National Team

Cass Cursaro , a member of the Australian national team that took the silver in the 2009 Women's World Cup, has been added to Loyola's roster. Cursaro, a 5-foot-11 midfielder, scored three goals and scooped up nine ground balls as a teammate of Greyhounds coach Jen Adams at the World Cup. Two years before, she led the Under-19 Australian team to the silver, while playing for the Brighton Bombers Lacrosse Club, the same club that produced Adams and a third of the 2009 Australian national team.

USA Swimming Phelps on national team for 4 events Michael Phelps of Fells Point was among 109 swimmers named to the 2011-12 USA Swimming national team Tuesday, along with fellow 2011 world championship gold medalists Ryan Lochte , Missy Franklin and Elizabeth Beisel . Phelps qualified in four events (200-meter freestyle, 100 fly, 200 fly and 200 individual medley) as did Franklin (100 free, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke and 200 IM) and Beisel (200 IM, 400 IM, 400 free, 200 backstroke)

The National team, coached by former major league manager Larry Bowa, topped the American squad, 6-4, in the 2011 Under Armour All-America Baseball Game Saturday at Wrigley Field. The American team was coached by former Oriole Bill Ripken. Ripken's nephew, Ryan, of Gilman, was the lone player from Maryland and played for the American team. The game was delayed in the middle of the third inning because of heavy rain that hit the area. Play resumed after about a 90-minute delay, and the teams were tied until infielder Yairo Munoz hit a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth to give the National team a 6-4 lead.

Before I get down to the nitty gritty, let me say that I fully agree with The Aegis' sports editor Randy McRoberts, who voiced his distaste in Wednesday's paper on how the MPSSAA decided to move Class 2A teams into the 1A field hockey tournament in order to better fill out the brackets. That move does not sit well with me, and if I were a coach or player on the Havre de Grace, Perryville or Bohemia Manor teams, which are the only true 1A schools playing in the North bracket, I'd write a strongly worded letter to the powers that be. I am not trashing the efforts of the MPSSAA, which, like every scholastic athletic association in the country has a tough, thankless job, and I appreciate the work it puts forth (seriously, in four-plus years of trying to pick fights with various people, teams, organizations, coaches, etc. with this column, the only time I ever wrote anything bad about the MPSSAA was after some goon with a walkie talkie tried to beat me up for attempting to do an on-field interview with Fallston's Caitlin Dempsey, after she scored a double-overtime goal in the Cougars' 1-0 victory over Bethesda-Chevy Chase in the 2007 Class 3A state title game)

Former McDonogh soccer star Laurie Schwoy, now completing her freshman year at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, has been added to the U.S. women's national soccer team for four games this spring.Schwoy, The Sun's Female Athlete of the Year in 1995-96 and a three-time All-Metro soccer player, quickly became the Tar Heels' central midfielder last fall. She set up the team's winning goal in overtime against Notre Dame, giving North Carolina the national championship. She also scored the game-winner against Santa Clara in the semifinals.

The State Department will be pleased and the Pentagon worried by President-elect Clinton's selection of Warren Christopher as secretary of State and Les Aspin as secretary of Defense.Mr. Christopher is the embodiment of the foreign policy Establishment, a disciplined diplomat who parcels out his words and judgments with studied care. Mr. Aspin is a loquacious veteran member of the House of Representatives who has jousted with the big brass for years. That he is probably leaving the chairmanship of the House Armed Services Committee to hyper-critic Ron Dellums only adds to the Pentagon's discontent.

Four teams of local girls lacrosse players have been selected to compete for a national schoolgirl championship at the United States Women's Lacrosse Association tournament Memorial Day weekend in Marlton, N.J.The South region, which also includes Washington and northern Virginia, will send three teams. Chesapeake, which includes Anne Arundel County and some of Howard, will send one team.Last year, the South I team finished third in the field of 16 teams after falling to eventual champ Pennsylvania I, 6-4, in the semifinal and beating Empire State, 7-5, in the consolation game.

Freshman attackman Michael Guerin of Kent (Conn.) School has orally committed to North Carolina, joining a select group who have chosen a college before making their official high school debuts. Guerin, a left-hander, is a member of the New England Select Lacrosse League 2016 Black team, according to the league website. He also played on the NESLL under-15 team that took fifth at the US Lacrosse U-15 National Championships last summer. Guerin is a member of the U-15 national team that will compete in Florida this summer.

Lake Clifton boys basketball coach Herman "Tree" Harried has been selected to USA Basketball's 2013-16 Developmental National Team Committee. The seven-member committee is charged with selecting and developing teams for the 2013 and 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championships, 2014 and 2016 FIBA Under-17 World Championships, Developmental Minicamps each October and Nike Hoop Summit each April over the next four years. Harried, who has coached Lake Clifton for 16 years, has previously served as a USA Basketball assistant coach.

Oakland Mills, Howard, Centennial and Atholton dominate the selections in The Howard County Sun's 1990 All-County Boys Soccer Team.Oakland Mills, the state Class 3A champion with a 14-2 record, placed three players on the first team and three on the second team.Howard, the county champion for the second straight year with an 11-1-1 record, placed four players on the first team and one on the second team.Centennial, compiling an 11-2-1 record with the toughest schedule in the county, placed two players on the first team and two on the second team.