ET CETERA Crofton’s Berkshire makes World Long Drive contest

Maryland guard Destiny Slocum was named National Freshman of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Saturday in Dallas. Slocum and the Maryland staff attended an awards presentation at the Sheraton Dallas as part of the WBCA’s FOCUS event. “This is certainly not an award I could receive myself,” Slocum said. “All of my family, teammates, coaches, former coaches helped me so much along the way. I am certainly blessed.” Said coach Brenda Frese: “Destiny has had an amazing start to her career this year. “The energy she plays with is contagious and it’s something the whole country has seen. We couldn’t be more happy for Destiny and her family for receiving this award.” Slocum, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, averaged 11.5 points and 6.0 assists per game in helping the Terps finish 32-3 and orchestrate the nation’s highest-scoring offense. She had more assists (204) and 3-pointers (71) than any other freshman in program history. BASEBALL: Junior center fielder Zach Jancarski had a career-high four hits and junior Brian Shaffer (North Harford) pitched seven innings as visiting Maryland (16-8, 3-1 Big Ten) earned a 5-1 win against Rutgers (10-15, 0-1). Junior shortstop Kevin Smith hit his team-leading sixth home run of the season. Shaffer allowed five hits and one run in seven innings, lowering his ERA to 1.70. Junior right-hander Ryan Hill pitched two scoreless innings. The Terps have won 15 of their past 18 games. SOFTBALL: Salisbury senior outfielder Caitlin Lake was voted D3 Softball HERO of the Week. Crofton resident Kyle Berkshire was one of four people to qualify for the World Long Drive championships last week at Hawk’s Landing Golf Club in Yucca Valley, Calif. Berkshire, a former all-state golfer at Archbishop Spalding now attending North Texas State, battled out of the losers’ bracket with a winning drive of 415 yards in Round 8. The previous day, Berkshire was eliminated when none of his balls were hit in play during the final rounds. Stan Ramsey of Texas took the top spot with a 469-yard drive. Berkshire and the others qualified for the World Long Drive championship at WinStar World Casino & Resort in Oklahoma in early September. It will be broadcast on the Golf Channel. MINOR LEAGUE BASKETBALL: The Baltimore Shuckers (0-2) lost, 103-92, to the defending Central Basketball Association champion Fort Wayne Flite (2-0) on Saturday night to close out a twogame Midwestern road trip that started Friday night with a 98-97 setback against the Illinois Coal Miners (1-1). The Shuckers were led in scoring Saturday by Jermaine Bolden (Morgan State/Douglass) with 23 points and Kendal Williams and Torey Fassett (Atholton) with 15 each. VARSITY COACHING: Gilman has head varsity coaching positions open for its basketball and squash programs. Owen Daly, who coached the basketball team since the 2009-10 season, and Boo Smith, who took over the squash program in 2006, stepped down from their respective posts after the winter season. To apply, send a resume with a cover letter to the school with attention to athletic director Tim Holley. MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER: Jose Guillermo Ortiz scored in the 18th minute and Luciano Acosta in the 27th and D.C. United (1-2-1) hung on for a 2-1 win over the visiting Philadelphia Union (0-2-2). C.J. Sapong scored for Philadelphia in the 71st minute. RAVENS: The Ravens will host their third annual L.I.F.T. (Leading and Inspiring Females to Thrive) Conference on Tuesday at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills. The event will begin at 7:45 a.m. The L.I.F.T. Conference is a leadership seminar for female student-athletes from Baltimore City and Baltimore County public high schools. Sophomores and juniors from select schools were nominated to participate by their respective athletic directors. L.I.F.T. will engage the young women in a conversation about how the skills they use during sports translate to their off-field endeavors (relationships, college preparation, workplace, professional sports arena, etc.). The students will have an opportunity to hear from Ravens coach John Harbaugh (8 a.m.), as well as 13-time U.S. Paralympic swimming gold medalist Jessica Long of Baltimore. LAUREL PARK: Thirty-two horses were entered in a trio of races that mark the return of racing over the turf course today. The three claiming events drew 10.7 entries per race, topped by 13 for Race 8, a $22,000 waiver maiden claimer for 3-year-olds and up set for 51⁄2 furlongs over the Dahlia Turf Course layout. Patrick Dooher’s Maryland-bred gelding Flankenstein is the 7-2 program favorite. Also over the Dahlia in Race 4 is another division of the $22,000 waiver maiden claimer for 3-year-olds and up at 51⁄2 furlongs, which attracted 11. Eight horses were entered in Race 6, an $18,000 claimer for fillies and mares 3 and older carded at 1 mile on the All Along Turf Course. Post time for the eight-race program is 1:10 p.m. —