Division Iii

Frostburg Coach: Megan Foy (first season) 2011 record: 4-13 overall, 3-5 league Conference: Capital Athletic Conference The Baltimore Sun's take: The Bobcats will rely heavily on Malory Brunett (River Hill), who was named 2011 CAC Rookie of the Year after scoring 36 goals, and Ali Kapustin (Marriots Ridge), who scored a team-leading 57 points (36 goals, 21 assists) last season. Cianna Lawrence (Century), another All-Conference pick, finished fifth in the CAC in caused turnovers (25)

With nine national championships in 13 attempts, Salisbury's run of postseason success is eclipsed only by Hobart's record of 13 NCAA titles in 14 tournament final appearances. Sunday's title contest against SUNY-Cortland will be the third consecutive year in which the Sea Gulls have reached the NCAA championship game, but just getting there is not enough for a few players. “We all know what it takes,” senior midfielder Sam Bradman said. “We know it's not anything if we just make it there.

Thursday's entry is the final installment of a week-long series taking a look at each of the eight Division III programs in this state according to their order of finish from last season. The Sun's lacrosse preview is slated to be published on Friday, Feb. 17. This is Salisbury's turn. Overview: The Sea Gulls added another chapter to their storied history by capturing their ninth national championship last spring. The team won 21 of 22 contests and avenged a 9-6 loss to Tufts by blasting the Jumbos, 19-7, in the NCAA Tournament final.

When Salisbury and SUNY-Cortland meet Sunday in the NCAA Division III men's lacrosse final at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., there might be no one on the field as emotional as Sam Bradman. The senior midfielder is always excited when he steps onto the field for a game, but in recent years, he has been able to tone it down and save his energy for scoring goals and making plays. But Bradman is still vulnerable to letting his emotions get the best of him. For instance, in last Sunday's 7-2 victory over Stevenson in the semifinal round, Bradman was flagged for a one-minute unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty after scoring a goal to give the Sea Gulls a 3-0 lead with 6:59 left in the third quarter.

Wednesday's entry is the seventh installment of a weeklong series taking a look at each of the eight Division III programs in this state according to their order of finish from last season. The Sun's lacrosse preview is slated to be published Friday. This is Stevenson's turn. Overview: The Mustangs went 18-3 in 2011, capping a stretch of 54 wins and seven losses in their past three years. But for the third consecutive season, the team's road in the playoffs ended short of the NCAA tournament final.

The semifinal round of the Division III men's lacrosse NCAA tournament is over, and the championship final for Sunday is set. Here is the schedule: Sunday, May 27 (at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.) SUNY-Cortland (21-0) vs. Salisbury (22-0), 4 p.m. A little history: The all-time series between these two programs is split 5-5. Salisbury has won the last three meetings and is 3-2 against SUNY-Cortland in the NCAA tournament. The Sea Gulls won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2007 and 2008 against the Red Dragons.

Johns Hopkins senior center fielder Dave Kahn was named the d3baseball.com National Player of the Year and landed a spot on the All-America first team with two teammates: graduate student and second baseman Brian Youchak and sophomore pitcher Sam Eagleson. Blue Jays junior outfielder Jesse Sikorski made the second team, and senior catcher John Swarr was selected to the third team.

State teams at a glance Frostburg State Coach: Rubin Stevenson (fourth year) Last year: 6-5, 3-0 Conference: Atlantic Central Football Top returning players: QB Grant Burrough, TE Roy Olson, WR Adam Snyder, OL Jason Cutsail, LB Andy Wilson, DB Bryan Simms, DE Kevin Culbert, LB Chris Lentz Outlook: Burrough, who seems to break a passing record every time he steps onto the field, figures to put more than enough points on the scoreboard to win a...

Jimmy Dailey, a fifth-year senior attackman, has always had the speed, the stick and the skills. Evan Douglass, his teammate on the Stevenson men's lacrosse team, can attest to that. But when Dailey began to add muscle to his lithe frame and get more physical in practice, Douglass realized that Dailey was evolving as a player. "He'll lower his shoulder and get into me a little more, and that kind of catches me off guard because I'm not used to that from him," said Douglass, who is not exactly a wallflower at 6 feet and 185 pounds.

Salisbury coach Jim Berkman is fond of saying that it's fitting for the only two undefeated teams in Division III - the Sea Gulls (22-0) and SUNY-Cortland (21-0) - to meet in Sunday's NCAA tournament final at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Tyler Granelli has an entirely different motive. The junior faceoff specialist was cut by the Red Dragons in the fall of 2010 after compiling six points and 11 groundballs in 14 games as a freshman in 2009. Granelli elected to transfer to Salisbury and after sitting out 2010 to rehabilitate a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, he has won 66.0 percent (446-of-676)

Salisbury's defensive display in Sunday's 7-2 victory over Stevenson in an NCAA tournament semifinal at Sea Gull Stadium in Salisbury helped that unit overtake Cabrini as the stingiest defense in Division III, surrendering just 4.8 goals per game thus far. One reason why opponents are having trouble scoring on the Sea Gulls is that their man-down defense is nearly as imposing. That unit ranks sixth in the nation after allowing opposing offenses to score on just 13.6 percent (19-of-140)

Salisbury will meet SUNY-Cortland in Sunday's NCAA tournament final with an unblemished 22-0 record, a 29-game winning streak and a history that includes capturing nine national championships including last year's crown. Perhaps as a reward for their season, the Sea Gulls led all Division III programs by placing seven players on the All-American first team as published by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association ( via Inside Lacrosse). Senior Matt Cannone, who leads the country in assists (64)

The semifinal round of the Division III men's lacrosse NCAA tournament is over, and the championship final for Sunday is set. Here is the schedule: Sunday, May 27 (at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.) SUNY-Cortland (21-0) vs. Salisbury (22-0), 4 p.m. A little history: The all-time series between these two programs is split 5-5. Salisbury has won the last three meetings and is 3-2 against SUNY-Cortland in the NCAA tournament. The Sea Gulls won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2007 and 2008 against the Red Dragons.

The Salisbury men's lacrosse team has a defense that doesn't get as much attention - or respect - as the offense. That might change after sophomore goalkeeper Alex Taylor made a game-high 19 saves and the defense limited visiting Stevenson to its lowest output in eight years in a 7-2 victory in an NCAA tournament semifinal before an announced 500 at Sea Gull Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The reigning national champion Sea Gulls (22-0) will seek their 10th title when they meet SUNY Cortland in Sunday's title game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

The most prominent storyline of Wednesday night's NCAA tournament quarterfinal between visiting Cabrini and No. 1 seed Salisbury involves the Cavaliers' top-ranked defense against the Sea Gulls' top-ranked offense. Another thread figures to be the battle on faceoffs between Cabrini freshman Anthony DiNenno and Salisbury junior Tyler Granelli. DiNenno ranks first in Division I with a 69.6 percentage (211-of-303). Granelli isn't far behind, ranking third with a 68.4 percentage (210-of-307)

Stevenson has had a tradition of turning out high-powered offenses, but it has been the defense that has carried the Mustangs this season . And the unit delivered again Saturday night as Stevenson defeated visiting Gettysburg, 13-6, in a second round Division III playoff game. Stevenson's defensemen Parker Bratton , Kyle Holecheck, Kyle Fendlay, Matthew Schenck and midfielders Ryan Rubenstein and Warren Pumphrey dominated the Bullets, and kept another team under six goals or less for the 13th time this season.