COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 4 Maryland men’s lacrosse team (8-2) hosts No. 15 Yale (7-3) in a game with significant national implications on Saturday, April 20 at noon at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium.

• Maryland is coming off of a 7-4 home loss to No. 11 Johns Hopkins last Saturday. Junior midfielder Mike Chanenchuk led all scorers with three points on two goals and an assist. Junior goalie Niko Amato had 12 saves to help the Terps limit the Blue Jays to a season-low seven goals.

• For the season, senior attackman Kevin Cooper leads the Terps in points, goals and assists with 32, 17 and 15, respectively. Five other Terps have scored double-digit goals. Sophomore Jay Carlson is next with 16, with Chanenchuk in third place with 15 goals. Seniors Owen Blye, Jake Bernhardt and John Haus each have 14. Defensively, Amato has stopped 58.9 percent of the shots put on goal by opponents and has a 7.18 goals-against average, both of which leads the ACC. Sophomore faceoff man Charlie Raffa leads the team with 67 groundballs, while Jesse Bernhardt leads the team with 16 caused turnovers.

• Yale has won five-straight, including an 11-10 overtime win over Stony Brook on Monday night. The Bulldogs are led offensively by junior attackman Brandon Mangan, who has 44 points on 25 goals and 19 assists. Sophomore attackman Conrad Oberback also has more than 20 goals with 23 on the season. Sophomore Eric Natale has started all 10 games in net for the Elis and has a 53.0 save-percentage and a 7.82 goals-against average.

Dez Wells given the Greivis Vasquez Award for Most Inspirational Player

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Alex Len was given the Len Bias Award as the most valuable player as the University of Maryland men’s basketball team held its awards banquet Wednesday at the Riggs Alumni Center.

Players, coaches, staff and supporters gathered to celebrate a season that saw the Terrapins win 25 games, their most since 2006-07. Voice of the Terrapins Johnny Holliday emceed the event, which also featured a 2012-13 highlight video and remarks from coach Mark Turgeon and seniors James Padgett and Logan Aronhalt.

In addition to being named MVP, Len earned the Len Elmore Award for most rebounds after finishing with 298. He was also given the Buck Williams Award for Most Valuable Defensive Player; Len’s 78 blocks in 2012-13 are the eighth most in a single-season in school history.

Sophomore Dez Wells was selected for the Greivis Vasquez Award for Most Inspirational Player. Awards for MVP and Most Inspirational Player were voted on by the players.

Juan Dixon was on hand to present the award for Most Improved Player – named after himself – to freshman Jake Layman. Fellow freshman Shaquille Cleare was given the Walt Williams Coaches Award for being the most coachable player.

Pe’Shon Howard, who led the Terps with 131 assists, won the Steve Blake Award for assists, while Aronhalt won the Tom McMillen award for Academic Achievement. Aronhalt had a 4.0 GPA in his first year pursuing a graduate degree in exercise physiology.

Alex Len

Opening Statement:

“I want to start off saying this: it has been two wonderful years here. I am thankful for everything. Thank you to the coaching staff, the administration and academic staff to help me succeed at the University of Maryland.

“I have decided to take the next step and enter my name into the NBA Draft. My family and I have been thinking about this for some time now. With Coach Turgeon we came to the decision, and we think this is going to be a great decision for me, and my career. I am very blessed and thankful to have had the opportunity to be a Terp. I want to thank the Maryland Basketball family for welcoming me with open arms and for helping me become the person I am today.

“I want to thank Coach Turgeon. When I got here he asked me what my goals were. I told him that I wanted to be an NBA player. I want to thank him and the entire coaching staff for putting me in the position to accomplish that goal. I also want to thank my teammates. They were always there for me on and off the court. We shared some great moments together and I will always have these memories for the rest of my life.

“I want to thank the best fans that any team has. They always came out to support us no matter the score or even the weather. They always stood up behind us 100 percent and I hope they will continue to stand behind me in the next phase of my basketball career. I will always be a Terp.”

On how he came about this decision:

“After the season I talked to my family and met with Coach Turgeon to talk about it. We have been thinking about it and we came to the conclusion that the right time was now.”

On where he has to improve:

“The last two years I came here I learned a lot and really improved. All you can do is work hard. I am excited for this next step. All I want to do is work hard and learn as much as I can.”

On telling his teammates he was declaring and how they reacted:

“The guys were really excited for me and they told me it was the right decision. They were just excited.”

On favorite NBA teams:

“I watch a lot of NBA, but I don’t have any preferences. I have favorite players but I’m going to play for any team that chooses me. I want to go somewhere I can contribute and I can improve myself.”

On if he considered coming back:

“During the season I didn’t think about it at all. I was just focused on the season. After the season I made the decision together with my family and coach Turgeon and we just decided it was the best decision.”

On if he’s looking forward to the NBA game:

“I’m excited. It’s going to be a huge step. The post in the NBA is a different game and I’m ready for that. I’m just ready to work hard.”

Head Coach Mark Turgeon

Opening Statement:

“I want to thank everyone for coming out. I know this has been a lingering story. You can’t keep secrets, especially good secrets very easily. It is an exciting day for all of us, our program, for Alex. It just seems like yesterday that he walked into our office; it was August of our first year here. This big seven-foot skinny kid walks in. He knows very little English, and less than two years later he is going to put his name in the draft and most likely be a lottery pick. I think top ten pick before it is all said and done.

“Quick little story, his mom came in when he committed and he gave me this little turtle for Maryland. She said I am giving Alex to you as a baby, when he leaves here I want him to be a man. He has grown up a lot. In two years I have never seen a kid learn a language, learn the game, the European game is a lot different than ours, and just the way he has progressed. I don’t think I have ever been around a player who has progressed as much as Alex has as quickly as he has. The reason the NBA is so intrigued and I know he is going to be a great pro is that he is only 19. I can’t imagine where he is going to be when he is 23.”

On Alex’s contributions to the team:

“I think we finished third or fourth in the country in field-goal percentage defense, and it was for one reason. It was this guy right here. The Iowa game, we would have lost by 20 if he wasn’t out there altering shots and blocking shots. His shot-blocking late in the season — really it was at the Virginia game. I was always talking about being a presence at the rim. ‘Protect the rim, Alex.’ I’d hit him on his chest so he had to look down at me — I didn’t hit him hard — but he’d look down at me and I’d just say protect the rim. He’s an unbelievable shot blocker and that’s what I asked him to do. He’s special. I talked to a couple NBA guys yesterday that had really high picks and I told them don’t mess up. I think he can be the No. 1 pick. They’re talking about the other guy being No. 1, and you guys saw the same game I saw when we played them earlier in the year. This kid’s going to be special.”

On the sense of pride he has:

“Alex and I teared up a little bit in our office when he said he was leaving because I was like, “Wow, it happened so quick.” That’s why I came to Maryland. To coach guys like Alex. He wasn’t the first kid to commit to us, but he was the first player to commit to us that played for us – if that makes sense. For him to be a lottery pick a year later says a lot about him, says a lot about how lucky we were to get him and also our program and our staff. A guy who hasn’t been mentioned is Kyle Tarp, the strength and conditioning coach. He did a great job. He put 30 pounds on this guy in one summer and so it’s just really good for our program. Hopefully I’m here for a long time. I’m going to have an NBA wall and he’s going to be the first one and hopefully this becomes an annual event for us where we have someone going to the NBA draft in the first round.”

- Terps -

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – University of Maryland sophomore center Alex Len is forgoing his final two years of collegiate eligibility to enter the NBA Draft.

Len and head coach Mark Turgeon will hold a press conference in the Comcast Center media room Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.

“I’m very grateful for the two years I’ve spent at Maryland and for everyone that has supported me during my time here,” said Len. “It’s been an honor to play here and I’ve learned so much. I want to thank Coach Turgeon and the coaching staff for believing in me and helping me grow as a player and a person. I also want to thank my teammates who were always there for me. We shared some great moments together. I’ve grown a lot, both on the court and off the court, over the past two years and I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life.”

“I’m very proud of Alex and am excited for what the future holds for him,” said Turgeon. “To see the progress he’s made on the court, in the classroom and socially has been a truly rewarding experience. Alex has worked incredibly hard since he got here and he has earned this opportunity.”

Len averaged 11.9 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game while leading the ACC with 78 blocks in 2012-13. The 7-foot-1 native of Antratsit, Ukraine, was named honorable mention All-ACC and was a member of the All-ACC Defensive team last season.

Len dramatically increased his productivity from his freshman to sophomore season, making improvements in nearly every statistical category. His scoring went from 6.0 points per game to 11.9, while his rebounding increased from 5.4 to 7.8 per game. For his career, Len holds averages of 9.7 points per game, 7.0 rebounds per game and 2.1 blocks per game. He played in 60 games with 48 starts, 37 of those coming in 2012-13.

As soon as Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported the news, I knew what the response was going to be.

“He’s not ready.”

“He’s soft.”

“See you in the D-League.”

“Maybe he should have asked Jordan Williams for some advice.”

What Wojnarowski reported is what we all expected was coming since the Maryland Terrapins lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NIT semifinals two weeks ago. Center Alex Len will forgo his final two years of eligibility and enter the NBA Draft. Wojnarowski noted Len will hold a press conference later in the week in College Park to make the news official.

In fairness, the news has been “official” roughly since the Terrapins tipped off against Kentucky at the Barclays Center this past November. On that night, Len went off for 23 points and 12 rebounds while working to hold Wildcats freshman phenom Nerlens Noel to just four points.

That Nerlens Noel is still expected by many to be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft despite the fact that there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to return from a torn ACL in time to start the 2013-2014 season.

If you shut down a guy that is thought to be the #1 pick despite a torn ACL, you’re probably going to be in pretty damn good shape to end up a top pick yourself. But if Alex Len’s uneven play for most of the 2012-2013 season left anyone questioning where his stock sat, he addressed that swiftly just after Valentine’s Day.

On February 16, Len went toe-to-toe with another expected NBA Lottery pick. In his showdown with Duke’s Mason Plumlee, the Terps’ big man scored 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds while limiting the Blue Devils’ first team All-ACC center to just four points and three rebounds.

Fans who rushed the floor after Maryland’s win that night at Comcast Center might as well have asked the Ukranian big man if they could borrow money from him this summer. A scout in attendance that night told me that while he wasn’t completely sold on Len’s game, he knew the soon-to-be former Terp wouldn’t be falling out of the Top 10 in the Draft.

I never sensed that Maryland fans were particularly hopeful that Len would decide to pass on money in favor of another year’s worth of seasoning, so I was understanding of why the reaction wasn’t particularly disappointing Sunday night.

I also understand many of the responses about Len’s “readiness” to make the jump to the NBA. I saw the same player who lacked the physical toughness to use his over seven foot frame to go right at defenders on many occasions. I saw the same guy that appeared a little too willing to settle for jump shots in post-up situations. I saw the same guy that looked like he might have the talent to be an All-American but who instead seemed to forget when games were scheduled to tip-off in ACC play.

I question Alex Len’s “readiness” about as much as the rest of you, but I understand why scouts believe he’s capable of still making improvements at the next level.

Inexplicably, Maryland’s win over Duke provided a bit of a blueprint for what scouts see in Len as a pro. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is as stubborn as he is successful, choosing to keep Plumlee (and a couple others) matched up one on one with Len instead of doubling him. At the next level, Len will be more likely to see similar styles of defense, especially considering the longer three point line and greater amount of available space on the floor for offensive players to use.

Combine that with the fact that Len proved himself to be a strong defender and capable rebounder and it’s much more easy to understand why NBA types believe Len’s collegiate production might not be indicative of what he has to offer at the pro level.

Moreover, I’m a bit troubled by how dismissive Maryland fans have been about Len’s departure. Len’s 12 points and eight rebound averages don’t seem particularly significant until you remember Maryland averaged just over 60 points per game as a team during ACC regular season play. For all of Len’s struggles, he equated to about a fifth of their overall offense and did much more defensively.

Maryland also loses Senior big man James Padgett this offseason, meaning they will return with sophomores-to-be Charles Mitchell and Shaquille Cleare up front to combine with incoming Michigan transfer Evan Smotrycz and incoming freshman Damonte Dodd. The inexperienced group will be expected to carry the load, but more importantly wings Dez Wells and Nick Faust will be needed to carry the offensive load with more consistency.

The loss of Alex Len may by no means be damning to the Terps’ chances of reaching their first NCAA Tournament since 2010, but dismissing the significance is can only be an attempt to justify the acceptance in a fan’s own mind. Maryland is not only not even remotely better without Alex Len, they are most certainly a worse team today than they were when they fell to the Hawkeyes at Madison Square Garden.

So fare the well, Alex Len. I’ll always be thankful for this.

And also very much so for this.

-G

Media Advisory: Maryland to Honor Lefty Driesell

Legendary Coach will have bronze bas-relief dedicated at Comcast Center 

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland athletics department will honor legendary basketball coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell with a bronze bas-relief dedication ceremony on Tuesday, April 16 at Comcast Center. The reception will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the program starting at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Driesell will be joined by Maryland greats Tom McMillen and Len Elmore.

Driesell became Maryland’s head coach in 1969, coached the Terrapins for 17 seasons and won 348 games.

Prior to his arrival, the Terrapins had won only one Atlantic Coast Conference title and made just one NCAA Tournament appearance. Under Driesell’s leadership, the Terrapins won another ACC title and made the NCAA Tournament eight times, including two Elite 8 appearances.

Driesell, who coached at Davidson prior to coming to Maryland and went on to stints at James Madison and Georgia State, compiled a 786-394 record in his 40-plus years as a head coach. He was the originator of “Midnight Madness” to open practice at the beginning of the season in 1971.

He is a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and the University of Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame.

- Terps -

COLLEGE PARK, MD – Someone asked Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala in the post-game press conference if Saturday’s 7-4 win against rival Maryland was the turning point of the season. History, and how the 2013 season plays out will determine the exact answer of that question, but the Blue Jays certainly gave themselves new life after a hard-fought victory in the 110th renewal of lacrosse’s greatest rivalry.

In a game the Blue Jays (7-4) never trailed, they never quite put away either and it wasn’t until junior Brandon Benn buried his only goal of the game with 2:18 remaining did the win seem secure. For 58 minutes before that, the tension of a playoff game filled Byrd Stadium and it was the Blue Jay seniors and defense that provided the difference.

Senior goalie Pierce Bassett made the first of his 12 saves just over five minutes into the game and quickly sprung senior midfielder John Ranagan, who took his outlet pass 25 yards from the goal and sprinted into the attack zone, where no slide came and he buried an eight-yard shot to give the Blue Jays an early 1-0 lead. The assist was the first of Bassett’s career.

Ranagan pushed the lead to 2-0 four minutes later when he blew a left-handed laser just inside the far post on an ally dodge, only to have Maryland slice the two-goal deficit in half two minutes later when Mike Chanenchuk found Owen Blye alone on the wing and Blye beat Bassett from seven yards out to make it 2-1.

The momentum took quick turns in the final three minutes of the first quarter as Johns Hopkins senior attackman John Kaestner - filling in for an injured Zach Palmer - scored the first of his two goals just 44 seconds after Blye’s strike, but Chanenchuk scored from in tight on a nifty feed from Kevin Cooper with just 98 seconds left in the first quarter to account for a 3-2 Hopkins lead at the end of one quarter.

While the combined 20-goal pace may have been what the more than 10,000 fans in attendance wanted, Bassett and his counterpart, junior NIko Amato, had other ideas and spent the next 45 minutes going save-for-save.

Maryland (8-2) outshot Johns Hopkins 12-6 in the second quarter, but never found the back of the net in the period as Bassett made five of his 12 saves in that frame. Amato was nearly as efficient with three stops, but senior Lee Coppersmith did blow as 10-yard left-handed rocket to the top shelf early in the period to stake JHU to a 4-2 lead that the Blue Jays carried into the half.

With a history of close games in the series (eight of the last 16 have been one-goal affairs), the first goal of the second half would be crucial, and Kaestner drew first blood for the Blue Jays when he notched his second of the game just 37 seconds into the third quarter.

Twice Maryland would draw within two after that as Chanenchuk’s sneaky side-arm shot on the run found the far post five minutes after Kaestner’s goal, but Rob Guida, playing for the first time since mid-February, struck for an extra-man goal just over three minutes later to give the Blue Jays a 6-3 lead.

Amato kept the Terps in the game with five of his 12 saves on the day in the third quarter and Maryland pulled within two again just under four minutes into the fourth period when Jake Bernhardt got free 10 yards in front of the goal and scorched one inside the post to make it 6-4.

That margin held for more than nine minutes with both goalies on top of their game during that time. For his part, Bassett made a key stop on Bernhardt with the Blue Jays a man-down midway through the period and added his 12th and final save on a Chanenchuk shot with 2:36 remaining; 18 seconds later Benn polished off a slow-developing transition opportunity with his team-leading 23rd goal of the season to cap the crucial win for the Blue Jays.

Bassett’s 12-save performance led a Johns Hopkins defensive effort that held the Terps nine-goals below their season average. The Blue Jay close defense of Tucker Durkin, Chris Lightner and Jack Reilly were on point from the start and combined for eight ground balls and five caused turnovers while repeatedly keeping the Terps’ most dangerous players away from the goal.

Ranagan led the Blue Jays with two goals and one assist and Kaestner added the third two-goal performance of his career. Senior Mike Poppleton won 8-of-15 faceoffs as well for the Blue Jays, who have now won five straight games against Maryland in Byrd Stadium.

Chanenchuk matched Ranagan’s effort with a two-goal, one-assist showing of his own and the Terps held advantages in shots (36-31) and ground balls (29-26), but Maryland went more than 11 minutes without scoring three different times and never drew even after Ranagan’s two early goals gave the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead.

#15 Johns Hopkins (7-4) 3-1-2-1/7
#1 Maryland (8-2) 2-0-1-1/4

Goals: J: Ranagan-2, Kaestner-2, Guida, Coppersmith, Benn. M: Chanenchuk-2, Jake Bernhardt, Blye. Assists:J: Bassett, Greeley, Ranagan. M: Chanenchuk, Cooper. Saves: J: Bassett-12. M: Amato-12. Shots: J-31. M-36.EMO: J: 1-for-2. M: 0-for-3. Attendance: 10,233.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Lacrosse’s Greatest Rivalry renews for the 110th time as No. 1 Maryland (8-1) hosts No. 15 Johns Hopkins (6-4) at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium on Saturday, April 13. Faceoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPNU with Eamon McAnaney handling the play-by-play and Paul Carcaterra will provide the analysis.

• Maryland is coming off of an 11-8 win at Navy last Friday in Annapolis. Junior midfielder Mike Chanenchuk led all scorers with four points on two goals and two assists. Senior attackmen Kevin Cooper and Owen Blye and senior midfielder John Haus each chipped in with three points. Senior long pole Jesse Bernhardt had six groundballs to lead the defensive effort, while sophomore Charlie Raffa won 14-of-20 faceoffs with seven groundballs.

• For the season, senior attackman Kevin Cooper leads the Terps in points, goals and assists with 31, 17 and 14, respectively. Five other Terps have scored double-digit goals. SophomoreJay Carlson is next with 16, with Haus in third place with 14 goals. Blye, Jake Bernhardt and Chanenchuk each have 13. Defensively, sophomore goalie Niko Amato has stopped 58.3 percent of the shots put on goal by opponents and has a 7.20 goals-against average, both of which leads the ACC. Sophomore faceoff man Charlie Raffa leads the team with 63 groundballs, while Jesse Bernhardt leads the team with 13 caused turnovers.

• The Blue Jays are coming off of a 10-9 home loss to Albany last Friday. Johns Hopkins opened its season with three-straight victories, but has lost four of its last seven, although each of JHU’s last two defeats were one-goal decisions. Sophomore Wells Stanwick leads the team with 38 points on 22 goals and 16 assists. Junior Brandon Benn also has 22 goals for the Jays. Senior Pierce Bassett is back for his fourth season in cage for the Blue Jays and has a 57.4 save-percentage and a 8.72 goals-against average.

The Count Down
10 … Since 2002 Maryland has won 100 of the 109 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .917 winning percentage.
9 … Maryland is 117-25 in games since 2002 when it allows nine goals or less, for an .824 winning percentage.
8 … Niko Amato is ranked eighth in the NCAA with a .583 save percentage
7 … Seven different Terps have scored an extra-man goal so far this season.
6 … Maryland has shot 30% or better in six of its eight victories this season
5 … The Terps are ranked among the top five in five team statistical categories by the NCAA.
4 … Johns Hopkins has won four straight games in the series played at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium.
3 … Three of the last five games between the Terps and the Blue Jays have been decided by one goal.
2 … John Haus needs two points to become the first full-time midfielder to score 100 career points since Bill McGlone hit that milestone in 2006.
1 … Owen Blye needs one point to reach the 100-point mark for his career.

1000th Game & Alumni Reunion
• Saturday’s game vs. Johns Hopkins will be the 1000th game in the 88-year history of the Maryland men’s lacrosse program. In appreciation for this milestone, the University of Maryland will be recognizing all of the men’s lacrosse alumni in attendance who have donned the red and black for the Terps over the past 88 seasons. Throughout the years the Maryland men’s lacrosse team has won 11 national championships and 26 ACC championships, had 31 national players of the year, seven conference players of the year and 451 All-Americans, including 114 first-team selections.

• This season also marks the 40th anniversary of Maryland’s first men’s lacrosse NCAA Championship. Men’s lacrosse became an officially recognized sport in by the NCAA until 1971 and just two years later in 1973, Maryland captured its first NCAA championship. The ’73 squad, under the guidance of Bud Beardmore, ran roughshod over its opposition en route to a perfect 10-0 record. The Terps claimed their first NCAA title by defeating Johns Hopkins, 10-9 in double-overtime, in the tournament finals. A school-record 12 Terps earned All-America honors in 1973. The 1973 championship team will also be honored at halftime of Saturday’s game.

Coaching Match-Up
• John Tillman is in his sixth season as a head coach, and third with the Terps, with a 53-31 career record for a 63.1 winning percentage. Tillman is 33-12 (.733) as Maryland’s head coach. He had a 20-19 record in three seasons as the head coach at Harvard.

• Hopkins’ Dave Pietramala is in his 13th season at Hopkins and has a 144-49 (74.6) record with the Jays. He is 167-66 overall in 16 years as a coach for a 71.7 win percentage at both Hopkins and Cornell.

• Tillman has a 2-1 career record against Hopkins, all as Maryland’s head coach.

Series History vs. Johns Hopkins
• Maryland and Hopkins are the two most storied lacrosse programs in the nation, with the rivalry beginning with back in 1895 as Hopkins defeated the Maryland Agricultural College. The Blue Jays (41) and Terps (35) have played in the first and third most NCAA Tournaments since the event began in 1971, respectively. Maryland (111) and Hopkins (182) have produced the most first team All-Americans in the history of lacrosse dating to the first awards in 1922.

• While this will be the 110th meeting between the two schools, Maryland’s official record vs. Hopkins is 40-61-1. The first seven meetings between the two happened before lacrosse was an official sport at Maryland.

• Maryland and Hopkins met for the first time in the NCAA tournament since 1998 in the quarterfinals in Annapolis on May 19, 2012. Drew Snider led the Terps with three goals, while Mike Chanenchuk and John Haus scored two apiece, to lead the Terps to an 11-5 victory over the No. 2-seeded Blue Jays. The game was tied at 2-2 early in the second quarter, but Maryland scored the next six goals to open up an 8-2 lead, putting the game out of reach.

• The return to Homewood Field for the first time since 2008 in April 2012 was a memorable one for the Terps as Owen Blyescored four goals, all in the second half, and the Maryland defense held the Blue Jays scoreless for the final 29:17 in a 9-6 Maryland win.

• The 100th official meeting for Maryland between the Terps and the Jays was another classic, but it was Hopkins’ Kyle Wharton scoring the game-winning goal with just 16 seconds left in the first overtime to give the Jays a 12-11 victory in College Park. Joe Cummings led the Terps with four goals, while Ryan Young had a goal and two assists. Niko Amato made 12 saves in the game, while Curtis Holmes won 15-of-27 faceoffs with a career-high nine groundballs.

• In 2010 the Terps and Blue Jays once again played at the Smartlink Day of Rivals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore and again the game ended with a 10-9 final. But this time it was Maryland that took home the victory thanks in large part to its quartet of attackmen - Grant Catalino, Travis Reed, Will Yeatman and Ryan Young - who combined for six goals and 11 points. The Terps trailed 4-1 early in the second quarter, but scored eight of the next nine goals to take control of the game. Maryland never trailed after taking the lead, but Hopkins pulled to within a goal by scoring twice in the last two minutes to make it a another one-goal game.

• The 2009 match-up was another one-goal game with the Blue Jays edging the Terps, 10-9, at the inaugural Smartlink Day of Rivals at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Hopkins was the beneficiary of nine second-half penalties called against the Terps.Dan Groot had a hat trick for the Terps, while Grant Catalino (2-1=3), Jeremy Sieverts (2-1=3) and Ryan Young (1-2=3) also had three points apiece.

• The 2008 game was not a one-goal affair as Hopkins controlled the game on their home field and took a 10-4 decision. The game was tight in the first half, with the Blue Jays taking a 3-2 lead into halftime. But the third quarter saw Hopkins outscore the Terps 6-1 to put the game out of reach. Grant Catalino was the Terps’ lone multi-point scorer with a goal and an assist, but the highlight of the game for Maryland came on Brian Farrell’s highlight-reel one-handed bounce shot with a pair of Blue Jay defenders draped on him.

• The series returned to its one-goal history in 2007 with the Blue Jays pulling out an 8-7 victory in overtime. Paul Rabil hit a running left-handed shot just 43 seconds into the extra session. Senior midfielder Chris Feifs had the finest outing of his college career in the game, scoring his first-ever hat trick.

• The Terps snapped a four-game losing skid to Hopkins in 2006 with a decisive 11-4 win at Homewood Field on April 14. Leading the way was Attackman of the Year Joe Walters, who scored six goals and added two assists. Eight points and six goals were the most ever by a Maryland player against the Blue Jays. Bill McGlone chipped in with a pair of goals, while junior goalie Harry Alford was solid in the cage, stopping nine shots.

• The 2005 game saw the Blue Jays use a four-goal run in the third quarter to secure an 11-6 victory over the ninth-ranked Terrapins on April 15. Six different Terps scored in the game, led by Joe Walters, Xander Ritz and Dave Matz, who each scored one and added an assist. The loss dropped the Terps to 5-5 on the season, but they would go on a six-game winning streak en route to an ACC Tournament championship and a berth in the Final Four.

• At Homewood Field on April 17, 2004, Hopkins raced out to an 8-1 lead in the first quarter en route to a 14-10 victory in the 100th meeting between the two schools. Sophomore Brendan Healy led the Terps with three goals.

• In the 2003 meeting at Byrd Stadium, on April 12, Joe McDermott scored the game-winner 1:21 into overtime for the 6-5 Hopkins win in front of 8,183 in attendance. Dan LaMonica was the only Terp with multiple points with three on a goal and two assists. Michael Howley finished with a game-high six groundballs.

• Mike Mollot had three goals and an assist to lead the Terps, but Hopkins’ Kyle Barrie scored the game-winning goal at the 1:45 mark of the first overtime to give the Blue Jays a 9-8 victory at Homewood Field. The game was tied at 7-7 going into the fourth, but Mollot’s third goal of the game gave Maryland an 8-7 lead with 13:12 to go in the fourth. The defense tried to hold off the third-ranked Blue Jays, but Kevin Boland scored his only goal of the game at the 3:59 mark of the fourth to tie the score and send the game to overtime.

Maryland-Hopkins: A One-Goal History
• Prior to 2004′s 14-10 Hopkins win, the previous three games in the series were one-goal affairs — with the two going to overtime. The two teams returned to the one-goal decisions in 2007 when the Blue Jays won 8-7 in OT in College Park. The last two games between the long-time rivals were both one-goal games with the same 10-9 final. Hopkins took the 2009 meeting, while Maryland won in 2010. Overall, eight of the last 13 have been one-goal games.

• In total the Terps and Blue Jays have played 19 one-goal games in the 109 games, including 2011′s 12-11 overtime thriller in College Park. Johns Hopkins holds an 11-8 advantage in one-goal games in the series.

• The most famous one-goal game in the series was the 1973 NCAA title game that Maryland won, 10-9, in double-overtime to claim the Terps’ first NCAA Championship. The Terps capped off an undefeated season thanks in large part to freshman midfielder Frank Urso. The Long Island, N.Y., native bounced a 15-yard shot off of Blue Jay defender Bob Barbera past Hopkins goalie Les Matthews, who was screened on the play, at 1:18 of overtime to give the Terps their first NCAA Championship.

Urso wasn’t the only hero for Maryland in overtime. Terp goalie Bill O’Donnell came out of the goal on a missed shot by Hopkins, but Blue Jay attackman Jack Thomas caught up with the ball and flipped it blindly over his shoulder to the crease. Dale Kohler caught the pass and fired a shot at what normally would have been an empty net. But Maryland defender Ed Glatzel stepped into the crease and knocked the potential game-ender away.

The Stretch: Carolina, Virginia, Navy, Hopkins
• Since 1978 Maryland’s schedule has been highlighted by a four-game stretch in the middle of its season: North Carolina, Virginia, Navy and Johns Hopkins. In the 36-year span only four times has the stretch been interrupted with another game added in between one of these traditional four (1981, 1997, 2001, 2003).

• Overall, Maryland is 66-77 (.462) since 1978 vs. those four teams during that time.

• The Terps have swept the four games only once – in 1987. Only twice (1981 & 1988) has Maryland lost all four games. Six times (1978, 1979, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001) the Terps have won three of the four games. Johns Hopkins broke up the Terps’ bid for a perfect stretch four times, while Carolina and Virginia broke it up one time each.

Maryland As The No. 1 Team
• The Terps took over the top spot in the USILA Coaches’ Poll on Feb. 18 after two impressive wins to open the 2013 season. The Terps became the outright No. 1 team in the country on Feb. 25 following their 12-10 victory at then-No. 1 Loyola on Feb. 23 and held the top spot for four weeks until dropping to No. 2 following a 10-8 loss to North Carolina on Mar. 23. This was the ninth time Maryland has earned the No. 1 ranking since 1986.

• Maryland regained the No. 1 ranking in both polls on April 1, following its 9-7 win at Virginia and previous No. 1 Notre Dame’s 12-10 loss to St. Johns on March 30. This marks the first time that Maryland has regained the No. 1 ranking after having lost it during the season.

• Overall, Maryland has played 28 games as the No. 1-ranked team and is 19-9 in those games.

• This season, the Terps have played five games as the nation’s outright top team and is 3-1, defeating Duke, 16-7, in Durham on March 2, topping Stony Brook, 13-7, at home on March 10, going on the road to beat Villanova, 10-7, on March 16 and dropping a 10-8 decision to North Carolina on March 23. After regaining the No. 1 ranking on April 1, the Terps defeated Navy, 11-8, in Annapolis.

• The last time Maryland was the top team in the nation was in March of 2006 after the Terps defeated then-No. 1 Duke, 8-7 on the road in overtime. Maryland defeated Towson as the No. 1 team the following Saturday, but fell, 7-6 in double-OT, to Bucknell on Tuesday, March 14. The Terrapins were still No. 1 in their 9-4 win at UMBC to close out their two-week stay at the top of the polls.

• The last time the Terps were the nation’s top team was in April of 2004. Maryland’s two-week run at the top of the polls ended with a 9-6 loss to No. 4 Navy in College Park.

• This season’s ranking is also the earliest the Terps have achieved the No. 1 ranking in a season. Previous to this week, the earliest Maryland was ranked No. 1 was March 10, 2006.

• The longest Maryland has held on to the No. 1 ranking was seven weeks in 1987. That streak came to an end with a 13-8 loss to No. 4 Johns Hopkins in the NCAA Semifinals.

Get To 10 And Win
• One axiom of lacrosse is that if you score 10 goals or more your chances of winning are pretty good. Well, a look at the results since 2002 shows that when Maryland scores 10 or more goals there’s not just a pretty good chance the Terrapins will win; it’s an almost certainty. Since 2002 Maryland has won 100 of the 109 games in which the Terps have scored 10 or more goals for a .917 winning percentage.

• Maryland scored 10, but fell at North Carolina, 11-10, on March 24, 2012 and again came out on the losing end, despite scoring 11 in a 13-11 loss at Colgate on May 5, 2012. The Terps scored 11 vs. Johns Hopkins on April 16, 2011, but the Blue Jays won the game in overtime, 12-11. On April 3 of last season the Terps lost to No. 1 Virginia by a final of 11-10, giving Maryland its only loss when scoring 10 or more goals in 2010. In 2009 the Terps lost to Georgetown, 13-10 on Feb. 21 and lost again when scoring 10 in the ACC Semifinals in a 16-10 defeat at North Carolina. Prior to that, Maryland had not lost when scoring 10 or more goals since dropping an 11-10 decision to Virginia in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in Durham, N.C. The Terrapins got to 10 goals in the 100th game against Johns Hopkins, but the Blue Jays took the game 14-10. Virginia is the only team to beat the Terps twice when allowing 10 or more goals. The Wahoos did it first in 2002 with another 11-10 decision.

Holding Opponents To Single-Digits
• The Terps have been extremely impressive (winning 91.7 percent of its games since 2002) when it scores 10 or more goals, they have been nearly as impressive when holding opponents to less than 10 goals during that span.

• Since 2002 Maryland is 117-25 in games, for a .824 winning percentage, when it has held opponents under 10 goals. The Terps have played 189 total games since 2002. Maryland has held opponents to nine goals or less 75.1 percent of the time.

Shooting Tells The Story
• The difference between winning and losing for Maryland this season is simple – when the Terps shoot well they win. As it turns out 30% is the magic number for the Terps this season. Maryland is 8-1 on the year and has shot 30% or better in six of its eight victories and under that mark in its one defeat.

W- Mount St. Mary’s: 23 goals, 46 shots = 50.0%
W- at Hartford: 16 goals, 51 shots = 31.4%
W- at Loyola: 12 goals, 36 shots = 33.3%
W- at Duke: 16 goals, 29 shots = 55.2%
W- Stony Brook: 13 goals, 30 shots = 43.3%
W- at Villanova: 10 goals, 26 shots = 38.5%
L- North Carolina: 8 goals, 37 shots = 21.6%
W- at Virginia: 9 goals, 32 shots = 28.1%
W- at Navy: 11 goals, 40 shots = 27.5%

• Since 2005 the Terps are a remarkable 61-4 (.938) when shooting 30% or better in a game. The only four losses were: 13-10 to Georgetown in 2009 (the Terps shot 10 of 30 for 33.3% vs. the Hoyas), 11-10 to No. 1 Virginia on April 3, 2010 (10 of 33 for 30.3%), 12-11 in overtime on April 16, 2011 to No. 3 Johns Hopkins (11 of 28 for 39.3%) and 13-11 at Colgate on May 5, 2012 (11 of 31 for 35.5%).

• If 30% is the benchmark, then 40% shooting is in a class all to itself and Maryland has shot 40% or better in 14 games since the start of the 2008 season. Out of those 14 games, Maryland shot 50% or better in four of them.

Three Terps Named To Tewaaraton Watch List
• Senior midfielders Jesse Bernhardt and John Haus are joined by junior goalie Niko Amato on the 2013 Tewaaraton Award Watch List. The Terrapin trio are three of 92 selections on the Watch List.

• The Tewaaraton Award annually honors the top male and top female college lacrosse player in the United States. The selection committees are made up of top collegiate coaches and are appointed annually by The Tewaaraton Foundation. Committees will make additions to these lists as the season progresses and athletes earn a spot along side these elite players. The lists will be narrowed to 25 men’s and women’s nominees in late April. In mid-May, five men’s and five women’s finalists will be announced. These finalists will be invited to Washington, D.C. for the 13th annual Tewaaraton Award Ceremony, May 30 at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.

Bernhardt Named Senior CLASS Finalist
· Maryland senior long pole Jesse Bernhardt was named one of the 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award. Fan voting consists of one-third of the final total to determine the winner, so click on the graphic to vote for Jesse. Fans can vote once per day per device, so come back every day to cast your vote for Jesse.

The 700 Club
· Maryland’s 15-6 victory over Penn on April 14, 2009 was the program’s 700th victory in 84 seasons of varsity men’s lacrosse. The Terps join Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Navy and Army as the only programs with 700 or more Division I wins.

· Two things that make Maryland’s accomplishment all the more impressive is that the Terps reached the 700-win plateau in just their 84th season. Only Syracuse reached win No. 700 in as few seasons, but it took the Orange 53 more games than Maryland. In fact, Maryland needed only 940 games to reach 700 wins and only Johns Hopkins needed fewer games (932) to hit the historic number, but the Blue Jays did so in their 105th season.

Terps’ 88th Season Of Lacrosse
• The Terps boast an all-time record of 745-250-4 (.748), dating back to the first varsity team in 1924 (a team was not fielded in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II). Maryland has finished every one of its previous 87 seasons with a .500 or better record, including last season when the Terps went 12-6. The program reached the 700-win milestone with a 15-6 victory over Penn on April 14, 2009 at Ludwig Field.

• During the decade of the 2000s, Maryland went 111-49 for a .694 win percentage, making it the winningest decade in Terrapin lacrosse history. In the decade of the 1990s, Maryland posted a 95-47 record. The .669 winning percentage matched Maryland’s win percentage of the 1980s when the Terps went 83-41 and also compiled a .669 win percentage. So far, Maryland is 25-9 in the 2010′s for a .735 winning percentage.

Terps On ESPNU
• Maryland has had 45 games on ESPNU since 2006. Maryland is 26-19 (.578) all-time in games broadcast on ESPNU.

• The Terps are scheduled to play four games (at Duke (W, 16-7), at Virginia (W, 9-7), vs. Johns Hopkins and the ACC tournament semifinals) on ESPNU in 2013.

Going Purple
· Once again this season, the Terps will be wearing purple “MY” stickers, to show their support for the fight against pancreatic cancer, which touched everyone in the Maryland lacrosse familywith the passing of Maria Young on April 17, 2011.

· This past fall the Terps, Maryland alums and family and friends came together for the inaugural Forever Young Walk/Run for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness. More on Ms. Young and her amazing story can be found here: Forever Young.

· If you’re interested in more information about the Lustgarten Foundation, including how to make a donation, click here to visit the foundation’s website. You can also get more information on pancreatic cancer at CurePC.org.

In case you’re wondering here are some facts about pancreatic cancer from the American Cancer Society:
· More than 43,000 new cases of pancreatic cancer present each year
· There are more than 36,000 deaths from pancreatic cancer each year
· The lifetime risk of having pancreatic cancer is about 1 in 71.
· The risk is about the same for both men and women.

Going Gray
· Maryland players will also be wearing gray stickers with the number 42 in honor of Zack Wholley’s father, John, who passed away from brain cancer on August 28, 2011.

· If you’re interested in more information, please visit the National Brain Tumor Society website.

In case you’re wondering here are some facts about brain and spinal cord tumors from the American Cancer Society:
· About 22,910 malignant tumors of the brain or spinal cord (12,630 in males and 10,280 in females) will be diagnosed. These numbers would likely be much higher if benign tumors were also included.
· About 13,700 people (7,720 males and 5,980 females) will die from these tumors.
· Overall, the chance that a person will develop a malignant tumor of the brain or spinal cord in his or her lifetime is about one in 150 for a man and one in 185 for a woman.

Going Teal
• Maryland players will also be wearing teal stickers in honor of Andrew Walsh’s mother, Gia, who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

· If you’re interested in more information, please visit the Ovarian Cancer Institute website.

Here are some facts about ovarian cancer from the American Cancer Society and the Ovarian Cancer Institute:
· Ovarian cancer is the ninth most common cancer among women, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers.
· Ovarian cancer will strike over 20,000 women this year.
· It ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.
· Ovarian cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers in women. A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 71.
· Currently, there are no effective means of early detection.
· Only 25% of cases are diagnosed early before the cancer has spread to the pelvic region. For these women, the 5-year survival rate is 90%.

Consecutive 10-Win Seasons
• Maryland’s 10-9 win over the Lehigh on May 11, 2012 extended the Terps’ streak of double-digit win seasons to 10. (Special thanks to Patrick Stevens of the D1scource.com).

• How does Maryland’s string of 10+ win seasons stack up against the rest of the college lacrosse programs? Take a look at programs with at least six-straight 10-win seasons:

Maryland (10): 2012 (12-6), 2011 (13-5), 2010 (12-4), 2009 (10-7), 2008 (10-6), 2007 (10-6), 2006 (12-5), 2005 (11-6), 2004 (13-3), 2003 (12-4)
Virginia (8): 2012 (12-4) 2011 (13-5), 2010 (16-2), 2009 (14-2), 2008 (14-4), 2007 (12-4), 2006 (17-0), 2005 (11-4)
Notre Dame (7): 2012 (13-3), 2011 (11-3), 2010 (10-7), 2009 (15-1), 2008 (14-3), 2007 (11-4), 2006 (10-5)
Duke (6): 2012 (15-5) 2011 (14-6), 2010 (16-4), 2009 (15-4), 2008 (18-2), 2007 ( 17-3)
Siena (6): 2012 (11-5), 2011 (13-5), 2010 (12-5), 2009 (12-6), 2008 (10-6), 2007 (10-6)

• Cornell’s string of seven-straight 10+ win seasons came to an end in 2012 with a 9-4 final mark.

Maryland In Season Openers
• Maryland has an 84-3-1 (.960) lifetime record in season openers dating back to the 1924 season. The Terps have won their last 19 openers and 26 of the last 27, with the only loss coming to Duke in 1993, when they fell to Duke 9-5 on March 6.

• After losing their 1925 opener to Yale, 5-3, the Terps went on to win 40 consecutive season openers from 1926 through 1967. The streak was broken when Maryland tied Princeton, 6-6, in the 1968 opener. Following the deadlock, Maryland went on to win its next 14 openers, giving the Terps a 54-0-1 record over a 57-year span (Maryland did not field a team in 1944 and 1945 due to World War II.)

20 Straight in Season Openers
• After beating Mount St. Mary’s to open the 2013 season the Terps have an 20-game winning streak in season openers. Five of those wins came against Villanova (1994-98) and the last nine over Denver, Mount St. Mary’s (twice), Air Force, Hobart, Duke, Georgetown (four times), Bellarmine (twice), Presbyterian, Detroit Mercy and Hartford. Over the 20-year stretch, Maryland outscored its foes 290-105 (an average score of 14.5-5.3) in those games.

• The Terps have not allowed more than seven goals to any opponent in a season opener over the last 20 years. Maryland has not allowed an opponent to score 10 or more goals in a season opener since Syracuse beat the Terps, 16-13 on March 9, 1983.

A Family Affair
· Many school’s refer to their sports programs as families, but the Maryland men’s lacrosse program is truely a family affair. Since 2002, the Terps have had 13 sets of brothers, including three on this season’s roster, don the red and black together for at least one season.

Harry & Thomas Alford: 2004-05-06-07
Jake & Jesse Bernhardt: 2010-11-12-13
Justin & Owen Blye: 2009-10-11
Brian & Kevin Cooper: 2011-12-13
Billy & Bobby Gribbin: 2012-13
Brendan & Ian Healy: 2003-04-05
Bryn & Curtis Holmes: 2010
Bryn & Travis Holmes: 2007
Dan & Mike LaMonica: 2002
Chris & Willy Passavia: 2002-03
Brian & Michael Phipps: 2007
Max & Xander Ritz: 2005-06
Mark & Michael White: 2008-09-10-11

Five Taken In MLL Draft
• Led by senior long pole Jesse Bernhardt, a record-tying five Maryland men’s lacrosse student-athletes were chosen in the 2013 Major League Lacrosse collegiate draft.

• Bernhardt was chosen fourth overall by the Chesapeake Bayhawks, becoming the second-highest Terrapin ever drafted in the MLL (Joe Walters, first overall selection in 2006). He is just the seventh Maryland player to be taken in the first round, joining Lee Zink (2004, 5th), Chris Passavia (2004, 6th), Walters, Bill McGlone (2006, 5th), Ray Megill (2007, 9th) and Joe Cinosky (2008, 9th).

• Senior midfielder John Haus was the next Terrapin off the board, going to the Hamilton Nationals in the second round with the 15th overall selection. Haus was followed by senior midfielder Kevin Cooper, who went to the Bayhawks with the 16th overall pick.

• The Denver Outlaws, which already has three Terps on its roster (Zink, Jeremy Sieverts and Drew Snider), were then next MLL squad to take a Maryland player, selecting senior midfielder Landon Carr with the 23rd overall selection.

• The fifth Terp to be selected was senior attackman Owen Blye with the very next pick by the Charlotte Hounds.

• The five players selected ties the school record for most players taken in the MLL draft. The 2011 senior class also had five players taken - Brian Farrell, Brett Schmidt, Dan Burns, Grant Catalino and Ryan Young.

• Maryland’s 2013 senior class also features redshirt senior midfielder Jake Bernhardt, who was selected by the Nationals with the 12th overall selection in the 2012 MLL collegiate draft.

2013 Team Captains
• Three players have been named team captains for the 2013 season. The trio, which was selected by a combination of team vote and coaches’ input, consists of seniors Jake Bernhardt, Jesse Bernhardt and Owen Blye. All three return as team captains from the 2012 squad.