KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Cal Lutheran seniors Nicholas Ballou and Raymond Worley IV have done themselves at least one better than last year.

Ballou and Worley, who advanced to the quarterfinal round of the last year's NCAA doubles tournament, won their quarterfinal match Friday evening in the 2013 championships at Kalamazoo College's Stowe Stadium. The Kingsmen, who are the top seed in the tournament, beat Amrik Donkena and Mya Smith-Dennis of Gustavus Adolphus 6-2, 7-5.

Worley lost a three-hour, three-set match to Kevin Caulfield of Haverford Thursday in the singles tournament's Round of 32 while Ballou, who was the tournament's top-seeded player, lost to Mark Kahan of Amherst in the Round of 16. So now they are focused solely on winning a national doubles championship.

DIII MEN'S SINGLES/DOUBLES CHAMP.
Quarters/Semis Recap
Hill: Cal Lutheran duo eyes doubles title
Hill: Kahan takes down No. 1-seed Ballou
Brackets: Singles | Doubles
Singles, doubles participants selected
Championship Information

“I was furious after losing my three-hour match,” said Worley, who also called himself the “calm” member of the Cal Lutheran doubles team. “Mark Kahan played a great match and he has advanced to the finals so that makes me feel a little bit better Ballou said. “It motivates me even more to finish this thing.”

Ballou and Worley have been playing doubles together for two and a half years and have survived two back surgeries that Ballou has undergone to repair herniated discs. The last of those surgeries was less than a year ago, in July of 2012.

“Nick is more the fire and I'm more calm,” Worley said. “It's like opposites playing together.”

Ballou graduated with a degree in communications and public relations, while Worley earned a degree in business administration with a management emphasis. He plans to begin his career in July, working for an IT company in El Secundo.

“I'm looking forward to the transition to real life, almost,” Worley said.

Ballou and Worley are scheduled to play Elliot Kahler and Ian Wagner of Emory in Saturday's semifinals.

“Ray has his own fire but I bring a little of my own fire,” Ballou said. “Ray and I have established the set-up-and-put-away. I bring a little more firepower and explosiveness and Ray sets up points well.”

The No. 2 seed in the doubles tournament, Adam Putterman and Ross Putterman of Washington (Mo.), were knocked out Friday night by Michael Holt and Taylor Shamshiri of Washington & Lee.

“We try not to think about being the top seed,” Worley said. “We try to play like it's any other match.”

The men's doubles finals are scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

Doubles proved to be even tougher for the two ACC players. Cunha and partner Raphael Hemmeler battled the intense Florida State team of Blake Davis and Dominic Cotrone to eke out a 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 win.

“It was an extremely tough match, very up and down…we just focused point-by-point and tried to win point-by-point and we were just happy to win a match that could have gone either way,” Cunha said of surviving the ACC matchup.

Jenkins and partner Mac Styslinger also rallied from being down one set and pushed for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Mississippi.

“I think we came out and started fighting harder for each point. [Jenkins and I] just focused in and tried to hold our serve,” Styslinger said. “When one is a little down, the other tries to pick the other one up. I think we both were playing well out there in the end.”

With the team championships completed, some of the pressure has eased off. With Jenkins representing the 2013 NCAA title winner and Cunha being a part of second-best doubles team in the country, they have made their schools proud and are excited to represent the ACC.

“I think that it’s great that we have two ACC players in both singles and doubles. I think about all of the training we have done throughout the season, and it’s been really, really hard, so [the tournament] is like being on the playground compared to that,” Jenkins said.

Cunha’s partner Hemmeler agreed with Jenkin’s sentiment.

“The focus [between tournaments] doesn’t really change. It’s [Cunha’s] senior year, his last year. I am extremely motivated by him. We still represent Duke, so we have to let it all out on the court,” he said.

However, Cunha and Jenkins must prep their bodies between matches and every night in order to remain in top playing condition.

Ice baths, early bed times, stretching and massages are necessary for them staying as healthy as possible during tournament time.

“My body feels fine; I am doing a good job recovering between each match. Being a senior, I have direct experience in this. I hope I can keep winning them both,” Cunha said.

This is the fourth year in a row that Cunha has been to the singles tournament and third year that he has qualified for doubles play.

Jenkins has also been to the singles tournament for the last four years and has participated in the doubles tournament the last three years.

“When we got to the finals in the previous years, it [was] really tough to come back and play in the singles events after coming in runner-up, but I was definitely a lot more relaxed [this year]…I just tried to go out there and have fun,” he said.

HERSHEY, Pa. -- As they approached the 18th and final hole Friday, Barry freshman Adam Svensson asked coach Jimmy Stobs where the team stood.

DII MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day 5 Final Results
Houston: Barry captures title in tiebreaker
Houston: Svensson keeps cool to clinch title
Day 4 Quarter/Semifinal Results
Houston: Cougars have close ties to Masters
Houston: Crouch takes tough road to title
Day 3 Stroke Play Leaderboard
Houston: Central Okla. keeps community in thoughts
Houston: Lynn tradition-rich with internat'l flair
Day 2
Houston: Buffington III leads young UWF squad
Houston: Rivals stand in Barry's way of title
Day 1
Houston: Nova S'eastern's Taylor sets bar high
Houston: MyBurgh helps SWOSU overcome
Preview
Houston: Nova Southeastern ready for repeat
Teams, individuals named for championship
Regional Results | Conference Champs

There was, after all, a lot riding on what Svensson was about to do. Lynn had two matches to Barry’s one, with one tie. If he lost to Fighting Knight Roberto Francioni, the team national championship would be Lynn’s.

Stobs told Svensson not to worry about it, just execute the shot. That’s exactly what the young man did.

“I gave him a big smile and he said, ‘Okay, Coach,’” Stobs said. “He aimed just right of the American flag and nailed it just below the hole about 20 feet. Once the Lynn kid didn’t chip in, Adam just had to two-putt, and that’s what he did.”

It’s been no secret how high Stobs is on Svennson, who hails from Surrey Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. Earlier this week, Stobs called him the best recruit he’s ever seen. The kid certainly went a long way in proving it here this week.

Svensson’s ability to play a hole and then move on, no matter what, is just one of the things that has impressed his coach. Friday, Svensson said he was tired and that his feet were hurting.

It certainly didn’t appear that way, at least not from the way he played. Despite heavily overcast skies, cool temperatures and gusting winds, Svensson’s 4-over par was the best score of the day.

“You have to be mentally disciplined,” Svensson said. “I’ve been working on that for the past two and half years with my coach. It’s like anger management. You’ve got to control your anger.

“I just kind of forget about the last shot I hit and just think about what’s going to happen in the future and do the best I can. I never look back in the past on what happened. I think that’s what made me do so well this week.”

Svensson plays with a maturity far beyond his years. Now that he’s won a national championship as a freshman, there’s obviously pressure to do it again the next three years.

Or maybe not.

“I don’t think it puts pressure on me, because it’s such a hard tournament to win,” Svensson said. “Anybody could’ve won this year’s. There’s so many good teams out there. It doesn’t matter if I just play well. The other four kids have to do exactly the same thing I do. Who knows what happens, right?”
 

Pounding through his first event in the 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships — the men’s 10,000 meters — this senior from Eland, Wis., remembered his 5,000-meter, indoor-championship final in March, a race he’d felt he could win, but didn’t because he ran out of gas.

“I had that race in my mind playing over and over,” Easker said. “I did not want that to happen again outdoor.”

DIII MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day 2  Highlights
Maloof: Postema excels in hammer circle
Day 1
Maloof: Easker avenges indoor loss with outdoor win
Maloof: Comito recovers from faults to win title
Maloof: Dennis living up to unusual name
Preview
Moore: Franciscan distance runner Jones confident, looks to bounce back
Maloof: Wisconsin schools among team favorites; individual defenses on line
Accepted Qualifiers: Men's Entries
Championship: Program | Information

It did not. Trailing a group of leaders that included Franciscan senior Bill Jones and North Central-Illinois junior John Crain, Easker kept pace and passed them during Thursday’s final laps at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.

In doing so, he won his first Division III national title, and, equally important, avenged his sixth-place finish in the indoor 5,000-meter final.

“I was fortunate to have a nice pacer in the front,” Easker said of Crain and Jones. “I was able to hang out in third for most of the race until the end. The last four laps I was able to move up a little bit. I couldn’t have planned it any better. I ran smart. I ran a lot better than I did indoor, for the 5K. It feels really good to bounce back from that race and come out on top and accomplish my dreams.”

Competing at host Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Roger Harring Stadium, Easker was happy to follow the rabbits out front. Ranked second in the 10,000 meters behind the top-ranked Jones, he says he knew could stay with the leaders, but preferred his own path.

On a cool, sunny Thursday graced with a brisk wind, Easker eased into second place with four laps remaining. He followed Crain, then the leader, for a lap and a half, waiting until they both cleared the wind on the backstretch to take the lead.

“I was a little worried,” he said of Crain trying to catch him. “But I was able to have a little more in the tank. It was an awesome finish.”

Perhaps a bit tighter than Easker would’ve liked; his winning time of 29:48.25 nipped Crain’s second-place 29:49.45, but the victor summoned another gear when it mattered most.

“I didn’t know I had that extra little kick,” he said. “But my dream of being a national champion was playing in my mind that last lap. I wasn’t going to let anybody take it away from me.”

Rewind to March’s 5,000-meter indoor final in Napierville, Ill., when Easker faltered down the stretch. Ranked third at the time, he finished one of his specialty distance events without being a factor.

“I was in position with two laps in that race — or four meters left — about fourth place, and unfortunately I just didn’t have the kick and I didn’t have the energy,” Easker said. “I kind of faded to sixth place. It was a little disappointment, but looking back, I’m kind of happy I learned from it and was able to bounce back.”

The March indoor finals coincided with academic deadlines before spring break, and Easker says dueling pressures of schoolwork and the Division III indoor meet likely sapped his reserves. He spent his spring break at his parents’ home in Eland, hitting surrounding country roads to plot an outdoor-season comeback.

“Everybody knows me around town as the runner,” he said. “I’m the crazy guy that is running every day on the road and is taking up the space for the cars.”

On Thursday, the first of this week’s three-day Division III outdoor championships, that fire in the belly paid off.

“I was able to hang on to that front group,” Easker said. “I knew I was capable of running with those two guys, John Crain and Bill Jones. And I was able to come out on top at the end and beat that caliber of runners.”

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- A record-setting performance under sunny, windy conditions proved a winning formula for Hamline senior Becky Culp.

On Thursday, she became the first individual champion of the 2013 NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships, winning the discus competition with a top throw of 154-7 yards (47.11 meters).

Hosted by Wisconsin-La Crosse at Roger Harring Stadium, in the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex, the three-day competition runs through Saturday.

Culp, ranked third in DIII women’s discus, now likely moves to the top of that chart. A first-time national champion, she also avenged frustration from last year’s NCAA outdoor meet, where she finished third.

“Last year I was first going into the finals and I lost it in the last two throws,” Culp said. “But it was awesome to hold on to it and actually be a national champion. I never thought it would happen and I’m really happy it did.”

DIII WOMEN'S OUTDOOR T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day 2: Highlights
Maloof: Evans wins fifth high jump title
Day 1: Highlights
Maloof: Three titles already taken
Maloof: Wartburg coach inspired by mother
Maloof: Hamline's Culp wins discus
Preview
Maloof: Wartburg team, individual champs out to defend titles
Accepted Qualifiers: Women's Entries
Championship: Program | Information

Culp becomes the fourth Hamline women’s track and field athlete to win a national title. She leaves as a five-time national championship participant and a four-time All-American. Three of those All-American honors are in discus. One is in the shot put.

Teammate Shawny Kramer, a sophomore from Staples, Minn., finished 10th in Thursday’s discus preliminaries, barely missing the cutoff for the finals (the top nine throwers advance).

Culp’s top throw — her last in her preliminary round and the third of her six competition throws — also bested her school-record distance of 153-10 yards, which she’d set April 24 at the Hamline University Twilight Meet.

Thursday’s exploits came against a steady northeast breeze that blew against all right-handed discus throwers, a group that included Culp.

“Which is funny because two of my PRs at nationals have been in left-handed winds,” Culp said. “But you’ve just got to drive the discus down and keep it down. So that’s what I did.” 

Throwing a discus is far more precise than appearances. Footwork, body control and strength all are crucial components. Culp says she and Kramer, who train together, throw 30-50 times in a typical practice, plus execute “dry circles,” or, the throwing motion and footwork without the discus.

“It’s a very challenging event and I sort of picked it up in seventh grade and I fell in love with it instantly,” Culp said. “I’ve done a lot of dry-circle drills where I’m just going through the form. Even walking around outside of practice, I’ll all of a sudden start practicing, doing the footwork because you can always move better through the circle.”

In the weight room, discus throwers favor clean lifting mixed with squats.

“Also, a lot of people are shocked to hear this, but short sprints [are a big part of our workout] because you have to be explosive in a short amount of time,” Culp said. “And also box jumps and other lifts.”

Culp next competes in Saturday’s shot put, while Kramer is in Friday’s hammer throw. Culp is ranked third nationally in shot, Kramer 11th in hammer. Culp says she’ll miss her sophomore training partner after this weekend’s national championship meet.

“We work really well together,” Culp said. “It’s nice because she has her really good event, hammer, and I’m in the shot and discus. It’s really great because we lift well together. We push each other in the weight room and we talk sometimes.”

Augusta is golf’s Fenway Park and Wrigley Field -- it’s the place where there’s history on every fairway and green and in the sand of every bunker. To win there is to become part of one of the most exclusive clubs in professional sports. Taking home a green jacket from Augusta makes any golfer’s career complete.

Five years after the fact, the memory of his kid brother’s victory is still a vivid one for Mark Immelman. So much so, he very nearly chokes up recounting the tale of that magical day.

For years, the brothers had watched the Larry Mizes, the Greg Normans, the Seve Ballesteroses, the Jack Nicklauses of the world do their thing on the luscious Augusta greens. And now here Trevor was, officially a Masters champion.

And yes, Mark got to try on the jacket… but not until after leaving the champions’ party in the wee hours of the next morning. It was lighter and silkier feeling than Mark Immelman could ever have imagined.

“I just remember sitting on the putting green there on the Sunday evening after they had the prize-giving ceremony,” said Immelman, a native of South Africa. “It was a perfect Georgia evening and the sun was setting over those pines. As kids we would wake up at 12 a.m. because of the time difference and [watch golf on television].

“For me to be sitting on this putting green and watching my brother put on the green jacket was something I still cannot describe. For me personally, it proved anything is possible if you dream big enough, you get a few breaks, you work hard enough and you work with some focus, you can achieve these goals. Stuff isn’t out of reach.”

Robert was born well after his dad’s Masters win, so the course and its legend have been a part of his life since birth. Soccer was his favorite sport as a youth, and the rail-thin and tall youngster also played basketball.

But it was golf that won out, finally, when he was a junior in high school. The offspring of successful professional athletes have always lived with expectations, be they fair or not.

Robert Mize knows all about such things, and it doesn’t seem to bother him. He just deals with whatever people might think and move on.

“[Expectations] are there. They’re always there,” said Robert, who finished tied for 19th out of the 108 players who participated in three days of stroke play this week. “If you look for them, they’re there. I’m used to it. I probably expect more of myself than anybody else expects of me. You get used to it. I don’t really focus on it at all.”

To his great credit, Larry Mize now runs a lot of suggestions about Robert’s game through Immelman before he actually makes them.

“Whenever he sees something with Robert if they’re playing together, he always comes and runs it past me before he says anything,” said Immelman, who went on to add that Larry has actually come to him for help with his chip shots. That’s especially impressive when you consider that it was a stunning chip shot that gave Mize his Masters win.

“Unbelievable…it’s hard for me to fathom,” Immelman said. “He will call me up or text me, ‘I’m playing with Robert. I’ve seen this. Can I say this? What do you think?’”

That hasn’t necessarily always been the case between father and son. Larry wanted to help…a lot…and Robert wanted to figure it out on his own.

“I had a pretty bad attitude as a kid,” Robert said. “It was tough for me. We’re both super Type-A [personalities]. He really wanted to get in there and help, and I really wanted to do it by myself. We eventually came up with a system where he wouldn’t tell me any swing things unless I asked. We get along great now. We play together all the time.

“I beat him some of the time, which is fun,” he said with a smile.
 

That’s what the 2013 NCAA Division II men’s individual golf championship came down to here Wednesday, and it was quite the sight to see. The trio -– out of the 108 who participated here at the Hershey Country Club this week -– were Tim Crouch of Florida Southern; South Carolina Aiken’s Matt Atkins; and Jake Webb of Western Washington.

DII MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day 5 Final Results
Houston: Barry captures title in tiebreaker
Houston: Svensson keeps cool to clinch title
Day 4 Quarter/Semifinal Results
Houston: Cougars have close ties to Masters
Houston: Crouch takes tough road to title
Day 3 Stroke Play Leaderboard
Houston: Central Okla. keeps community in thoughts
Houston: Lynn tradition-rich with internat'l flair
Day 2
Houston: Buffington III leads young UWF squad
Houston: Rivals stand in Barry's way of title
Day 1
Houston: Nova S'eastern's Taylor sets bar high
Houston: MyBurgh helps SWOSU overcome
Preview
Houston: Nova Southeastern ready for repeat
Teams, individuals named for championship
Regional Results | Conference Champs

Each was tied at two-under par after three days of stroke play, and so they headed back onto the course’s par-4 18th hole for the playoff. Atkins bogeyed the hole, dropping him out of contention after Crouch and Webb both shot even par.

Next came the 17th hole, also a par-4. Crouch again shot par and when Webb missed a putt that would’ve tied it up a third time, the title was Crouch’s.

Free and clear. The Moccasins went to the top of the team standings Wednesday and that gave the squad first seed going into the first day of match play for the overall DII team championship.

“This is a big deal,” said a relieved Crouch an hour or so after the playoff. “It means a whole lot not just to my family, but my program as well.”

Like countless kids across the country, Crouch grew up around the game. His parents, Tim and Cindy, own Hiawatha Golf Course in Mount Vernon, Ohio and the younger Tim spent many an hour on the public facility shagging balls and refining his game.

“I kind of did it the hard way, but I wouldn’t change a thing,” he continued. “Growing up, I didn’t really know any different. When I got really nice grass, I was afraid to take a divot out at first because it was so nice.”

As his amateur career progressed, Crouch became more comfortable on bigger stages. He won the Ohio Junior Championship in 2006 and was twice a winner of the Ohio Junior Publinx Championship. Last year, he made it to the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship and finished 82nd.

The opportunity to play at Florida Southern was simply too good to pass up.

“What brought me down to that part of the world was just the golf, the sunshine and the warm weather,” he said of the school located in Lakeland. “This Hiawatha boy was getting out of the cold weather for the winter, and that’s really helped my game getting to play all year round and on different grass, as well.”

Here in Hershey, Crouch shot even par Monday and Tuesday to put himself in position for the individual title. There were some jitters as he teed off Wednesday, but none that he couldn’t handle.

Once he got some holes under his belt, his momentum was building toward the finale.

“At the beginning, I was nervous –- I’m not going to lie. I was nervous,” Crouch continued. “I just wanted to stay patient. I didn’t want to try to force anything, but as the tournament went on, I made a birdie on nine. I looked at the scoreboard just to see where I stood, and I was only, I think, three back.

“I knew if I could put up a decent back-nine score, I could have a chance to win. Coach [Doug Gordin] is really good helping me stay in the moment. We try to take it shot by shot, just baby steps. The rest will take care of itself.”

Once Crouch, Webb and Atkins wound up tied after three full rounds of golf, it came down to a deciding two holes.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Crouch said. “I just wanted to get up to the first tee, hit a good shot and go from there. After I put myself in great position, I knew I had the upper hand. I just wanted to take care of my own business. That’s all I can take care of.”

Webb shot a sizzling tournament-best 65 on Wednesday, a full 10 shots better than his score from the day before. Yet when he missed that fateful put on the 17th hole – and the second of the playoff – the moment was Crouch’s.

“Right after he missed that putt on the playoff hole, my teammates came up to me and all gave me hugs,” Crouch remembered. “It started to set in right then. I started crying on the 17th green. I gave my parents hugs and just let it all out. It feels good.”

It should feel good. Crouch is a champion.

Several spring sports, with the noted exception of Division I baseball, are in the midst of NCAA championship action, so pick your sport and log on to NCAA.com to find out where to watch. Meanwhile, the “Boys of Summer” will spend the weekend trying to impress the selection committee or earn an automatic bid by winning their conference before the 64-team bracket is released on Monday.

Michigan pitcher Sara Driesenga

Michigan Athletics

DIVISION I SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Follow all eight super regionals and every step toward the Women's College World Series with our interactive bracket. • Click here for scores and more

With so much on the schedule, here’s a rundown of what to look for this weekend, starting with a quick breakdown of the eight NCAA Division I Softball Super Regionals:

No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 1 Oklahoma: Former Big 12 rivals reconnect as the Sooners play host to the Aggies for a best-of-three series starting at 7 p.m. ET Thursday on ESPN. OU is looking for its third consecutive trip to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, while the Aggies hope to pull the upset for their first appearance since 2008. The Sooners hold a 43-30 advantage in the series dating to 1977, and have won eight of the past 10 meetings. The squads have met just twice in NCAA play with OU winning both games in 2002.

Louisiana-Lafayette at No. 8 Michigan: This one is shaping up as a pitcher’s duel between a pair of sophomore right-handers as the Ragin’ Cajuns travel to Michigan at 2 p.m. ET Friday on ESPNU. Michigan’s Sara Driesenga (26-6, 1.67 ERA) tossed three complete games in the Ann Arbor Regional, allowing just one run during the weekend. Louisiana’s Jordan Wallace (31-7, 1.73 ERA) one-upped Driesnga’s performance as she threw three consecutive shutouts and the Cajuns upended No. 10 LSU.

No. 12 Kentucky at No. 5 Arizona State: Since 2006, the Sun Devils have been practically unstoppable when playing host to a super regional in Tempe, Ariz. ASU has advanced to the WCWS in six of the past seven years, only missing out in 2010 -- all under head coach Clint Myers. Kentucky, which set a school record for wins with 41 this year, advances to super regional play for only the second time in school history. The series begins at 10 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN2.

Florida State at No. 4 Texas: The Longhorns swept their way through regional play on their quest for their fifth trip to the WCWS and first since 2006. Texas head coach Connie Clark was an assistant coach at FSU (1990-95) before landing her current gig at Texas. Clark helped guide the Seminoles to four WCWS appearances during her tenure. After an amazing comeback against South Alabama last Sunday, the Seminoles earned the right to vie for their first WCWS appearance since 2004. The series starts at 9 p.m. ET Friday on ESPNU.

No. 14 Nebraska at No. 3 Oregon: The Ducks will play host to their first super regional as they welcome Nebraska beginning at 5 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPNU. The Ducks are looking to return to Oklahoma City for the second consecutive season and third time in program history. Nebraska head coach Rhonda Revelle is a former Oregon player who has mentored the Huskers for 21 seasons, leading them to the WCWS in 1998 and 2002.

No. 11 Washington at No. 6 Missouri: The Tigers are just one of three programs in the country to advance to the super regional round three consecutive years (joining Alabama and Arizona State), and will play host to their fourth consecutive super regional, while the Huskies are making their fifth consecutive super regional appearance. This series has the makings of a pitcher’s duel as Missouri two-time All-America pitcher Chelsea Thomas (24-4, 1.14 ERA) ranks fourth in the nation in ERA, and Washington junior Bryana Walker is coming off a no-hitter against Hawaii in the Seattle Regional championship game. Missouri’s most recent trip to the WCWS was in 2011 when the Tigers beat Washington in the best-of-three series. The series begins at 9 p.m. ET Thursday on ESPN.

No. 10 Alabama at No. 7 Tennessee: These two Southeastern Conference squads are certainly not strangers as they already have met three times this season with the Lady Vols taking two of three games in Knoxville, Tenn.  Last year, the pair met in the WCWS as Alabama topped Tennessee 5-3. Alabama is the only team in the nation to appear in the super regional round every year since the format began in 2005. The Crimson Tide are seeking their third consecutive trip to Oklahoma City, while the Lady Vols are vying for their sixth appearance in the past nine years. Tennessee’s sister pitching duo of Ivy and Ellen Renfroe combined for 23 scoreless innings in regional play last week. The series opens at 7 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN2.

UAB at No. 2 Florida: In their first NCAA postseason appearance, the Blazers are on to the super regional round after surviving a 13-inning marathon against UCLA, 3-2, at the Louisville Regional. With the victory the Blazers reached the 40-win mark for the first time in program history. UAB’s task will not be an easy one when the Blazers travel to Florida at 1 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU) as the two schools meet for the first time. After missing out last year, the Gators are looking to punch their ticket to their fifth WCWS in the past six seasons.

• The Syracuse-Denver matchup in the Division I Men’s Lacrosse semifinals on Saturday in Philadelphia will be a meeting of two of the top head coaches in the nation as John Desko (Syracuse) and Bill Tierney (Denver) clash for the 19th time and fifth time in the NCAA tournament. Desko owns a 13-5 advantage against Tierney, including a 4-1 mark in NCAA tournament action. Desko is the winningest active coach in Division I men’s lacrosse at .765 (186-57), while Tierney follows at .742 (322-112). The two have combined to win 11 national championships. Tierney won six NCAA titles during his 22-year tenure at Princeton before taking the position at Denver, while Desko has led the Orange to five championships since 1999. Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 5 p.m. ET.

• The preliminary rounds of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships get under way on Thursday with the East teams competing in Greensboro, N.C., and the West squads in Austin, Texas. The No. 1 Florida men’s team begins its defense of the program’s first NCAA title as the Gators compete in the East with 22 qualifiers, including a top-seeded 4x400 relay and top-seeded men’s triple-jumper Omar Craddock.  Texas A&M is the highest-ranked team in the West as the Aggies look to reclaim the NCAA title with 24 qualifiers, including 13 athletes seeded in the top 10 of their events.

Kansas pole-vaulter Natalia Bartnovskaya

Kansas Athletics

On the women’s side, No. 1 Kansas begins its journey to win its first NCAA title when the Jayhawks compete in Austin with 22 qualifiers and 13 performers ranked in the top 10 nationally, including Diamond Dixon (400 meters), Natalia Bartnovskaya (pole vault) and Andrea Guebelle (triple jump), who have all won national titles in their events.

• The Division II Softball Championship kicks off on Thursday in Salem, Va., with six of the eight-team field seeking their first NCAA title. Valdosta State, the defending champion, and Humboldt State, winners in 1999 and 2008, are the only programs in the group that have captured the trophy. Grand Valley State is the only other team to have reached the championship game (in 2002). This year’s GVSU squad (44-7) boasts the fewest losses of any team remaining in the tournament, and advanced to the national championship after knocking off No. 1 Indianapolis in the Midwest Super Regional.

• The Saint Augustine’s University men’s track and field team will be shooting for its 11th title, and the track program’s 33rd championship under head coach George Williams, as 16 qualifiers compete in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships beginning Thursday in Pueblo, Colo. The Falcons won the indoor title in March, and have 23 entrants in the meet -- the most of any men’s team.

• There is a good chance a first-time champion will be crowned at the Division II Baseball Championship that begins Saturday as seven of the eight teams in the field have never won a title. Coker College, Grand Canyon and St. Edward’s are playing in the national tournament for the first time. Tampa is the only one of the group to have claimed the ultimate prize, winning back-to-back titles in 2006-07, and a total of five championships in program history. The Spartans will represent the South Region, which has been very successful at the national level with teams from the region winning six championships since 2004.

• Ithaca College is hoping to recreate the glory days of the program as the Bombers compete in the Division III Baseball Championship for the 12th time in program history, but the first time since 1994. The 18-year drought between appearances was the longest in program history. The Bombers won NCAA titles in 1980 and '88, along with three runner-up finishes in 1976, '81 and '86. Ithaca faces No. 1 Linfield on Friday as two of the nation’s top pitchers clash. Senior right-hander Pat Lemmo (11-1, 1.44 ERA) will take the mound for the Bombers, while sophomore righty Chris Haddeland (13-1, 0.99 ERA) will get the nod for the Wildcats. You can catch all the games live on NCAA.com, including the Ithaca-Linfield matchup at 2:15 p.m. ET Friday.

• The top-ranked and undefeated Maryland women’s lacrosse squad (21-0) looks to remain flawless as the Terrapins go for their first NCAA title since 2010 when they face No. 4 Syracuse  in the NCAA semifinals at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday in Villanova, Pa. The Terps are scoring 15.19 goals per game (fourth in the NCAA) led by Alex Aust, who is averaging 5.67 points per game. The Orange will counter will the nation’s second-best scoring offense, tallying 15.33 goals per game. The Terrapins' most recent loss was to Northwestern in last season’s NCAA semifinals, while Syracuse has won 13 consecutive games since Maryland downed the Orange 19-11 on Feb. 17.

• Washington senior men’s golfer Chris Williams garnered the 2013 Ben Hogan Award on Monday, honoring the top collegiate golfer during the past year. The selection committee considers all collegiate and amateur competitions. The recipient is awarded an exemption to the PGA Tour’s 2014 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Williams also earned a $50,000 grant for the Washington men’s golf scholarship program, including $25,000 donated under his name.

Washington golfer Chris Williams

Washington Athletics

Williams is the world’s No. 1-ranked amateur in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and Scratch Players World Rankings, and earned a berth into the 2013 U.S. Open and the Open Championship. Collegiately, he posted a 70.97 scoring average and was a first team All-Pac-12 selection.

"This is pretty surreal for me," Williams said in his acceptance speech. "I grew up in Moscow, Idaho. I never thought I'd be here today. Our golf season is about three weeks long. We don't get a lot of time to play, but I took advantage of it."

Williams and the Huskies head to the NCAA championship in Atlanta on May 28.

• The St. Edward’s baseball team is making its first appearance in the Division II Baseball Championship this weekend, and senior pitcher Brannon Easterling is a big reason why. A native of College Station, Texas, Easterling transferred to the program from Division I’s Texas Tech and has been a workhorse throughout the season. Easterling has compiled a 13-3 record and 2.26 ERA, and leads the nation with 123.2 innings pitched and 13 complete games. In the NCAA South Central Regional last weekend, he tossed eight solid innings in a win against Angelo State on Thursday and returned on two days' rest to throw a complete-game, 7-1 win against Texas A&M-Kingsville in the championship game.

Easterling is tied for second in the nation in victories, and enters the national championship tournament as one of six (of 11 total) finalists for the Josh Willingham Award who are on teams still competing. The award is presented to Division II baseball’s most valuable player -- “an individual who not only excels on the field, but in the dugout, clubhouse and practice field, as well, and leads his team to national championship-caliber status.”  The winner will be announced at the conclusion of the championship.

Follow Amy Farnum on Twitter: @NCAA_Amy

As reigning national champions, his top-ranked Knights open their title defense Thursday at the 2013 NCAA Division III women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship.

The three-day meet runs through Saturday at Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Roger Harring Stadium, and is not theirs, nor their coach’s, first time through the title ringer. The Wartburg women are pursing their third NCAA crown in five seasons, all under Newsom’s tutelage, but this year, his biggest fan is present to witness it.

DIII WOMEN'S OUTDOOR T&F CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day 2: Highlights
Maloof: Evans wins fifth high jump title
Day 1: Highlights
Maloof: Three titles already taken
Maloof: Wartburg coach inspired by mother
Maloof: Hamline's Culp wins discus
Preview
Maloof: Wartburg team, individual champs out to defend titles
Accepted Qualifiers: Women's Entries
Championship: Program | Information

Mom Dottie Newsom has trekked north from Kansas City, Ks. to watch, for the first time, her son coach a national championship meet.

“I just want to make her proud,” the son said. “And how I do that is just being the person she raised me to be. I owe it to her.”

Newsom’s raising of exceptional track and field athletes mimics the raising he received from Dottie. Growing up in Kansas City’s challenging inner city, he and his older sister, Natalie, had parameters, expectations and much maternal love.

“I watched her walk tall and raise two kids in a very tough environment by herself — with structure, with discipline, but most importantly, it’s just her passion for life,” Newsom said of his mom. “And so that’s the way I coach. I tell people all the time the best coach I’ve ever had in my life is my mother.”

Wartburg’s women won the 2005 and 2009 Division III outdoor titles and finished as the 2011 runner-up behind Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Their indoor success runs parallel; they won the 2009, ’10 and ’12 NCAA indoor titles and were runner-ups in ’08 and ’11. The Knights finished fourth in this year’s earlier indoor championships.

Newsom, who oversees both the men’s and women’s teams, has been Wartburg’s head coach since 1998. Two weeks ago, the women claimed their 14th consecutive and 17th overall Iowa Conference championship, while the Wartburg men won their seventh conference title. Thus far, the Wartburg men’s best finish under Newsom is seventh, at the 2005 NCAA Division III outdoor championships.

It is the women who have captured more headlines, churning out All-American performances, school, conference and Division III records, all while attracting top-level recruits.

“When I took over [as] head coach, I said I would like for us to be in the position to be in the conversation of having one of the best track and field programs in the country, regardless of division,” Newsom said. “That was one of my goals and I wanted to do it with a lot of passion and structure and discipline because I think we all need that. And the young ladies I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to coach, they’ve responded to that.”

Himself a former national qualifier and letter-winner, Newsom competed in track and field and played football, first at Bethany Community College in Eldorado, Ks. then at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Ks. He holds a masters degree from the University of Northern Iowa and began his coaching career at his undergraduate alma mater. He arrived at Wartburg in 1995, as an assistant football and track and field coach.

Newsom says the school’s support of Wartburg’s track program, coupled with his insistence that athletes view their sport as a team endeavor rather than an individual one, has grounded Wartburg’s tradition. And, citing the influence of his mother, older sister and grandmother, he says athletes respond to his history of being around strong women.

“It’s a complete blessing to be in that position, to have women year in and year out, who just step up and step in, and are like, ‘OK, it’s my time now,’ and not be selfish,” Newsom said.

One example is Wartburg’s 4 X 400 relay team. The group is after its seventh consecutive outdoor national title in that event, all with different lineups. Newsom says those athletes police themselves.

“I haven’t had any coaching decisions on the four-by-four in years,” he said. “They make that decision. They know on that day who should be the top four. Now, the great thing about our depth is that may change from week to week. So you’ve got to continue to work and work hard and work with passion.”

That’s Dottie Newsom’s rule of the road. It also was his sister Natalie’s. Although Newsom is excited that his mother will attend this week, it’s a bit bittersweet. Natalie, three years older and the inspiration behind her brother’s track and field career (he watched her run Amateur Athletic Union events as a child), passed away the day after the 2012 Division III indoor championships; she’d long battled multiple sclerosis.
Newsom’s grandmother passed away this past winter, after a similar battle with bone cancer. As the caregiver for both, Dottie had been unable to attend her son’s events.
“God works in mysterious ways,” Newsom said. “It’s been a hard year, but at the same time, my men and my women at Wartburg have been tremendous really helping me work through those losses in my life.”

His parents christened him in honor of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. His middle name also is Marshall, though Dennis’ version comes from one of his grandfathers, not the judicial icon.

DIII MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Day 2  Highlights
Maloof: Postema excels in hammer circle
Day 1
Maloof: Easker avenges indoor loss with outdoor win
Maloof: Comito recovers from faults to win title
Maloof: Dennis living up to unusual name
Preview
Moore: Franciscan distance runner Jones confident, looks to bounce back
Maloof: Wisconsin schools among team favorites; individual defenses on line
Accepted Qualifiers: Men's Entries
Championship: Program | Information

“I’ve got a lot to live up to,” he said Wednesday from the site of this week’s 2013 NCAA Division III Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championship.

Based on previous performances, he can. A sophomore from Allouez, Wis., Dennis is the top-ranked Division III sprinter as competition begins Thursday at Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex. All events are scheduled for Roger Harring Stadium and will run through Saturday.

Dennis is ranked No. 1 in both the 100- and 200-meter dashes. He’s also ranked No. 2 in the 400 meters and anchors the Blugolds’ top-ranked 4 X 400 relay team.

“This is my 11th year, but we haven’t had anybody of his caliber as far a sprinter since I’ve been at Eau Claire,” said Wisconsin-Eau Claire head coach Chip Schneider. “And obviously in the history of Eau Claire, because he has our sprint records in the 100, 200 and 400. So we can go all the way back to the beginning of Eau Claire and we don’t have a guy that’s done what he’s done, and he’s only a sophomore.”

If records are made to smash, then Dennis has done that, too. In his previous championship outing — the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association meet three weeks ago — he won both sprint events for a second consecutive year. The 100 came in 10.43, giving Dennis the two fastest Division III times in that event this season. His 200 time was a Division III-best 20.96.

Given that four of the top-five ranked Division III men’s teams hail from the WIAC — Wisconsin-Eau Claire is No. 3 — Dennis already has honed his skills against many of the top athletes he’ll face this week.

“That is an enormous help because you’re running against national-caliber competition at small meets,” he said.

At 6-0 and 170 pounds, Dennis hones his skills in a distinctly different manner. He trains with teammates who run 400-meter distances, rather than focusing on sprints, and is a starting cornerback for the Blugolds’ football team.

Schneider says Dennis’ work ethic, combined with the knowledge that work at a longer, demanding distance will strengthen his sprint abilities, sets the sophomore apart.

“I think a lot of sprinters can run only the 100 and 200,” Schneider said. “He’s not one of those guys. He’s got a little more range than some of our people.”

That range extends to yardage rather than meters, as evidenced by Dennis’ 58 tackles in 10 football games last season. He was promoted during fall practice when the starting corner went down with a concussion, and, except for certain schemes, he played the field position, which requires covering more ground and usually the opposition’s top receiver. Then, it was time for winter’s indoor track season, with Dennis negotiating a constant cycle of practices, workouts and classes.

“Football, you have to be really, really mentally tough and I would say track is more physically tough as far as workouts go,” he said. “They go hand in hand with each other and I couldn’t see much doing one without the other.”

The payoff seems to be enormous. Weight-room gains, the opportunity to play football, plus strong indoor and outdoor track campaigns — Dennis won the 60-meter dash at the Division III indoor championships — has him convinced he’s overloading for the right reasons.

“Last year I spent so much of my time at my meets wondering where the locker rooms were, and trying to figure out how to do handoffs, and wondering how the meet went,” he said. “And now with that year under your belt, you know when things are going to happen so you can anticipate what you need to do to get yourself ready to race at the most important time.”

Football’s required toughness has carried over to track. Per Dennis, a defensive back must forget the previous play and concentrate on the current one. Instead of fretting the wind, or who else is competing in his heat, he merely lines up and blasts off.

“You just have to go out and put your blinders on and play ball,” he said. “And I think that’s definitely been huge for me. I’ll go up to races and I won’t even know who I’m racing against sometimes because I try to race against myself.”