Hopkins

The Towson men's lacrosse team (10-7) withstood a rally from No. 9 host Penn State (12-4) to win, 11-10, and claim its first Colonial Athletic Association title since 2005 on Friday. The victory gave the Tigers the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The Nittany Lions (12-4) outscored Towson 4-3 in the fourth quarter as it tried to rally from an 8-6 deficit. The game was tightly contested until late in the second quarter and into the third, when the Tigers (10-7)

No. 13 Johns Hopkins wrapped up the regular season with a 9-4 victory over Army Friday night and improved to 9-5. But the program's hopes for a 42nd consecutive NCAA tournament  appearance absorbed another sustained hit that same night. No. 2 Cornell was upended, 14-13, in overtime by No. 12 Princeton in one semifinal of the Ivy League tournament at Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y. The Tigers (9-5) will meet No. 14 Yale (10-4) in Sunday's title game after the Bulldogs defeated No. 18 Penn.

In just a few hours, No. 13 Johns Hopkins will take the field at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y., for its regular-season finale against Army. But the Blue Jays' bid for an appearance in its 42nd consecutive NCAA tournament  suffered a blow via the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. Towson upset No. 9 Penn State, 11-10, in Friday's conference tournament final at University Park, Pa. The win secured the Tigers' first CAA tournament championship since 2007, which was also the last time they appeared in the NCAA tournament.

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.

Edward L. "Mac" McDill, former chairman of the Johns Hopkins University's sociology department who was also the founding director of the Hopkins Center for Social Organization of Schools, died April 25 of prostate cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. The Mays Chapel resident was 82. "Mac was a friend and a mentor. He was the pillar of the department and held it together when we went through some pretty rough times," said Karl Alexander, who succeeded Dr. McDill as department chair.

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)

There has been plenty of speculation that Johns Hopkins won't make the NCAA lacrosse tournament, but I don't see that happening. As long as the Blue Jays (8-5) beat Army this weekend, they'll get in. Remember, this is still Hopkins we're talking about here. The Hopkins name is synonymous with the sport. The Blue Jays have some lightweights on the schedule, but they still play Maryland, Navy, Loyola, North Carolina, Syracuse and Princeton. That's a very tough schedule. This might be a "down" year for Hopkins, but the Blue Jays will rebound.

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.

Towson's 11-8 upset of No. 15 Drexel in one semifinal of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament Wednesday evening means the Tigers will meet No. 9 Penn State in the title game on Friday and get a chance to seize the automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament. The outcome may also have opened the door a little wider for No. 13 Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays (8-5) are rated 17th in RPI in the latest rankings produced by the NCAA. The Dragons (11-4) are two spots ahead of Johns Hopkins but could slide down when the RPI list is updated this weekend for the NCAA selection committee.

Three Baltimore-area women at Florida received top honors when the American Lacrosse Conference announced its position players of the year and all-conference teams Wednesday. Offensive Player of the Year went to Kitty Cullen (McDonogh), Midfielder of the Year to Brittany Dashiell (John Carroll) and Defensive Player of the Year to Sam Farrell (Severna Park). Johns Hopkins freshman Dene' DiMartino was named Rookie of the Year. The No. 2 Gators (16-1), who are seeded first for the ALC tournament beginning Thursday at Johns Hopkins, also had the Goalie of the Year, Mikey Meagher, and the Coach of the Year, Amanda O'Leary.