NASCAR
Davidsonville's Pastrana headed to Nationwide series
Travis Pastrana of Davidsonville has signed a deal with Michael Waltrip Racing that could put him in NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide series as early as next year. The action sports star has formed a team called Pastrana-Waltrip Racing, with Michael Waltrip and Gary and Blake Bechtel. Pending NASCAR approval, he will run seven Nationwide races next season and 20 in 2012. "I've been following NASCAR closely for years as a fan of the sport with competing in the sport a lifelong dream," Pastrana said in a statement released Thursday. Pastrana is a star in Moto X, X Games and American rally racing. He has won 16 gold medals in the X Games, and has multiple supercross, motocross and rally championships in his career. He also has set motorcycle and automobile jump records. Pastrana-Waltrip Racing will field Toyotas out of MWR's shop in North Carolina. The car's number has not been determined. Waltrip owns the No. 99, and Pastrana's longtime racing number is 199. The announcement came a day after longtime rally racing partner Subaru announced it had ended its relationship with Pastrana.
Trainer Tullock, jockey Franklin break in first-time winners
Trainer Tim Tullock and jockey Malcolm Franklin Jillian Sofarellivisited the Laurel Park winners' circle Thursday with a pair of 2-year-old first-time starters sired by the same stallion. In the third race, No Easy Answer pulled away from a field of six other maidens, including 3-5 favorite Bri's Vision, to win the six-furlong test by five lengths, stopping the clock in 1 minute, 12.17seconds. The son of Petionville paid $12. Five races later, Regal Revenge defeated seven other maidens in front-running fashion in a time of 1:12.77. The son of Petionville paid $8. Both colts are owned and bred by Everest Stables.
Colleges
Ex-Mervo star Sanders named as CIAA's Football Player of the Year
Saint Augustine's junior running back Walter Sanders (Mervo) was named Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Football Player of the Year. Sanders leads the conference in rushing with 137.7 yards per game, 15 touchdowns and 1,377 yards on 277 carries. He's tied for second in scoring with 90 points and is second in all-purpose yards with 1,461.
He was joined on the All-CIAA first team by Saint Augustine's senior offensive lineman Justin Wells (Poly). The second team included two senior defensive backs from Bowie State, Terence Peete Jr. and Sterling Grant-Jones (Edmondson).
Men's basketball: Towson signed 6-foot point guard Kris Walden of Henrico High in Richmond, Va., to a letter of intent. Walden is averaging 11.2 points per game going into his senior year. The Warriors are 33-19 with him in the lineup. …
Mount St. Mary's signed 6-10 center Taylor Danaher of Fredericksburg (Va.) Christian School to a letter of intent. Danaher averaged 24 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks per game as a junior while playing in the Central Virginia Home-school Athletic Association. …
Freshman guard Brandon Belt (Arundel) scored a game-high 23 points and sophomore forward Mike Henry (Owings Mills) had 17 points and 15 rebounds to help host Baltimore City Community College (2-1) earn a 102-80 victory over Montgomery College-Germantown (1-2) on Wednesday night.
Men's soccer: Loyola senior forward Phil Bannister and sophomore defender Gerwyn Jones were named to the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference first team. Senior midfielders Eddie Dines and Glenn Leitch made the second team, and freshman defender Jamie Libby and freshman forward Stephen Dooley were selected to the rookie team. …
Towson senior midfielder Marco Mangione (Calvert Hall) was named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association first team. Tigers freshman forward Olakunle Banjo made the second team and rookie team. …
Mount St. Mary's junior forward Chris Wheeler and senior midfielder Eric Detzel were named to the All-Northeast Conference first team. …
Navy senior Alex Foskett and junior Sam Miller made the All-Patriot League academic team.
Field hockey: Cornell freshman forward Hannah Balleza (Severna Park) was named Ivy League Co-Rookie of the Year, the first Big Red player to earn the distinction since 1994. …
Johns Hopkins senior midfielder Ariana Branchini, junior defender Amy Wharton and junior goalie Kim Stein were named to the All-Centennial Conference first team. Blue Jays junior forward Carly Bianco and McDaniel senior defender Stephanie Hammond (Hereford) made the second team. …
Three players from Salisbury, ranked seventh in Division III, were named to the All-Capital Athletic Conference first team: senior midfielder Kandice Hancock, junior back Tara McGovern and sophomore forward Erica Henderson. The first team also included St. Mary's sophomore forward Lauriann Parker (Glenelg), St.Mary's sophomore midfielder Natalie Hackstaff, St. Mary's senior back Allie Skiest (Seton Keough) and Stevenson junior goalie Kara Zimmerman (Arundel). The second team included four players from Salisbury — junior forward Caitlin Walker (Fallston), senior midfielder Katie Fost, senior back Ashley Kisner and junior goalie Anna Cooke — and Stevenson senior back Natalie DiPaolo (Perry Hall).
Men's cross country: Salisbury senior Chris Barnard was named Capital Athletic Conference Athlete of the Year. His teammate, Ryan Jackson (Reservoir), was Rookie of the Year, and the Sea Gulls' Jim Jones was Coach of the Year. The All-CAC first team included Barnard, Jackson, Salisbury junior Trent Seawell (Calvert Hall) and Salisbury junior Stephen Berstler. The second team included York sophomore Steve Childres (Mount St. Joseph), Salisbury junior John Fitzgerald Jr. (Calvert Hall), Salisbury junior Matt Hallenbeck Jr., Hood freshman Daniel Jacobs, Salisbury junior Trevor Keen Jr. (Archbishop Spalding) and Salisbury junior David Toller Jr. (Oakland Mills).
Women's cross country: The All-CAC first team included Frostburg State junior Anne Patron (Dulaney), Salisbury freshman Amy Ferro, Salisbury junior Becca Stinner and Salisbury senior Kristin Stromberg. The second team included Salisbury freshman Emma Bahneman, Frostburg State senior Jessica O'Neil, Salisbury junior Emily Powell (South Carroll), Salisbury freshman Andrea Schwientech (Patterson Mill) and Salisbury sophomore Anna Steinman. Salisbury's Jim Jones was Coach of the Year.
Et cetera
MLS amateur draft set for Convention Center in January
Major League Soccer's annual draft of amateur players will be held Jan. 13 at the Baltimore Convention Center in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention, the league said. There will be four rounds. The expansion Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers will have the first two picks, followed by the eight teams that missed the playoffs and the four teams that lost in the first round. Forward Omar Salgado, who has been on loan to Vancouver, could be the top pick. After playing for the Mexican Under-20 team last spring, he switched to the U.S. youth program in the summer.
Golf: The Golf Club at South River will honor its pro and four members for their performances at the ESPN National Golf Challenge finals Oct.21-23 at the Paiute Resort in Las Vegas. Dave Long shot 129 (63-66) to win the Club Professional first-place prize of $10,000. John Parkerson and Butch Smith shot 131 (67-64) to take the amateur competition's Net Division (two person better-ball play). Kevin Watt and Billy McGee finished 16th the Gross Division (two-person better-ball play) by shooting 138 (69-69).
Youth basketball: The Washington Wizards and Mystics will host a holiday camp Dec.28-30 at St. Frances Academy for boys and girls ages 8-17. To register, go to washingtonwizards.com. The camp costs $170.
Baseball: Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Joe Bisenius refused an outright assignment and chose to become a free agent. … The Single-A Potomac Nationals have named Josh Olerud, a cousin of 1993 American League batting champion John Olerud, general manager.
—From Sun staff and news services