Maryvale

Maryvale's rise to the top of the Catholic League B Division hasn't exactly been a case of worst-to-first, but it comes close.With a 2-1 victory over Roland Park yesterday, the Lions went from a 1-12 team to an unbeaten team on the verge of a championship in just one season.All the Lions (11-0-1) must do to clinch the B Division nTC regular-season championship is win one of their final two games. That appears likely, since they already have beaten those opponents, Severn and Bryn Mawr, by a combined score of 9-0.Roland Park (10-2 overall, 9-2 division)

Winner Brittany Stein threw a two-hitter, giving up one run and one walk and striking out three as No. 8 C. Milton Wright beat host Perryville, 2-1, on Thursday. The Mustangs (5-0) scored twice in the fifth inning. Olivia Meadowcroft and Lindsay Resnik each singled and scored on a throwing error. Girls lacrosse No. 4 Notre Dame Prep 13, Maryvale 9: Sydney Peterson scored six goals and Covie Stanwick had a goal and five assists to power the Blazers (5-2)

After an uninspired effort in last week's loss to St. Stephen's/St. Agnes, Maryvale's girls lacrosse team realized something had to change before next week's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland tournament. That change showed on the road yesterday as the No. 2 Lions charged out to an early lead and cruised past No. 7 Roland Park, 9-4, in an IAAM A Conference non-league game. "We brought about 85 percent of our game today, which is good compared to the 40 percent we brought to St. Stephen's/St.

Mount de Sales, which started the indoor season slowly, finishing fourth in the first Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland meet seven weeks ago, sprang a surprise yesterday, topping favored Maryvale at the CCBC-Essex track. Getting yeoman performances from Megan Adams, Lana Deptula and Jamie Raver, who combined for 57 points exclusive of relay assignments, the Sailors cruised by Maryvale, 87-75, by scoring big in the speed events and jumps. Three weeks ago, Maryvale had outscored Mount de Sales by more than 30 points and, in December had thumped runner-up Mercy by 26 points.

At this time last year, Maryvale, a school of about 250 girls, was just beginning an indoor track program. Now, the Lions are very nearly a track power. A month ago, when Maryvale won the first private schools' meet at CCBC-Essex, the term "fluke" was bandied about. Yesterday, the Lions thrashed their Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland colleagues soundly. Paced by Casey Hazel -- who had a win, two second-place finishes, and anchored a winning relay team -- Lauren Parker and Stephanie Sybert, Maryvale piled up 85 points to 53.75 for runner-up Mount de Sales and 48.5 by third-place finisher McDonogh.

Fourth-ranked Bryn Mawr employed a different strategy than usual and withstood a valiant effort by Mercy and a dominating performance by Maryvale's Sullivan twins to claim its third straight Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland championship and fourth in five years yesterday at Oregon Ridge Park. Led by Laura Paulsen (fourth), Lauren Childs (sixth) and Laura Drossner (12th), the Mawrtians had their best five runners all finish in the top 20 and won the meet with a team score of 58. "We changed up our team strategy for this meet," Drossner said.

Second-ranked Maryvale completed its regular-season rise to the top of the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference with a 9-7 victory over No. 3 Bryn Mawr yesterday in girls lacrosse. In less than five minutes, the Lions bolted to a 3-0 lead and increased it to 6-1 by halftime. Katie Chrest's fifth goal ran the margin back to 9-4 with 9:25 left. The Mawrtians came the closest on their final goal, Sarah Sanborn's fourth, with 26 seconds to go. The Lions (12-0) remain the only unbeaten team in the A Conference after dealing the defending champion Mawrtians (14-1-2)

Mercy senior Maggie King couldn't help but say "amazing" over and over yesterday. The No. 7 Magic was flat-out tired of finishing second in the past two Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference cross country championships. In yesterday's 2004 version at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, tired turned into inspired. Led by Karen Buchheister's fourth-place finish and King's ninth, Mercy edged No. 5 Maryvale by the slimmest of margins -- 72-73 -- to earn its first team championship.

Fueled by a recent nonleague loss, a drop in The Sun's poll and a chance to compete against No. 7 Maryvale, fourth-ranked Bryn Mawr had plenty of motivation for yesterday's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference cross country meet at Oregon Ridge Park. It worked, too. The Mawrtians remained undefeated (11-0) in IAAM competition with a 23-36 win over the Lions (9-1). They took five of the top nine spots in a race that had three other teams running in dual competition.

Maryvale girls lacrosse coach Meghan McLaughlin preached patience all through yesterday's game between her No. 4-ranked Lions and No. 7 Notre Dame Prep. The lesson took a while to sink in, but the Lions got the message in time to pull out an 8-7 victory in an Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference Sinclair League game. Stifling a tendency to go for the make-it-or-break-it play, the host Lions (5-0, overall, 2-0 league) used their settled offense to score their last two goals.