Tennis

Colleges Two goals by Mullins lift Terps men to 13th win in row Patrick Mullins , the Atlantic Coast Conference Co-Player of the Week, added two goals to his league-leading point total as the No. 1 Maryland men's soccer team earned a 2-1 victory over visiting Lehigh. The Terps won their 13th consecutive game and matched their best start in program history (14-0-1). Mullins, who has 28 points, scored in the 12th minute, then broke a 1-1 tie in the 88th minute with his 10th goal of the year.

Despite receiving its biggest single payday in the history of the athletic program last week, Towson University  might not be able to avoid the financial reality that has affected many larger schools in recent years. Three days after taking home a check for $510,000 from its nationally televised football game at LSU on Saturday, Towson announced Tuesday that it is recommending cutting the school's baseball and men's soccer as part of the athletic program's reorganization. Third-year athletic director Mike Waddell said in an interview that he began meeting with the coaches and athletes of the teams involved around 8 a.m. Tuesday and continued to meet with staff members and athletes who had morning class later in the day. Waddell said the athletic department has been studying possible changes for about 18 months but kept coming to the same answer.

Football and tennis don't share much in common except perhaps that Raven tackle Bryant McKinnie is crazy about both. So much so that it got McKinnie into the famously gossipy Page Six section of the New York Post. The Post found the big man at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Saturday -- just as he headed into a contract dispute with the team that pays his bills. He was there to watch his good friend Serena Williams in the US Open quarterfinals. "According to a spy, McKinnie, an 11-year NFL vet, 'loves to pick up a racket on his off days . . . often with Serena and Venus Williams.

The deadline for submitting sports copy is 9 a.m. on Mondays. We prefer email (howardcountysports@patuxent.com). We do not accept results by phone. When two Howard County teams play, players from both teams (first and last names) must be mentioned in the write-up. Questions? Call 410-332-6606. Tennis Awesome Aces The Howard County Awesome Aces junior tennis team competed in the Maryland State Championships held at the Tennis Center at College Park recently. The Quick Start Tennis 8-U Purple team and the 12-U Beginner/Ravens won first place in the state.

Derek Nie sat down in front of the camera at the Maryland Table Tennis Center in Gaithersburg and fielded the question from the television reporter. "Will [making the Olympics] make all this hard work worthwhile?" Derek, of North Potomac, paused and then shook his head. "No," he responds. "Because I still have to win the gold medal. " Never mind that the United States has never won an Olympic medal of any kind for table tennis. Never mind that Derek is just 11 years old, and never mind that he is about 4 feet tall and weighs just under 70 pounds.

Sustained greatness a plus Diane Pucin Los Angeles Times Roger Federer became the No. 1 tennis player in the world Monday, one of the consequences of his 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 Wimbledon victory over Andy Murray on Sunday. He's also the best ever. That's not an immediately easy conclusion to reach. Federer has lost to contemporary Rafael Nadal more than he has beaten the Spaniard; the career record is 18-10 in Nadal's favor. Nadal leads Federer 7-2 in meetings at Grand Slam tournaments.

Et cetera Bays capture first two games at U-17/18 academy playoffs The Baltimore Bays Chelsea won their first two games in the under-17/18 age group of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoffs at the FC Dallas Stadium Complex in Frisco, Texas, defeating Crew Soccer Academy, 3-1, on Tuesday, a day after beating Lonestar SC Academy, 1-0. On Monday, Romilio Hernandez (Louisville) scored in the 65th minute, stealing the ball from a defender and finishing from 25 yards.

Jimmy Magee, a Cockeysville resident and tennis player for Boys' Latin Middle School, hopes to someday play for the Lakers' varsity tennis team. But what he's doing on the courts thisFather's Day, June 17, could make any contribution he eventually makes for the Lakers pale in comparison. Magee, an ambassador for the charitable organization, Kids Play For Good, is spearheading a doubles tennis tournament to fightParkinson's Disease, and support his uncle, Bryant Waters, who has the disease.

Outdoor track State championships (May 24-26 at Morgan State University) Class 2A Girls team scores: 1. Liberty, 73.5 points; 16. Long Reach, 20; 17. Glenelg, 18; 23. Oakland Mills, 10. Top county individuals: 800: 6. Alyssa Hemler, OM, 2:24.40. 1,600: 3. Julia Nardone, G, 5:14.01. 3,200: 2. Julia Nardone, G, 11:17.20; 7. Caragh MacDermott, G, 11:57.40. 100 hurdles: 6. Cassandra Pope, OM, 15.00.