Here is the first installment of a new series that checks in with the seven Division III programs in the state to evaluate the past and offer a glimpse into the future. The series will unfold with teams appearing according to the chronological order in which their seasons ended. Thursday begins with a visit with McDaniel.

REVIEW

The good: A tough 2011 campaign yielded few bright spots, but the Green Terror (6-8 overall and 3-5 in the Centennial Conference) may have found its goalkeeper of the future in freshman Christian Dallmus. After beginning the season with juniors Ty Wittelsberger and Brad Motley through the first four contests of the season, the team made the switch to Dallmus, who finished with a 6.46 goals-against average and a .572 save percentage. “I think he has the potential to be excellent for us, and I think things came together defensively for us when he was in there,” coach Matt Hatton said. “I thought he did a really good job being a freshman with several seniors and upperclassmen in front of him.” … McDaniel graduates just eight seniors and returns all 10 starters, including a pair of fifth-year players in midfielder Nicholas DiBernardo (16 goals and 6 assists) and defenseman Nelson Hannahs (24 ground balls and 6 caused turnovers). “I certainly think bringing back guys who have played three or four years is a bonus,” Hatton said. “But it’s tough to really tell what that means until we get out there in February and March. We’ve got a lot of things that are going to transpire between now and then.” … Despite a down year, the Green Terror finished one game out of the top four places in the Centennial Conference tournament, which the team had qualified before in each of the previous two seasons. Hatton is optimistic that the players will use this experience as a foundation to build on. “If we can figure out a couple positions, I think we might find ourselves back in the hunt, and that’s where we would like to be,” he said. “We’ve got a great group coming back. Certainly, there’s some potential there, but it’s just a matter of if we come together.”

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Stevenson seniors Jimmy Dailey and Evan Douglass and Salisbury senior Johnny Rodriguez headline a group of players for area Division III programs that earned All-American honors.

Dailey was named the nation’s Outstanding Player of the Year by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association on Wednesday. Dailey, a Westminster native and Winters Mill graduate, led the country in points (118) and assists (58) this season and is the Mustangs’ all-time leader in points (329) and assists (163).

Douglass was chosen as the Outstanding Defensive Player. His 59 caused turnovers are first in the nation, and he graduates as the school’s career leader in caused turnovers with 136.

Rodriguez was selected as the National Goalkeeper of the Year. His 5.97 goals-against average ranks third in the country, and he ranks fourth in school history with 475 career saves in three years at Salisbury.

Those three players made the All-American first team. They were joined by Salisbury junior attackman Matt Cannone, junior midfielder Sam Bradman and senior defenseman Collin Tokosch.

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Categories: Goucher, McDaniel, Salisbury, St. Mary's, Stevenson
        

This entry is the second in a series taking a look at each of the seven Division III programs in this state according to their order of finish from last season. The Sun’s lacrosse preview is slated to be published on Thursday, Feb. 17. Today is McDaniel’s turn.

Overview: In what is becoming a routine habit, the Green Terror finished in the top four of the Centennial Conference and qualified for the league tournament. But the team failed to advance out of the tournament semifinals for the second year in a row. This year’s objective is aimed at taking that next step, and with 38 of 44 players returning from last spring’s roster, the program appears well-armed to be competitive again. But can McDaniel elbow its way past No. 6 Haverford, No. 7 Gettysburg and No. 15 Dickinson to capture the tournament crown?

Reason for optimism: The Green Terror bid farewell to only one starter, but that starter was Gibbs Preston, an attackman who posted 23 goals and 26 assists last season. Coach Matt Hatton is quick to say that no one person will replace Preston, but Hatton is optimistic that the trio of juniors J.S. Duke and Ben Yancheski, a transfer from CCBC-Essex, and sophomore Zach Woods can make contributions and help junior D.J. Rickels (42, 10). “I don’t know that we have one person that is going to be as capable of putting up as many points as Gibbs, but I feel like we’ve got two guys that we’re looking at real hard right now to play alongside D.J.,” Hatton said, referring to Duke and Yancheski. “Kind of like last year when D.J. was emerging as a playmaker for us, Gibbs took a lot of that pressure off of him. I’m hoping that with D.J. making that transition into being one of our central players, he can take some of the pressure off of some of the other guys that are going to fill that void.”

Reason for pessimism: The net featured a rotation of sophomores Brad Motley (9.72 goals-against average and .500 save percentage) and Ty Wittelsberger (8.08 goals-against average and .529 save percentage) as each goalie made seven starts. Hatton said that duo is once again competing for the starting role, but he would like to avoid another rotation. “The goal for us between now and next Tuesday [when the team opens the season against Montclair at home] – it would be great if we could figure it out between now and tomorrow – is to find the guy that’s going to give us the best chance and play that guy,” Hatton said. “I would never go into a season hoping to rotate, but I think last year, given the circumstances of how we started and how our defense player early, that gave us the best opportunity to win, and we got a lot of good games out of Ty and Brad last spring. We have Ty and Brad battling right now.”

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Here is the second installment of a series that checks in with the seven Division III programs in the state to give a glimpse into the past and the future. Thursday, we take a visit with McDaniel.

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The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association released its All-American list for the 2010 season, and three players from Stevenson and Salisbury made the first team.

Senior attackman Steve Kazimer and junior attackman Jimmy Dailey represented the Mustangs. Kazimer led the team in assists (49) and points (95) and ranked second in goals (46). Kazimer ranked 12th in the nation in points per game (4.57) and 11 in assists per game (2.38). Dailey was second among Stevenson players in assists (37) and third in goals (44) and points (81).

The Sea Gulls, who will meet Tufts on Sunday for the national championship, were represented on the first team by sophomore midfielder Sam Bradman, who led the team in goals (58) and points (85).

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Categories: Goucher, McDaniel, Salisbury, St. Mary's, Stevenson
        

Gibbs Preston had a few objectives when he agreed to play for McDaniel, and one of them had to do with his father.

"One of my individual goals was to have more points than my dad," Preston said. "I didn’t even know if I could do it. I just thought it was a fun thing to think about."

Bruce Preston, an attackman who played for the Green Terror between 1972 and 1975, amassed 179 points on 112 goals and 67 assists, which – at the time – was the second most in school history.

His son, a senior attackman, has accumuIated 203 points on 100 goals and 103 assists, which ranks as the 11th most in the program’s history. Gibbs Preston is only the fifth player to reach the 100 mark in both goals and assists.

"It feels good," the Baltimore native and McDonogh graduate said. "I’m happy, but I can’t really think about it because we have [the Centennial Conference] playoffs on Friday. I’ll think more about that accomplishment when the season is over."

This spring, Preston ranks first on the team in assists (24) and second in both goals (22) and points (46). Sophomore attackman D.J. Rickels has been the primary beneficiary of Preston’s presence as he has registered 49 points on 39 goals and 10 assists.

McDaniel coach Matt Hatton called Preston "a driving force’" for the last four years.

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The good news for McDaniel is that the team has earned its second straight appearance in the Centennial Conference Tournament, which kicks off Friday.

The bad news is that the Green Terror, which is the No. 4 seed, gets the unenviable task of trying to upend Gettysburg, the top seed in the tournament and the second-ranked team in Division III.

"It’s nice to be able to go back to the conference tournament," McDaniel coach Matt Hatton said. "… We’re looking forward to the opportunity to get at Gettysburg. They laid a pretty good one on us a couple weeks back [a 15-6 defeat on April 7]. We’re certainly happy and fortunate to be in the position that we’re in, but we would have liked to play a little better in the last couple games and avoid limping our way in. I didn’t think we played particularly well against Haverford or Dickinson. So we’ve got our work cut out for us this week in getting ready to play the team that everyone is chasing in the conference."

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Quick: name the Division III program in Maryland that has the unenviable task of trying to upend two programs ranked in the top 5 in its own conference.

If you said St. Mary's or Hood, you'd be 66.6 percent correct. Although it's true that the Saints and Blazers have to deal with No. 1 Salisbury and No. 3 Stevenson in the Capital Athletic Conference, McDaniel has its own problems with No. 2 Gettysburg and No. 5 Dickinson in the Centennial Conference.

But don't shed any tears for the Green Terror, which is 3-2 in the conference -- good enough for third place and in position to qualify for the season-ending four-team league tournament. Coach Matt Hatton said McDaniel benefits from playing in a contentious conference. 

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After taking a look at the Division I schools in Maryland, let’s take a spin with the Division III teams. Today’s entry is the third of a week-long series taking a look at each of the seven Division III programs in this state according to alphabetical order. Tomorrow’s subject will be Salisbury, but today is McDaniel’s turn.

Overview: In three years under coach Matt Hatton's tenure, the Green Terror has compiled a 23-22 record with one appearance in the Centennial Conference Tournament. Qualifying for that tournament is the objective this year and beyond. The graduation of seven starters would seem to post a huge roadblock, but Hatton is confident and hopeful that the team has enough firepower to fill the void left behind.

Reason for optimism: It never hurts when last year's leading scorer returns as a preseason All-American candidate as senior attackman and McDonogh graduate Gibbs Preston (team highs with 34 goals and 32 assists) is doing. Preston will be flanked by sophomore and Boys' Latin graduate D.J. Rickels (23, 6). The third spot was occupied by junior Deane Mellor (11, 7), but he underwent surgery on his ankle during the offseason and hasn't practiced in the fall or winter. Sophomore J.S. Duke and freshman Zach Woods (Boys' Latin) are in line for the third starter's position. "The attack is probably our strength on offense," Hatton said. "We're going to have to have those guys step up." 

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Inside Lacrosse has a neat little feature in its latest issue where editor-in-chief John Jiloty compiled what he called the All-Name Team.

Jiloty wrote that to qualify, a player must have a name is unique and "have a certain air about it. Basically, it has to sound like it fits in Judge Elihu Smails' family and belongs in a Tuesday afternoon foursome with Spaulding and his chums at Bushwood Country Club."

McDaniel senior attackman Gibbs Preston made the first team. The Baltimore native and McDonogh graduate led the Green Terror in goals (34), assists (32) and points (66) last season.

Sophomore Houghton Hauf, a Baltimore native and Gilman graduate who plays midfield for Trinity, was selected to the second team.

The third team included two local players in Brown senior attackman Collins Carey (Clarksville/McDonogh) and St. Joseph's sophomore goalkeeper Weston Beard (Annapolis/St. Mary's).

Finally, Jiloty composed an All-Decade team, and Gentry Fitzpatrick was one of the 10 names on that list. The Towson native and Gilman graduate played defense for North Carolina.

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The USILA released its All American teams in Division III and a number of area players populate the list.

Stevenson, which finished the regular season ranked No. 1 and advanced to the school's first NCAA tournament semifinal, put attackmen Steve Kazimer and Jimmy Dailey on the first team. They were joined by Salisbury midfielder Kylor Berkman and Washington goalkeeper Gordon Cohen.

The Mustangs placed two more players on the second team: midfielder Nicola Bevacqua and defenseman Mike Simon. Salisbury defenseman Kevin Maynard was the only area representative on the third team.

The honorable mention list included Stevenson attackman Richie Ford and midfielder Greg Furshman, Salisbury attackman Matt Cannone and midfielder Mike Von Kamecke, Washington midfielder Thayer Damm, McDaniel midfielder Michael Hatton and St. Mary's midfielder Marc DiPasquale.

Update on Wednesday, May 20: I mistakenly left off St. Mary's midfielder Ryan Alexander from the All-American honorable mention list. Thanks to Seahawks sports information director Nairem Moran for pointing out the omission. My apologies to Ryan.

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Categories: McDaniel, Salisbury, St. Mary's, Stevenson, Washington