Ratliff Named USILA Scholar All-American

BALTIMORE – Recent Loyola University Maryland graduate Scott Ratliff has been named Scholar All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.

The 2013 ECAC Specialist of the Year and 2012 USILA Third Team All-American was the team leader in ground balls (77) and caused turnovers (29) in 2013 while also producing some of the best numbers on the offensive end by any long-stick midfielder in the nation.

He finished the year with 14 goals and four assists, breaking his own Loyola record for goals by a long-stick player. During the season, Ratliff became the first player in the modern era of collegiate lacrosse to score four or more goals in a game with a long-stick. He accomplished the feat in an April 6 win over Fairfield University.

Ratliff, who was a two-time First Team All-ECAC honoree while at Loyola, finished his Greyhounds’ career with 30 goals and 14 assists in 58 games.

He also concluded his time at Loyola second in school history with 88 caused turnovers and seventh in ground balls with 217. Ratliff will soon begin his professional lacrosse career; he was the ninth overall pick in the 2013 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft by the Boston Cannons.

Ratliff graduated on Saturday from Loyola with a bachelor of arts in communications with a concentration in public relations and advertising.

“How long must we sing this song?”

It was a “Bloody Sunday” indeed for the three Maryland teams in the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament. Sixth seeded Maryland was blown out by Cornell, upstart Towson was rocked at Ohio State and defending national champion Loyola fell to Duke in double overtime after coughing up a four goal second half advantage.

The rest of the NCAA Tournament isn’t going to be cancelled, it will just seem irrelevant to those of us in this area. (Other than the handful that will still wander to Byrd Stadium next Saturday to see Ohio State, Cornell, Syracuse and Yale, that is. I imagine the crowd size will make a Maryland/James Madison football game look like a packed house.) It is particularly disappointing considering the 2012 NCAA Championship Game was an all-Old Line State affair between the Greyhounds and Terrapins.

For the Tigers, the loss marked the end of a season that lasted two or three games longer than anyone could have expected after a 3-5 start. (Worse, a 3-5 start that included a loss to High Point-playing only their second game ever in program history and the first of only three wins all season for the Panthers.) Shawn Nadelen’s team made great strides in the CAA his second season as head coach and the blowout loss to the Buckeyes was to be expected by most. It would be hard for Towson fans to get away with labeling themselves as particularly disappointed with the result.

For the Hounds, the nature of their season-ending setback at the hands of the Blue Devils had to be considered particularly disappointing. Loyola had an 8-4 lead in the second half and appeared to have essentially clinched victory before Face-Off Specialist Blake Burkhart’s final minute goal was waived off because head coach Charley Toomey had called timeout just a split second earlier. Loyola was a legitimate contender to return to the Final Four, but the heartbreak shouldn’t be misconstrued as disappointment. What Loyola accomplished a season ago in Foxborough should have never been viewed as a measuring stick for the program’s success. It was a remarkable run unlikely to be accomplished with any sort of regularity. The Greyhounds had a very successful season (including their first win over Johns Hopkins since 1999) with a very tough end.

And then there’s the Terps. The same team that coming off two consecutive trips to the NCAA Championship Game was believed to be a legitimate national championship contender. After winning their rematch with the Greyhounds in Baltimore in February, the Terps took over the #1 ranking in both polls and held it almost exclusively until mid-April. Conversation within crowds of Maryland alums was set around the idea that this group was finally primed to claim the school’s first national championship since 1975.

1975…it seems more and more impossible every time I think about it. For what it’s worth, only eight schools have combined to win the 37 championships since Maryland last claimed lacrosse glory. Still, the drought remains staggering for the flagship university in the state most closely associated with the sport.

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Duke Slips Past Men’s Lacrosse In Double Overtime Thriller

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University’s Case Mathias scored the game-tying goal with 55 seconds left in regulation, and he tallied the game-winner two minutes, 20 seconds into the second overtime period, and the seventh-seeded Blue Devils defeated visiting Loyola University Maryland, 12-11, on Sunday in NCAA Championships First Round action at Koskinen Stadium.

Duke (12-5 overall) and Loyola (11-5) traded turnovers on the Blue Devils offensive end in the final scramble, as Blue Devil long-stick midfielder Luke Duprey picked up a ground ball and got the ball to Mathias.

Mathias then raced in from the right side and slid a shot inside the near post for the winning tally. His shot ended a game that featured a combined 98 shots and 35 saves by the goalkeepers.

Loyola goalkeeper Jack Runkel posted a career-high 22 saves, far outdistancing his previous best of 15 that came last year in an NCAA Semifinal win over Notre Dame. He is the first Loyola goalkeeper to post 20 or more saves since Michael Fretwell made 21 against Hobart in 2005.

Runkel made saved in the final five seconds of both the first and third quarters and one with 13 ticks left in regulation.

The Blue Devils score the game’s first goal just 53 seconds in on an unassisted Jordan Wolf tally, but the Greyhounds responded with three in a row, two coming on extra-man scored by Brian Schultz and Sean O’Sullivan. Nikko Pontrello’s goal with 3:17 in the first quarter was the Greyhounds’ first six-on-six score of the day, and it gave Loyola a 3-1 lead.

Duke’s Deemer Class scored the second quarter’s first goal, 2:19 in, but Chris Layne beat his defender down the middle and shot a pass to Zach Herreweyers, and the freshman sparked a 4-0 Loyola rally with a four-yard shot at 8:12.

O’Sullivan dodged hard to his left and then reversed a pass right to Mike Sawyer who ripped a goal at 5:31, and then Josh Hawkins executed a one-man clear and scored from inside three yards at 4:59.

Herreweyers scored his second of the quarter dodging from goal-line extended on the right side at 3:06, putting Loyola in front 7-2.

Duke got two back before the half, the first on a Josh Dionne extra-man goal, and the second when David Lawson scored with 1:07 left before halftime, pulling the Blue Devils back within three, 7-4.

Loyola got the first goal of the second half as a Runkel save keyed a Greyhounds’ transition run that Scott Ratliff capped with his 14^thgoal of the season, extending his single-season goal scoring record for a long-pole at Loyola.

Duke, however, reeled off four in a row, and Myles Jones’ post-up goal with 1:57 left in the third quarter tied the score at 8-8.

Matt Sawyer, however, put Loyola back in front with 12:41 on the fourth-quarter clock, scoring off a Justin Ward assist on an extra-man opportunity.

Wolf, however, tied it back up 25 seconds later, and Josh Offit goal at 9:20 put Duke in front for the first time since Schultz’s goal with 10:35 to play in the first quarter tied the score at 1-1.

The Greyhounds responded with two goals in a row, with several Runkel saves mixed in between Mike Sawyer took a Ward feed and scorched a 13-yard shot on a man-up at 8:39, tying the score at 10-10, and Herreweyers tallied his team-high third of the game with 3:32 left, again on a Ward assist, to give Loyola an 11-10 advantage.

Ward finished with five assists, tying his career-high.

Mathias’ goal at 1:05 came from in front of the goal after Lawson hit the post. Mathias scooped the rebound into the net, tying the game at 11-11.

Loyola won the ensuing faceoff, but the Greyhounds turned it over, and Duke has possession with less than 30 seconds on the clock.

Greg DeLuca ran the clear, but Runkel saved his shot with fewer than 15 seconds remaining in regulation.

In the first overtime, Runkel made saves on shots by Wolf and Matheis, and the Greyhounds killed a 30-second penalty in the process.

Loyola had a man-advantage in the final 30 seconds, but the Greyhounds’ first shot was wide, and the second was saved by Kyle Turri as one of his 13 in the game with just over 10 seconds left.

Runkel made a save on an Offit shot 48 seconds into the second overtime, but Loyola turned it over after clearing it to its offensive end. Duke cleared the ball, setting up the final flurry where the teams traded turnovers and Matheis scored the winner.

Hererweyers and Matheis tied for game-high honors with three goals each, while Mike Sawyer scored twice and assisted on another for Loyola. O’Sullivan, Ratliff, Hawkins, Pontrello, Schutz and Matt Sawyer each had single goals for the Greyhounds.

Game Data

Loyola will make its 21 all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships and 19th at the Division I level when it takes on Duke University in the First Round on Sunday, May 12, 2013.

The game is slated for a 5:15 p.m. start from Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C.
Watch The Action

The ESPN family of networks will televise all 15 games of this year’s NCAA Championships, and Sunday’s Loyola-Duke game will air live on ESPNU.

Mike Corey will call the play-by-play action, and Ryan Flannigan will provide color analysis.

The game can also be seen on the WatchESPN mobile platform.
Series History

Sunday will be the 26th meeting all-time between the Blue Devils and the Greyhounds, with Duke holding a 15-10 advantage in the series.

Including this year, the teams have played during the regular-season for 14-straight seasons (since 2000). Sunday’s game will be the second time the programs have met in the NCAA Tournament. Duke defeated Loyola, 12-7, in the 2008 NCAA First Round in Durham.

The Blue Devils won this year’s regular-season meeting, 9-8, outscoring Loyola 5-3 in the fourth quarter. Josh Offit’s goal with 12:26 left in regulation gave Duke its first lead since the second quarter, 6-5, but Sean O’Sullivan struck on an extra-man opportunity for Loyola, and the Greyhounds tied the game less than two minutes later.

Offitt and Christian Walsh, however, scored back-to-back goals to put the Blue Devils in front for good.

Justin Ward had two goals and an assist for Loyola and was the Greyhounds’ only multi-point scorer in the game. Offitt, Josh Dionne, Case Matheis and Jordan Wolf all scored twice, while Wolf added two assists.

Scott Ratliff had seven ground balls and four caused turnovers on the defensive end for Loyola.

Duke had won five-straight over Loyola and eight of nine, before the Greyhounds defeated the Blue Devils, 13-8, on March 10, 2012, in Baltimore.

The series dates back to 1946.
In The Polls

Loyola enters the NCAA Championships ranked ninth in both the USILA coaches poll and in the Inside Lacrosse media ranking.

Duke is fourth in the coaches version, eighth in the media’s.
Last Time Out

Ohio State scored with 1:33 to play in the third quarter, opening an 8-0 run that closed the game, and the Buckeyes defeated Loyola, 18-11, on Thursday, May 2, in the ECAC Semifinals.

Mike Sawyer and Chris Layne scored at 6:49 and 3:59 in the third quarter to break a 9-9 tie and give the Greyhounds a 11-9 advantage, but the Buckeyes tied the game on a Logan Schuss goal 51 ticks into the fourth, and he added another goal 55 seconds later to put Ohio State up for good.

Schuss scored five goals and added an assist, while Jesse King tallied four goals and an assist and Dominique Alexander scored once and had five assists for the Buckeyes.

Sawyer scored four to lead Loyola, while Nikko Pontrello tallied two goals and two assists, and Davis Butts and Justin Ward each had a goal and two assists.

Scott Ratliff picked up eight ground balls for Loyola, helping the Greyhounds win 18-of-33 faceoffs in the game.
NCAA Championships History

Loyola is making its 21st all-time appearance in the NCAA Championships, 19th in Division I history (since 1982). The Greyhounds are 12-19 all-time in the tournament, 12-17 at the Division I level.

The Greyhounds won the first NCAA Division I Championship, in any sport, last season, when they defeated Maryland, 9-3, on Memorial Day. The win completed an 18-1 season for the Greyhounds in which they tied the NCAA Division I record for wins in a season, matching the 18-2 Duke team from 2008. Loyola entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed and defeated Canisius, Denver and Notre Dame en route to the title game.
Two Tewaaraton Nominees

The Greyhounds one of five programs nationwide with five men’s nominees for the 2013 Tewaaraton Award, and Loyola is one of six schools with at least one man and one woman nominated.

Scott Ratliff and Mike Sawyer were named Tewaaraton Award nominees for the second-straight season, as was Marlee Paton from the Loyola women’s team.

Ratliff enters NCAA Championships play as one of the top long-stick midfielders in the game. He has 75 ground balls and 29 caused turnovers, both tops among players in the ECAC, and he has some of the top offensive numbers for long-stick players in the game’s history with 13 goals and four assists this year.

Sawyer has been on a hot streak of late (more later) and now leads the Greyhounds with 34 goals. He is second on the team with 40 points, as well.
ECAC Honors

Scott Ratliff became the first player in ECAC Lacrosse League history to earn an end-of-the-year award from the conference in a different category. The senior long-stick midfielder was named the 2013 ECAC Specialist of the Year in unanimous fashion after earning ECAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2012.

Joe Fletcher was named the 2013 ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, and both he and Ratliff earned All-ECAC First Team honors.

Mike Sawyer, Justin Ward, Davis Butts and Reid Acton were named to the All-ECAC Second Team, while Zach Herreweyers and Justin Verratti claimed ECAC All-Rookie Team laurels.
Sawyer Keeps Scoring

Mike Sawyer recorded his fourth-straight hat trick in the ECAC Semifinals against Ohio State, the second time in his career he’s accomplished that feat. He previously scored three or more goals in five-consecutive games from March 7-21, 2012.

In the Greyhounds’ last four games, Sawyer has scored 15 goals while assisting on four. In his first nine this year, he tallied 19 goals and two assists. He has three four-goal games to go with a three-goal outing against Johns Hopkins.

Sawyer put up his best offensive numbers of the season on April 13 against Denver, scoring four goals and recording two assists for six points, season-highs in all categories.

The senior attacker quickly replicated that effort on April 20 at Hobart, posting the same numbers in each category.

With his 15 goals in three games, Sawyer has leapt into the team lead for goals scored with 34 this season. He finished the regular-season as the ECAC leader in goals per game during conference games (2.47).

In 57 career games, Sawyer has scored 126 goals and has 25 assists for 151 points.

Earlier this year, against UMBC, he became the eighth player in school Division I history to reach 100 goals, and his 126 total place him are second-most on the program’s Division I career chart. He is seven back of Pat Lamon in first. Sawyer’s 151 points rank eighth in school Division I history.
Fletcher Continues Consistent Performance

Joe Fletcher earned ECAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the third time this season on May 7 after a standout performance on close defense against Johns Hopkins.

The junior picked up five ground balls and helped start Loyola’s transition game that cleared the ball successfully all 20 times it attempted clears.

He was matched up against the Blue Jays’ leading scorer, Wells Stanwick, who entered the game averaging 4.0 points per game. Fletcher held Stanwick to just one point on an assist that came in transition off a Johns Hopkins faceoff win. Stanwick, who had 23 goals entering the game, managed just three shots against Fletcher.

This season, Fletcher has picked up 57 ground balls and caused 17 turnovers.
Second Half Defensive Success

Loyola’s defense held Johns Hopkins to just one goal in the second half and none in the game’s final 29 minutes, 18 seconds. The Blue Jays’ final 18 shots of the second half were either saved or went off target.

Jack Runkel made six of his 10 saves in the second half, four during the fourth quarter.

Johns Hopkins also turned the ball over 10 times in the final 30 minutes, 16 times in all during the game.

Loyola also shutout the Blue Jays on extra-man opportunities Saturday, holding them scoreless on three attempts, two in the fourth quarter.
Defending The Midfield

Loyola did not allow an offensive midfielder to score for Johns Hopkins in 23 shot attempts when entering the game, the seven players that ran on the two midfield lines had combined for 69 goals and 43 assists.

The Greyhounds’ defensive midfield kept the Blue Jays middies from dodging to space and forced outside shots, keeping 17-of-23 shots off cage. The six that were on goal were all saved by Jack Runkel in goal.
Hawkins On The Fly

In just eight games this year, Josh Hawkins has already eclipsed his previous high in goals, scoring 10 this season to beat his total of six from last season and his 2010 freshman campaign. He also has two assists this season.

Prior the Ohio State game in the ECAC Semifinal, the defensive midfielder had scored at least two points in each of Loyola’s last four games and has at least one goal in every game he’d played this year. He scored twice against Fairfield, Denver and Hobart and registered a goal and an assist versus Johns Hopkins.

He has put 17-of-28 shots on goal and scored on 35.7-percent of his total shots.

In 48 career games, Hawkins has scored 25 goals and has nine assists as a short-stick defender.
O’Sullivan Shooting On Target

Sean O’Sullivan has scored eight goals in the Greyhounds’ last five games, nearly doubling his output of nine in the team’s first 10 outings this season. He is currently third on the team with 17 goals and fifth with 20 points.

He matched his career-high with four goals against Denver, and his final goal of the game tied the score with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, forcing overtime. O’Sullivan needed just four shots in the game against the Pioneers to score his four goals.

On April 20 at Hobart, he scored twice on four shots, and he added a goal on his only shot and an assist at Johns Hopkins.

This season, he has scored his 17 goals on just 43 shots (.398 shot percentage), and he is putting 69.8-percent of his total shots on goal (30-of-43). His four extra-man goals in conference play led the ECAC in that category.
Rookie Production

Zach Herreweyers recorded his fourth hat trick of the season at Hobart in just his seventh game of the season.

The freshman from London, Ontario, posted three goals and two assists against the Statesmen, and with a goal at Johns Hopkins, he raised his first-year total to 16 goals and three assists in eight contests.

Herreweyers, who had hat tricks against Air Force, Georgetown, Michigan and Hobart, leads ECAC Lacrosse League freshmen with 2.0 goals per game and 2.4 points per contest.

Against Air Force, Herreweyers became the first Loyola freshman to score three times in a game since current senior Patrick Fanshaw scored five goals and assisted on another on March 20, 2010, also against Air Force.
Ratliff Sets Record

Scott Ratliff did something believed to be a first in the modern era of college lacrosse  (circa 1971) on April 6 in the Greyhounds’ win over visiting Fairfield. The senior long-stick midfielder scored four goals, becoming the first player with a pole to do so.

Ratliff scored once off a Loyola faceoff win, a second time on a give-and-go in transition with Pat Laconi and twice more off set plays in settled offense with feeds from Justin Ward and Nikko Pontrello.

In recent years, at least two long-sticks, Duke’s C.J. Costabile and Bryant’s Mason Poli, have recorded hat tricks.
Multi-Point Ventures For Ward

Johns Hopkins All-American defender Tucker Durkin held Justin Ward to just one assist on April 27, the first time this season the junior attacker was held to less than two points. He rebounded, though, with a goal and two assists versus Ohio State for his 14th multi-point game in 15 games this year.

He has now tallied at least two points in all but one games this season, and he has three or more in 10 of those outings.

In the Georgetown game, he became the 10th player in the program’s Division I history (since 1982) to log 50 or more assists in his career. With 62 career assists, Ward is in seventh place on the school’s Division I career chart; he is now 10 away from tying Kevin Beach and Tim O’Shea for fifth place.

Ward put up his second game with seven or more points on March 16 against Air Force, logging seven with two goals and five assists in the win over the Falcons. His five assists tied his career-high, set twice in 2012 against Towson and Fairfield.

On February 26, against UMBC, as the junior finished with seven goals and three assists for 10 points. His goal and point outputs were career-highs. He became the first player to score at least seven goals in a game since Gavin Prout tallied eight in a 19-11 win at Hobart on April 28, 2001.

Ward’s 10-point effort was the first 10-point game for a Greyhound since Tim Goettelmann tallied the same amount in a 19-9 win on March 25, 2000, against Fairfield. In that game, Goettelmann scored four goals and had six assists. Later that season, he would score seven goals on May 16 in the NCAA First Round against Notre Dame.

Through 13 games this year, Ward leads the team with 30 assists and 57 points. His 30 assists are tied for seventh in school single-season history.
CLASSy Senior Candidate

Three weeks ago, Scott Ratliff was named one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award, an honor given yearly to a NCAA Division I senior who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition

Ratliff has continued his high production on defense, transition and offense that helped him earn USILA All-America Third Team and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year honors a year ago when he led the team last year in ground balls (88) and caused turnovers (37), was fifth in goals (12) and seventh in assists (7).

His career totals now stand at 29 goals and 14 assists, and his 43 career points are second-most among active long-poles to Bryant’s Mason Poli. Last year, he set the school’s single-season long-pole scoring record with 12 goals and seven assists, eclipsing the previous high of 16 points on 11 goals and five assists set in 1995 by current Loyola assistant coach Matt Dwan.

Additionally, Ratliff is now seventh in school Division I history in career ground balls (216) and he is second in caused turnovers (88). His caused turnovers are two shy of tying the school record set by P.T. Ricci.
Crane A Finalist For Yeardley Love Unsung Hero Award

Freshman Jason Crane is one of five men’s players nationally to be a finalist for the Yeardley Love Unsung Hero Award. In January, Crane led a group of 13 of his teammates to Newtown, Conn., to put on a youth lacrosse clinic for members of the town affected by the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Crane and his teammates have kept up the connection with the Newtown Youth Lacrosse players, hosting them and their families at the April 13 game against Denver.
Pontrello Keeps Tallying Points

Nikko Pontrello tallied two goals and two assists in the ECAC Semifinal against and Ohio State, coming up with his fourth multi-goal game of the season in addition to three hat tricks (UMBC, Air Force, Ohio State regular-season).

In his first season as a starter, Pontrello has scored 15 goals while assisting on 19 for 34 points, third-most on the team. As a freshman in 2012, he scored four goals and assisted on six.

He posted his second six-point game this season March 16 against Air Force, scoring a career-high four goals to go with two assists. He scored in the first quarter, tallied a pair during Loyola’s 4-0 third-quarter run and added his fourth in the final frame. Earlier this year against UMBC, Pontrello posted three goals and three assists for six points against the Retrievers.
Helmet Stickers

Loyola players are wearing three stickers on their helmets this season to remember those who have passed away. The stickers are in memory of Adam Pomper, a member of the 2012 team who passed away on June 12, 2012, Mandy O’Sullivan, mother of current players Sean and Ryan O’Sullivan who died in March 2012 from pancreatic cancer, and the 26 victims of the Newtown, Conn., shooting in December 2012 where Loyola put on a youth lacrosse clinic in January.
Well-Represented In MLL Draft

Five members of the Loyola men’s lacrosse team were selected in the top 26 of the January 11 Major League Lacrosse draft. The Greyhounds tied Virginia for the most draft picks in the selection process.

Josh Hawkins and Mike Sawyer were both taken in the first round, going fifth and eighth overall to the Hamilton Nationals and Charlotte Hounds, respectively.

Scott Ratliff was the first pick of the second round, going ninth to the Boston Cannons, and Davis Butts was taken early in the third round, 19th overall to the Denver Outlaws. Joining Hawkins in Hamilton will be Reid Acton, the team’s fourth round pick, 26th overall.
Big Runs

Last season, runs of three-plus goals were critical in the Greyhounds success, as they had runs of 3-0 or better in all 19 games. In all, Loyola scored three or more in a row on 37 occasions last year.

The Greyhounds have continued the trend this year, scoring three or more in a row 21 times and have had runs of 3-0 or better in every game but one (Maryland).
Second-Half Success

Last season, the Greyhounds outscored opponents 66-22 in the third quarters of games, and 123-63 overall in the second half (including overtime). The second-half scoring continued a trend from 2011 when Loyola outscored opponents, 69-52, after halftime (including two overtime goals), and 77-56.

This year, Loyola is outscoring opponents 58-29 in the third quarter and 81-69 overall after halftime.

“Earlier this week, Chris was diagnosed with a testicular mass that will require further medical treatment. In consultation with doctors, Chris has decided to complete his collegiate lacrosse career where he loves to be, on the field with the teammates with whom he has a tremendous bond.

“We have been part of the Loyola lacrosse family for many years, and the support we have received has been tremendous. We would like to thank Coach Toomey and his staff, Chris’ teammates and their families for their comfort during this time. We believe that there is no better place for our family to be at this time because of their care for Chris and our family.”

The family has asked that members of the media respect the privacy of Chris and his family during this time. This will be the only statement they will make until further notice.

Statement from Loyola University Maryland Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Charley Toomey regarding Chris Layne:

“Throughout the last several days, our thoughts have been on the health and long-term well-being of Chris Layne. We are looking forward to Chris being with us in the playoffs, and he and his family will remain in our thoughts and prayers as he prepares for a new, post-playoffs battle.”

Loyola Alumnus Ficke Named Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach

BALTIMORE – Dan Ficke, a 2009 and 2010 graduate of Loyola University Maryland, has returned to his alma mater as an assistant men’s basketball coach, filling out the first staff of new head coach G.G. Smith.

Ficke, who played four seasons at Loyola, graduated from the school in 2009 with his bachelor of business administration degree. He then earned his M.B.A. with a concentration in management in 2010.

“It’s great to have Dan back with the Loyola basketball family,” Smith said. “He is someone who knows what this program has accomplished and where we are headed from here. Dan has great ties in the basketball community across the nation, as well, and he grew up around the game with a great mentor in his dad, ‘Big Bill.’”

He joins the Loyola staff after spending the last three seasons at Wake Forest University where he spent the 2012-2013 season as the Special Assistant to the Head Coach/Director of Scouting and Recruiting. Prior to that, he was the program’s Assistant Director of Operations from 2010-2012.

In his roles with the Demon Deacons, Ficke was a liaison between the staff members and the players, monitoring the players’ academics and daily schedules and was responsible for assisting with team travel, meals and other logistics within the basketball office.

Ficke was a part of some of the most successful Division I teams at Loyola during his time with the Greyhounds from 2005-2009. He was a member of teams that won 64 games, including the 2007-2008 team that won what was then a school Division I record 19 contests.

“I am thrilled to be back home at Loyola and working with G.G. Smith,” Ficke said. “This is a place where I have great memories, and I am so proud as an alum of what the program has accomplished. I look forward to working with G.G., the players and my fellow coaches to help continue the winning tradition that has been built.”

His freshman season was cut short before it started with a shoulder injury, and he made his collegiate debut in 2006-2007. He developed into a key contributor in the Greyhounds’ frontcourt during the 2007-2008 campaign when he saw action in 20 games.

In his final season with the Greyhounds, 2008-2009, Ficke played in all but one of 32 games. He made his first start for Loyola in a New Year’s Eve game at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Duke.

Following the conclusion of his playing career, Ficke spent the 2009-2010 season as as the head junior varsity and assistant varsity coach at nearby Boys Latin School of Maryland.

Before coming to Loyola, Ficke earned All-Colorado Second Team honors and All-America honorable mention on the prep level at Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colo.

Ficke grew up around the best in the game of basketball, following his dad, Bill, who was an NBA assistant coach and scout for the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz and New Jersey Nets where he coached alongside Larry Brown and Doug Moe. Bill also played at Belmont Abbey College for legendary coach Al McGuire.

Dan serves as the president of the JoAnn B. Ficke Cancer Foundation, an organization named in honor of his late mother who passed away in 2007. Bill and Dan founded the charity two years later to generate support for cancer treatment, awareness to relieve the suffering of cancer patients and their families and to facilitate research.

Ficke joins Smith’s staff that includes assistant coaches Keith Booth and Josh Loeffler. Director of Basketball Operations Kevin Farrell also returns for his second year with the Greyhounds.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Undefeated Maryland earned the top overall seed in the upcoming 2013 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship, announced Sunday.

The Terps (19-0) earned the automatic bid from the Atlantic Coast Conference after winning their fifth straight ACC championship. Maryland will play host to the winner of the Towson/Stony Brook first round game next Sunday at noon at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.

Maryland leads the nation with 29 appearances in the tournament. The Terps are also tops with 51 wins, 16 championship game appearances and 10 NCAA titles.

The first round game between Towson and Stony Brook will be at 7 p.m. Friday at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. Tickets are priced at $6 for adults and $4 for students and seniors.

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - For the 11th-straight year the University of Maryland men’s lacrosse team will compete in the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship tournament. The Terps, which received the No. 6 seed with an at-large bid, will play Cornell on Sun., May 12 at 1 p.m. at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.

The Terrapins (10-3) are making their 36th NCAA tournament appearance, while the Big Red (12-3), which earned an at-large bid out of the Ivy League, will be making their 25th appearance in the tournament field.

Maryland and Cornell have played 15 times with the Terps holding a 13-2 series advantage. The two teams have not met since 2000 when the Terps won, 8-7, at the Big Red. This will be the fourth meeting between the two programs in the NCAA tournament. Maryland and Cornell met for the 1971 and 1976 NCAA championships with the Big Red winning both of those meetings. The Terps won the 1974 meeting in the semifinals.

This marks the fourth time that Maryland has been named the No. 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Terps were previously a No. 6 seed in 1983, 1992 and 2000. In 1983, Maryland topped No. 3 seed Virginia in the first round, which was also the quarterfinals, by a 13-4 score. The Terps then lost to No. 2 seed Syracuse in the semifinals, 12-5. In 1992, beat Duke, 13-11, in the first round, but lost to No. 3 seed Princeton, 11-10, in the quarters. The 2000 tournament was also a 1-1 finish for the Terps with a first round victory over Hofstra, 14-12, and a 10-7 loss in the quarters to No. 3 seed Princeton.

The winner of the Maryland/Cornell game will meet the winner of the No. 3 seed Ohio State/Towson first round game in the quarterfinals on Saturday, May 18, at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium. The other quarterfinal matchup in College Park will come from the winners of No. 1 Syracuse/Bryant and #8 Penn State/Yale first round games.

Tickets for the Maryland-Cornell game will be available for by calling the Maryland ticket office at 1-800-462-TERP (8377). Adult general admission seating is $10 and student/senior tickets are $5. Mezzanine seating and suite holder tickets are available for $15.

Tournament Breakdown:
College Park Bracket
No. 1 Syracuse (Big East AQ) vs. Bryant (NEC AQ) – May 12, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU
No. 8 Penn State (CAA) vs. Yale (Ivy AQ)- May 11, 2:30 p.m., ESPNU

Indianapolis Bracket
No. 5 North Carolina (ACC) vs. Lehigh (Patriot AQ) – May 11, Noon, ESPN2
No. 4 Denver (ECAC) vs. Albany (AE AQ) – May 11, 7:30 p.m., ESPNU

College Park Bracket
No. 3 Ohio State (ECAC AQ) vs. Towson (CAA AQ) – May 12, 3 p.m, ESPNU
No. 6 Maryland (ACC) vs. Cornell (Ivy) – May 12, 1 p.m., ESPN2

Indianapolis Bracket
No. 7 Duke (ACC) vs. Loyola (ECAC) – May 12, 5:15 p.m., ESPNU
No. 2 Notre Dame (Big East) vs. Detroit (MAAC AQ) – May 11, 5 p.m., ESPNU

Tournament Teams By Conference:
ACC (3): Duke, North Carolina, Maryland
ECAC (3): Ohio State (AQ), Denver, Loyola
Big East (2): Syracuse (AQ), Notre Dame
CAA (2): Towson (AQ), Penn State
Ivy (2): Yale (AQ), Cornell
Patriot League (1): Lehigh (AQ)
America East (1): Albany (AQ)
MAAC (1): Detroit (AQ)
NEC (1): Bryant (AQ)

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