Sophomore defender Alice Mercer helped the University of Maryland women's lacrosse team end its Atlantic Coast Conference tenure in the best way possible - with another league championship.
Mercer (Century), senior midfielder Amalie Trentzsch (Winters Mill) and the top-seeded Terrapins will leave the ACC having won six straight conference crowns after besting second-seeded Syracuse 13-7 in the tournament title game Sunday.
By virtue of the win, Maryland (19-1) overtook Syracuse (17-2) for the No. 1 ranking in the latest IWLCA coaches poll.
It was the Terps' 11th ACC championship and last before heading to the Big Ten in July.
Mercer earned a spot on the all-tournament team with her stout play on defense, helping the Terps hold Virginia Tech, Virginia and Syracuse to just 25 goals in the three-game run to the title.
"It's been an emotional day for us. The history and tradition of Maryland women's lacrosse within the ACC has been so significant," Maryland coach Cathy Reese said in a statement after the win. "This was a special moment and this is a championship that I am so proud of. It feels really good. Reflecting on this game and us coming together and playing the historical Maryland brand of lacrosse couldn't make me prouder."
Mercer has started all 20 games for Maryland this year and ranks among team leaders with 27 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers. She also has one assist and 11 draw controls. Trentzsch has appeared in one game as a reserve.
RETRIEVER HARTMAN: Junior Mary Hartman (Century) has helped the UMBC softball team put together quite a season thus far.
The Retrievers are 31-17 (8-6 in the America East) with three games to go in the regular season.
Hartman, a utility player, has appeared in 34 games, batting .267 (8 for 30) with one homer, two doubles, four RBIs, and eight runs scored.
From April 19-27, she performed especially well, going 7 for 15 with two doubles, a homer, three RBIs, and five runs scored during a five-game hitting streak.
TOURNEY TIGERS: Freshman attack Ryan Drenner (Westminster), sophomore midfielder Dan Livingston, (Westminster) and sophomore midfielder Ben McCarty (South Carroll) helped the Towson University men's lacrosse team earn the right to try to defend its Colonial Athletic Association championship.
The Tigers (8-6) claimed the third seed in the CAA tournament, just as they did in 2013 when making an improbable run to win the title, and began by visiting 16th-ranked Drexel in Wednesday's semifinals.
Drenner entered the tournament with 11 goals and 21 points in 14 games. McCarty had seven goals, 10 points, and 13 ground balls in 12 contests. Livingston had three ground balls and two caused turnovers in nine games off the bench heading into the tourney.
CAC FINALISTS: Freshman defensive midfielder Teddy Chase (Winters Mill) has helped the second-ranked Salisbury University men's lacrosse team advance to the Capital Athletic Conference championship game.
Seeking their 18th CAC title, the Sea Gulls (17-1) will face second-seeded York on Saturday for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Salisbury got there by defeating Frostburg State 12-6 in the semifinals.
Chase has appeared in five games for the Sea Gulls, recording two caused turnovers and two ground balls.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Junior Caroline Brehm of the McDaniel College softball team has been named both ECAC and Centennial Conference Pitcher of the Week for April 21-27.
Brehm led the Green Terror (25-13) to a 5-1 week, recording 46 strikeouts in 31 1-3 innings. She went 3-1 with a save, limiting opponents to a .189 batting average.
Her 46 strikeouts on the week give her 1,024 for her career to make her just the second pitcher in Centennial history to reach the 1,000-strikeout mark. A week removed from breaking the career wins record at McDaniel, Brehm enters the conference tournament with 66 career wins and needing just 18 strikeouts to match the conference record.
For the season, she is 22-9 with a 1.31 ERA, striking out a Division III-best 302 batters in 213 innings.
SHIP HONORS: Senior defender Liz French (Century) became the first player in Shippensburg's 38-year women's lacrosse history to earn four consecutive all-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference first-team honors.
French led the Raiders (8-9) with 44 ground balls and 42 draw controls, and tied for the most caused turnovers with 21.
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