National Championship

Charley Toomey's office phone line is so flooded that it no longer accepts incoming calls. The Loyola men's lacrosse coach has spent the past couple of days responding to emails, so he really hasn't had a chance to think a lot about his team's national championship. It apparently hasn't set in with his wife, Sara, either. "I don't know if it will," Toomey, a father of three, said with a laugh. "The next thing I'm going to hear is, 'Honey, go out and cut the grass. You've been involved in a lot the past two weeks, so it's time to mow the lawn.' "Maybe later this summer when I'm out on the [Chesapeake]

Prior to Sunday night's NCAA tournament semifinal against No. 4 Stevenson, No. 12 and reigning national champion Salisbury had advanced to nine of 10 Final Fours and won every single one to advance to the title game. That did not happen against the Mustangs, who registered a convincing 12-6 victory over the Sea Gulls at Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills. While the Stevenson players and coaches celebrated with their fans, Salisbury (17-6) huddled in front of the net on its side of the field and got some words of wisdom from coach Jim Berkman.

On Saturday, Eddie Hall of Cockeysville will stand on a stage in New York City wearing skintight shorts. He will tuck his foot behind his head, push both hands against the ground and lift his body into the air, staying still and at peace even as his body is twisted like a pretzel. The posture, or asana, is called Om. Then he will untangle himself and move on to the next one. This is yoga asana, and it might be the most fascinating sport you didn't know existed. After first-place finishes in last month's regional championship, Hall and Allison Kinter of Baltimore will represent the Baltimore region at the sport's national championship beginning Saturday.

Visiting Loyola trails, 15-10, in its series with Duke, which has won six of the last seven meetings. The teams have faced each other just once in the NCAA tournament with the Blue Devils cruising to a 12-7 victory in the first round of the 2008 postseason. The Greyhounds (11-4) have won seven of their past nine contests, but are trying to rebound from an 18-11 thumping by Ohio State in an Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament semifinal on May 2. With 126 career goals, senior attackman Mike Sawyer is seven goals away from tying Pat Lamon for the most in that department in school history.

Major League Lacrosse Bayhawks' Turner named Defensive Player of Week Chesapeake Bayhawks goalie Kip Turner (Severn) earned Major League Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in the Bayhawks' 14-13 victory over the Boston Cannons on Saturday night at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. "This is a well-deserved honor for Kip and our entire team," general manager Brian Reese stated. "Kip had some extra motivation playing against his former team and came up with some huge saves, especially at the end of the game, to help seal the win. " Turner made nine saves in the fourth quarter and tallied a season-high 17 saves in total as the Bayhawks won their fifth straight game.

Sunday's 14-10 victory over SUNY-Cortland in the NCAA tournament final capped a perfect 23-0 campaign for Salisbury, which captured its 10th national championship and joined Hobart as the only Division III programs to claim double-digit NCAA crowns. Winning the title was the primary objective, but going undefeated was also icing on the cake for several Sea Gulls. “It's unbelievable,” said senior defenseman Andrew Sellers, a Baltimore native and Archbishop Curley native. “That's the goal every year. Last year, we lost the game [to Stevenson on April 16, 2011]

Many in the area know that Anne Arundel Community College has an exceptional women's lacrosse team, but not everyone keeps up with its success. And if ever there's been a season to follow the team, this is it. "Sometimes teachers or my friends' parents will ask, 'Hey, what's your record?'" said AACC goaltender Brittany Kincer of Glen Burnie, who adds that she prefers not to boast about the team's prowess. "I'll say, 'We're doing pretty well.' And they'll say, 'Well, what's your record?

When No. 11 Maryland and No. 2 Virginia meet Saturday at Byrd Stadium, it will mark the first time since last year's national title game that these Atlantic Coast Conference rivals have clashed. The Cavaliers' 9-7 win for their fourth NCAA championship may seem eons ago, but the loss continues to resonate with several Terps who were seeking their first national crown since 1975. “It definitely adds a little bit more,” acknowledged sophomore defenseman Brian Cooper. “I know that's going to be fresh in both of our minds.

Gary Williams spent this college basketball season out of coaching for the first time in more than four decades. A fundraiser for the university and an analyst for the Big Ten Network and ESPN 980 in Rockville, Williams was honored Wednesday night at the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards ahead of the 10th anniversary of Maryland's national championship. The 67-year old sat down with The Baltimore Sun prior to the "An Evening With Gary Williams" celebration to discuss the anniversary.

If there was a trivia game about the history of Maryland basketball, Mike Grinnon would likely be a stumper to the question: who is the only men's player in school history to play on both a national championship team and an ACC tournament champion? Grinnon was a little-used freshman during the 2001-2002 season that culminated with Maryland's NCAA men's basketball title. Though his playing time increased marginally over the next three years, Grinnon is remembered for the free throws he hit to help beat Duke in Greensboro, N.C., as a junior.

Baltimore City College is celebrating another historic title this week, as national champions of the prestigious National Association for Urban Debate League Championship, held in Washington, D.C. last week. The school's team won the title after engaging in a heated debate about whether the U.S. federal government should substantially increase its transportation infrastructure investment in the country, according to a release from the school. The school's debate team--students Sophie Bauerschmidt Sweeney and Dikshant Malla successfully--took on the affirmative, using the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina, to seal its victory against Chicago's Whitney Young High School in a 2-1 decision.

ESPN analyst Paul Carcaterra participated in a Q&A on Monday. The former Syracuse All-American midfielder, who can be followed on Twitter via @paulcarcaterra, also addressed a few questions about No. 5 Maryland, No. 12 Johns Hopkins and No. 15 Loyola. How worried should Maryland be after Saturday's 10-8 loss to No. 4 North Carolina? Not at all. I think Maryland has great senior leadership. I think they're a team that has played in the last two national championship games.

The Baltimore Bohemian isn't your usual sports club. The team splits a case of beer at practice, it wins national championships and it plays sports you've probably never heard of. The Baltimore Gaelic Athletic Association, or BGAA, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The Bohemian, as the organization is commonly called, is separated into four teams that play traditional Irish sports such as men's and women's Gaelic football, camogie and hurling. But while that sounds like a league for displaced Irishmen - and it is to an extent - the Baltimore team is predominantly made up of people trying the games for the first time.

Few sports can claim participants from toddlers to retirees, but BMX is one of them. BMX - short for bicycle motocross - will begin its local season when the first event in 2013 for Chesapeake BMX is held Sunday at Severn-Danza Park in Severn. The season will be highlighted by the BMX national championships in Severn in mid-June. According to Karen Bean, whose 5-, 7- and 11-year-old sons are seriously into BMX: "We're trying to draw some attention and attract families to the sport.

Each week, The Baltimore Sun will publish a Q&A with an area college lacrosse player to help you become more acquainted with the player and his/her team. Today's guest is Salisbury senior Katie Bollhorst, last season's Division III Attacker of the Year and Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year, who was named to the 2013 Tewaaraton Award watch list. The St. Mary's graduate scored three goals and had an assist in the Sea Gulls' season-opening 19-5 win over Stevenson and stands seventh on school career points list with 121. She's fourth in assists with 72. More than all the individual accolades, Bollhorst would prefer to finish her career with a national championship after the Sea Gulls lost to Trinity, 8-7, in last year's final.

On Saturday, Eddie Hall of Cockeysville will stand on a stage in New York City wearing skintight shorts. He will tuck his foot behind his head, push both hands against the ground and lift his body into the air, staying still and at peace even as his body is twisted like a pretzel. The posture, or asana, is called Om. Then he will untangle himself and move on to the next one. This is yoga asana, and it might be the most fascinating sport you didn't know existed. After first-place finishes in last month's regional championship, Hall and Allison Kinter of Baltimore will represent the Baltimore region at the sport's national championship beginning Saturday.

The Baltimore Bohemian isn't your usual sports club. The team splits a case of beer at practice, it wins national championships and it plays sports you've probably never heard of. The Baltimore Gaelic Athletic Association, or BGAA, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The Bohemian, as the organization is commonly called, is separated into four teams that play traditional Irish sports such as men's and women's Gaelic football, camogie and hurling. But while that sounds like a league for displaced Irishmen - and it is to an extent - the Baltimore team is predominantly made up of people trying the games for the first time.

When former Gilman star Cyrus Jones Jr. finished sorting through his 40-plus football scholarships following his senior season, he concluded Alabama was the right place for him. This time of year, the big game in front of him, is why. "One of the main reasons I wanted to come to Alabama was to have a chance to play at the highest level and compete for a national championship every year," said Jones, who has made an impact in his freshman season...

Notre Dame has made two Final Fours in the last three years, including reaching the national title game where they fell to Duke in overtime in 2010. Last season, the program lost to eventual NCAA champion Loyola in the national semifinals. Those trips were nice, but coach Kevin Corrigan said he doesn't want his players banking on the past. “I want them to be completely present in the now, and that means for each of them, they need to bring their experiences and everything they've done until now to the present time,” he said.

When former Gilman star Cyrus Jones Jr. finished sorting through his 40-plus football scholarships following his senior season, he concluded Alabama was the right place for him. This time of year, the big game in front of him, is why. "One of the main reasons I wanted to come to Alabama was to have a chance to play at the highest level and compete for a national championship every year," said Jones, who has made an impact in his freshman season...