Maryland junior Karri Ellen Johnson is Lacrosse Magazine's selection as the NCAA Division I Preseason Player of the Year while the defending national champion Terrapins are the preseason No. 1 team.

Johnson, a Broadneck graduate,  is a two-time first-team All-American and has been named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team twice. She has scored 143 career goals and needs just six to crack the Terps' Top 10 all-time scorers list. In last season's national championship game, she scored three goals in the 13-11 win over Northwestern.

Coming off the 10th women's lacrosse national championship in school history, the Terps are favored to repeat in Lacrosse Magazine's preseason poll. They get the No. 1 spot over No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 Syracuse. Loyola is No. 13 and Towson, No. 16.

Maryland finished 22-1 last season to win its first national title since 2001. Three All-Americans return from that team -- Johnson, Sarah Mollison and Katie Schwarzmann (Century).

The Terps will meet the U.S. National Team in the Champions Challenge in Orlando Jan. 30. The game will be broadcast Jan. 31 at 12 a.m. on ESPNU. They kick off their season at Richmond on Feb. 13 and play their home opener against Penn State Feb. 20 at noon.

Posted by Katherine Dunn at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland
        

Marquette has hired former Maryland men’s lacrosse coach Dave Cottle as a consultant for the school’s new lacrosse program.

Cottle will help the university compile a list of coaching candidates for both the men’s and women’s teams, while assisting with budgets and assessing facilities.

“I’ll be doing anything I can to help them navigate through the mine fields,” Cottle said. “Every institution has some challenges, and I do know the challenges of building a lacrosse program. I have experience at a big school and a small school so I think I can help them.”

Cottle is a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year and has led his teams to 22 NCAA tournament appearances and five NCAA semifinal appearances during his 28 seasons as coach between Maryland and Loyola College. He served as an adviser for the Chesapeake Bayhawks after resigning from Maryland in May.

Marquette will begin play as an independent in 2012 before joining the Big East in 2013.

Deputy athletic director Mike Broeker said the school was attracted to Cottle’s background as a coach, evaluator and adviser.

“I think it would be hard for us to find a better lacrosse person in the industry to help with something like this,” Broeker said. “He’s so passionate about what we’re doing and I think that’s so outstanding to be so passionate about this sport. It’s inspiring. I wish we could start tomorrow.”

-- Mike Miller

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 2:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)