Two former Navy Juniors swimmers are prospering in the Big Ten.
Co-captain Lisa Pastrana (Broadneck), a junior, won the 100-yard backstroke, was second in the 200 back and swam a leg on a key relay in No. 18 Penn State's 151-149 upset of No. 11 Northwestern. At the U.S. Open in Buffalo, which attracted the nation's swimming elite, Pastrana was 11th in the 100 back, 13th in the 200 and 15th in the 200 individual medley.
At Ohio State, Pastrana's longtime friend and teammate in the Navy Juniors age-group program, Jamie Puromaki (Glen Burnie), also a junior, has the team's best times in the 200 and 400 IMs.
* At Dickinson, senior David Brand (Gilman) has the team's two best times in the 100 backstroke, three best in the 200 back and second best in the 200 freestyle. Freshman Katie Kuesters (Notre Dame Prep) has competed in six different freestyle events for Dickinson.
Locals star at JMU
It was a bountiful week for four Baltimore athletes at James Madison. Senior Matt Holthaus (Wilde Lake) qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships by placing third in the mile (4 minutes, 1.22 seconds) at the USAir Invitational.
In swimming, senior Mark Gabriele (Calvert Hall) won four events, set a pool record and was on two winning relays in his final meet at home in a 126-102 victory over Richmond. Freshman Jenn Murach (Bel Air) claimed her first win, in the 50-yard freestyle against Richmond.
Sophomore diver Amanda Kuehl (McDonogh) set a school record on the one-meter board in the women's victory over Richmond. Her 262.05 score bettered the 1991 mark of 260.475 set by Ellicott City's Heather Stewart.
Basketball
Fort Hays State's Dennis Edwards (Annapolis) is a scoring machine -- No. 2 in NCAA Division II with a 28.9-point average -- but is not fond of defense, according to coach Gary Garner.
To improve Edwards' defensive appetite, Garner benched him for one game and started Jerry Dixon (Woodlawn) in his place, and Fort Hays beat Fort Lewis by 41. Edwards came off the bench to score 39 points in 25 minutes in the next game against Adams State and was named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Week.
His defense? "Better," Garner said.
* Carver grads Michael Richardson and Rodney Black have helped raise Newbury (Brookline, Mass.) from the depths of junior college basketball to No. 1 in the New England region. Richardson is the nation's fifth-leading scorer (25.0) and Black is seventh in scoring (21.0) in New England and fifth in rebounding (11.8).
Two years ago, Newbury finished the season with five players and a 9-13 record. Noting the current team's 17-5 mark, athletic director Marybeth Lamb said, "We're hoping to make the national tournament, and Michael and Rodney are the keys."
* Rob Wooster (Annapolis) is having a banner season at St. Francis. The 6-foot-5 junior leads the team in scoring (13.8 ppg) and is averaging 2.8 rebounds.