Dave Cottle

The Chesapeake Bayhawks improved their credibility and that of Major League Lacrosse on Thursday, naming former Maryland lacrosse coach Dave Cottle their new coach. "It's the ideal situation, a no-brainer for me," said owner Brendan Kelly, who hired Cottle two years ago as a consultant and assistant coach and named him president in January 2011. "Dave's track record speaks for itself. To have him stay on board — with Dave's name out there for every college vacancy — was my goal.

Et cetera Bayhawks activate three, including Grant The Chesapeake Bayhawks activated high-scoring attackman John Grant Jr. and long-stick midfielder John Orsen , whose indoor seasons ended Saturday. Chesapeake also activated former Virginia goalkeeper Kip Turner , the 2010 Major League Lacrosse Goalie of the Year, who was unavailable for the first two games of the season. Grant is a former MLL Most Valuable Player and three-time Offensive Player of the Year.

The selection committee's decision to award the No. 1 seed to Loyola Sunday night was the first time the program had earned that seed since 1999. That year, the Greyhounds went 12-0 as the only undefeated team in Division I, but fell to No. 8 seed Syracuse, 17-12, in the quarterfinals. The coach of that squad was Dave Cottle, and the current coach of the Chesapeake Bayhawks of the Major League Lacrosse relived the memory of that loss during a phone interview Tuesday. “I know in '99, we were devastated that we were the only undefeated team in the country and we had to play the winner of Syracuse-Princeton at Princeton,” Cottle said.

The selection committee's decision to award the No. 1 seed to Loyola Sunday night was the first time the program had earned that seed since 1999. That year, the Greyhounds went 12-0 as the only undefeated team in Division I, but fell to No. 8 seed Syracuse, 17-12, in the quarterfinals. The coach of that squad was Dave Cottle, and the current coach of the Chesapeake Bayhawks of the Major League Lacrosse relived the memory of that loss during a phone interview Tuesday. “I know in '99, we were devastated that we were the only undefeated team in the country and we had to play the winner of Syracuse-Princeton at Princeton,” Cottle said.

The national championship game was over, and it had been over for more than 30 minutes Monday, but Maryland senior long-stick midfielder Brian Farrell had not yet found the strength to remove his jersey, or his shoulder pads, for the final time. Deep inside M&T Bank Stadium, he sat in front of his locker with his elbows pressed to his knees and rubbed his hands together. His eyes never left the carpet. Some of Farrell's teammates were milling about, slowly removing their socks and gloves as they wiped away tears and tried absorb the disappointment of Maryland's 9-7 loss to Virginia, but Farrell wasn't ready to move.

Truth be told, life didn't change all that much for Dave Cottle in the two years after his last game as Maryland's men's lacrosse coach. It just became somewhat inverted. With his schedule suddenly open, sure, he finally got to see his son, Sean, play more of the sport he coached for nine seasons in College Park and another 19 at Loyola. And, yes, he can speak from experience these days when he jokes about knowing what it's like to go in for a Saturday morning oil change. (“I've never done that, that whole weekend thing,” he said.)

Dave Cottle is in his third season at Maryland as head coach. The Terps finished 12-4 last year and lost in the NCAA semifinals. Baltimoresun.com: What have you learned about your team during preseason? Dave Cottle: I think we're an older and more mature team on the defensve end of the field. Looks like we'll start three seniors on defense: Lee Zink, Dave Wagner (Severna Park) and Chris Passavia. Seniors Drew Virk and Paul Gillette (Severna Park) return at short stick defense and we have junior Tyler Hereth at long pole.

Sean Cottle turned 1 last Saturday. The cake and candles haven't come out yet because Sean's father has been busy with his 16-year-old, the Loyola College lacrosse program that could come of age this weekend.The NCAA semifinals will be held today at Rutgers, and come Monday's championship game, the Greyhounds could accomplish what seemed preposterous when Dave Cottle took over at Evergreen in 1983.Can Loyola take that final step, and win a national championship? The NCAA thinks so. It made the Greyhounds the No. 1 seed in this year's tournament.

COLLEGE PARK - Dave Cottle anticipates a long marriage with the Maryland lacrosse team. The honeymoon? Can't we discuss less delicate matters? Cottle's hiring was a lacrosse gossip's dream. Mike LaMonica and Mike Mollot, two of the Terps' top offensive players, say his reputation as an offensive guru preceded him, but ringing endorsements are not what met Cottle last September when Maryland lacrosse went from the Big Man to the big stink. Three weeks after Dick Edell, a.k.a. the Big Man, announced his retirement after 18 years in charge at Maryland, the university hired Cottle, the one candidate players had lobbied against.

SALISBURY -- Since lacrosse coach Jim Berkman arrived at Salisbury State in 1989, the Sea Gulls have gone 75-13. For the third time in four years, they have finished the regular season as the top-ranked team in Division III. They are making their sixth straight trip to the NCAA tournament, playing host to Washington College today.But the Sea Gulls have never won the national title, and there is a sense of urgency this season. Next year, Hobart -- winner of 20 consecutive Division III titles -- will step up to Division I. Any championship won after this season may include the footnote A.H. -- After Hobart.

Kyle Dixon of the Chesapeake Bayhawks changed his jersey number before Saturday's home opener in tribute to a long-time friend who died last week. Dixon switched from No. 11 to 5 and then paid his friend another tribute on the field against the Ohio Machine. The former Virginia All-American scored four goals - including three 2-pointers - and added three assists in a 10-point night that helped Chesapeake to a 23-11 victory over Ohio before a franchise-record 10,152 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

T.C. DiBartolo wasn't sure whether to send the email. Mount St. Mary's starting goalie for four years, he thought his career was finished after the Mountaineers' season ended last spring. DiBartolo wondered about playing in Major League Lacrosse before deciding to electronically pitch his services to the Chesapeake Bayhawks. "I debated if it was politically correct or right to send it," DiBartolo said. "I didn't really expect to get picked. But it all worked out. " The Bayhawks selected DiBartolo in the 16th round of the December's supplemental draft.

Truth be told, life didn't change all that much for Dave Cottle in the two years after his last game as Maryland's men's lacrosse coach. It just became somewhat inverted. With his schedule suddenly open, sure, he finally got to see his son, Sean, play more of the sport he coached for nine seasons in College Park and another 19 at Loyola. And, yes, he can speak from experience these days when he jokes about knowing what it's like to go in for a Saturday morning oil change. (“I've never done that, that whole weekend thing,” he said.)

The Chesapeake Bayhawks improved their credibility and that of Major League Lacrosse on Thursday, naming former Maryland lacrosse coach Dave Cottle their new coach. "It's the ideal situation, a no-brainer for me," said owner Brendan Kelly, who hired Cottle two years ago as a consultant and assistant coach and named him president in January 2011. "Dave's track record speaks for itself. To have him stay on board — with Dave's name out there for every college vacancy — was my goal.

Major League Lacrosse Report: Cottle to be named Bayhawks coach The Bayhawks will hold a news conference today at 10 a.m. to announce their choice to replace Brendan Kelly as coach. Inside Lacrosse magazine is reporting that the Major League Lacrosse team has selected assistant coach and team president Dave Cottle , a former men's lacrosse coach at Maryland and Loyola College. Kelly, who owns the team, stepped down last month. Cottle, a Salisbury graduate, spent 19 years coaching at Loyola College, leading the Greyhounds to 181 wins and 14 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament.

Rookie Brian Phipps turned in an improbable performance between the pipes in the first half of the Chesapeake Bayhawks' game against Boston last Saturday. A Maryland and Severn graduate, Phipps stopped 11 shots, holding the Cannons to a lone goal in the first quarter and propelling his team to a 7-6 halftime advantage. Unfortunately for Phipps, Boston responded with an equally unlikely second-half surge. The Cannons reeled off 11 goals in the game's final 28 minutes while holding the Bayhawks to just two. Phipps finished the day with 16 saves, a new personal best and the most stops by a Chesapeake netminder this year.

Members of the lacrosse community recalled the former Naval Academy player killed in Afghanistan this week as a tough player who, with his teammate brothers, was a respected competitor. Brendan Looney, 29, a Silver Spring native, was among nine U.S. military personnel killed in a helicopter crash Tuesday in southern Afghanistan. He was a lieutenant in the Navy SEALs and a 2004 Naval Academy graduate, according to the Military Times website. "When you played the Naval Academy, you always felt the presence of the Looneys on the field," said former University of Maryland men's lacrosse coach Dave Cottle, who lives in Edgewater.

Former Maryland and Loyola coach Dave Cottle has joined the Chesapeake Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse as a consultant, president Brendan Kelly announced Monday. Kelly, who took on the role of coach last week, said Cottle would advise the staff on topics ranging from player evaluation to game strategies. "This is huge for the Bayhawks, and it's huge for Major League Lacrosse," Kelly said. "We are fortunate that someone with Dave Cottle's expertise is willing to dedicate his time.

Rookie Brian Phipps turned in an improbable performance between the pipes in the first half of the Chesapeake Bayhawks' game against Boston last Saturday. The Maryland and Severn product stopped 11 shots, holding the Cannons to a lone goal in the first quarter and propelling his team to a 7-6 halftime advantage. Unfortunately for Phipps, Boston responded with an equally unlikely second-half surge. The Cannons held the Bayhawks to two goals over the game's final 28 minutes, in the meantime reeling off 11 goals.

The national championship game was over, and it had been over for more than 30 minutes Monday, but Maryland senior long-stick midfielder Brian Farrell had not yet found the strength to remove his jersey, or his shoulder pads, for the final time. Deep inside M&T Bank Stadium, he sat in front of his locker with his elbows pressed to his knees and rubbed his hands together. His eyes never left the carpet. Some of Farrell's teammates were milling about, slowly removing their socks and gloves as they wiped away tears and tried absorb the disappointment of Maryland's 9-7 loss to Virginia, but Farrell wasn't ready to move.