McDonogh, Johns Hopkins) added three each. Former Loyola College All-American Gewas Schindler led the Iroquois Nationals with three goals. The U.S. team is scheduled to play tournament host Australia today at 4 a.m. eastern time in the second game of pool play.

Four former area high school standouts were among 23 players selected to represent the United States in the 2002 International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) World Championships. The championships will be contested July 6-14, 2002, in Perth, Australia. Princeton All-American Ryan Mollett and Syracuse All-American John Glatzel, both Boys' Latin grads, will reunite on Team USA's defense, which will also feature Maryland All-American Michael Howley. The attack unit will include Johns Hopkins' Bobby Benson (McDonogh)

Player of the YearBobby Benson, McDonogh: His incredible 129 points (63 goals, 66 assists ) included 5.8 points per game against league rivals -- 3.2 goals and 2.6 assists. The Johns Hopkins-bound attackman scored 323 career points (178 goals, 145 assists), which is believed to be a school-record. A four-year starter, Benson "had his best games in the biggest games," said coach Jake Reed, Nicknamed "The Garbage Man" for his scrappy play, Benson, 6 feet 5 and 180 pounds, will scoop up rebounds or loose balls for scores, intercept clearing passes by keepers or defenders or simply assist or take an assist.

When Johns Hopkins has the ball The Blue Jays have beaten opponents all year with tremendous scoring balance, and they will rely on numerous offensive threats in the face of a Syracuse defense that is inconsistent but talented, led by senior All-American defenseman Solomon Bliss. Six Hopkins players have scored at least 20 goals apiece, which is why the Blue Jays lead the nation in scoring offense (14.14) and extra-man offense (.473 on 35-for-74 shooting). Attackman Kyle Barrie, fully recovered from a thumb injury, brings a wicked shot with each hand from in close, while senior midfielder Adam Doneger pressures defenses from up top with a 15-yard shot as good as anyone's.

Jed Prossner McDonogh The 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior "played to exhaustion and left everything on the field," according to his coach, Jake Reed. "He's the best kid I've ever had." Prossner, who won the C. Markland Kelly Award given to the player considered the state's best in lacrosse, cracked a rib during an early-season victory over Calvert Hall, but not only did he persevere, he prevailed, leading McDonogh to a runner-up finish in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference tournament.

It's almost laughable to former U.S. national lacrosse team stalwart Zach Colburn that the rap on this year's American squad is that it is far too inexperienced. After all, one look at the team - which is in Perth, Australia, this week, looking to bring home Team USA's sixth straight International Lacrosse Federation world championship - shows four members of the 2001 NCAA champions and three from this year's winning team. Then there's the NCAA's reigning Player of the Year (Syracuse's Michael Powell)

When Johns Hopkins has the ball The Blue Jays have beaten opponents all year with tremendous scoring balance, and they will rely on numerous offensive threats in the face of a Syracuse defense that is inconsistent but talented, led by senior All-American defenseman Solomon Bliss. Six Hopkins players have scored at least 20 goals apiece, which is why the Blue Jays lead the nation in scoring offense (14.14) and extra-man offense (.473 on 35-for-74 shooting). Attackman Kyle Barrie, fully recovered from a thumb injury, brings a wicked shot with each hand from in close, while senior midfielder Adam Doneger pressures defenses from up top with a 15-yard shot as good as anyone's.

Whether the pressure was applied internally or externally, yesterday's NCAA tournament quarterfinal came down to the ability of the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team to deal with it. The Blue Jays felt the strain of being a No. 1 seed that was supposed to advance to the first final four being held in their hometown. They had to cope with a Towson team that likes to play at a faster pace. Hopkins handled both concerns remarkably well: It got goals from nine players and surged to a 14-6 romp over the Tigers in front of 4,416 at Towson University Stadium.

The ritual has been observed 184 times this college lacrosse season. Johns Hopkins scores a goal. Its band and fans recount the day's tally and ask for more. Fists are pumped on the sideline, but the celebration is muted at the core of the offense, where one of the tallest Blue Jays offers tips about what's coming next. Bobby Benson is the leading scorer on the most prolific Division I team in the nation. The gangly 6-foot-4 crease attackman has put up a career-high 33 goals, and the four-year starter out of McDonogh School will tell you that each was a gift from his teammates.

Johns Hopkins just wouldn't let Duke have the ball yesterday. The Blue Jays began playing keep-away at the start and held possession for the first 7:20 while getting the game's first 14 shots and four goals. Johns Hopkins pulled the same trick in the second quarter, holding the ball for 10 of the final 12 minutes and repeatedly breaking down the Blue Devils' defense. In perhaps its best all-around performance this season, top-ranked Hopkins took No. 10 Duke out of the game almost before it started and cruised to a 19-6 victory before 2,086 at Homewood Field.

The field has expanded and the championship site is new, but will Memorial Day maintain its orange glow? It would be no surprise if the first NCAA final four conducted off campus concludes May 26 at Ravens Stadium with a fourth straight title game pairing Princeton and Syracuse. The Orangemen, who have been to an incredible 20 straight final fours, have won two of the past three titles. Princeton ruled six times in the decade from 1992 to 2001. The field has expanded from 12 teams to 16, and will consist of seven league champions and nine at-large selections.

The United States began its quest for a sixth straight International Lacrosse Federation world championship by defeating the Iroquois Nationals, 21-6, yesterday in Perth, Australia. Attackman Kevin Lowe led the Americans with four goals. Ryan Boyle (Gilman) and Bobby Benson (McDonogh, Johns Hopkins) added three each. Former Loyola College All-American Gewas Schindler led the Iroquois Nationals with three goals. The U.S. team is scheduled to play tournament host Australia today at 4 a.m. eastern time in the second game of pool play.

When Dave Pietramala was introduced yesterday as the head coach of men's lacrosse at Johns Hopkins, those at the news conference kept speaking of a blur. They did so because less than two weeks ago, Hopkins intended to soldier on with their coach, John Haus, after a heartbreaking defeat to Syracuse in the national semifinals. The team - with locals such as Pat Miller and Bobby Benson - would choose its captains, and look to build on the two Final Fours it had achieved in the past two years.

Sophomore attack Bobby Benson (McDonogh) had three goals and an assist as the third-ranked Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team defeated Villanova, 11-7, last night at Homewood Field. The Blue Jays outscored the Wildcats 5-1 in the third quarter to spark the victory. It was the second straight win for Johns Hopkins (4-2) and extended its April winning streak to 25 games. The Blue Jays posted 6-0 records in April in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000. During the 25-game run, Hopkins has outscored the opposition 396-183.

It's almost laughable to former U.S. national lacrosse team stalwart Zach Colburn that the rap on this year's American squad is that it is far too inexperienced. After all, one look at the team - which is in Perth, Australia, this week, looking to bring home Team USA's sixth straight International Lacrosse Federation world championship - shows four members of the 2001 NCAA champions and three from this year's winning team. Then there's the NCAA's reigning Player of the Year (Syracuse's Michael Powell)

It's not that Bobby and Joe Benson didn't talk about how great it would be to win a national championship., As kids growing up in Baltimore - lacrosse sticks never far out of reach - the Bensons had their dreams, too, yet in those dreams, glory for one sibling always seemed to come at the expense of the other. "I can remember a couple of conversations where we talked about going to different schools and beating each other. We never talked about playing on the same team," Bobby Benson said.