Maryland posts its highest graduation rate

The University of Maryland posted a school-best institutional Graduation Success Rate of 86 percent in figures released Thursday by the NCAA. It marks the fourth time in the nine-year history of the metric that Maryland has been above 80 percent and the fourth straight year the campus set a school record. Maryland’s previous-best GSR of 83 percent came in 2012. The NCAA average is 81 percent. Maryland’s four-year Federal Graduation Rate for student-athletes was 74 percent (higher than the 68 percent posted last year), 9 percentage points higher than the overall NCAA Division I average. The Graduation Success Rate is a four-year measure of freshmen and transfer student-athletes who entered the school between the fall of 2003 and the spring of 2007. It does not penalize the institution for student-athletes who transfer in good academic standing, as the FGR does. In addition, the GSR includes student-athletes who transfer into the institution and receive athletics aid, unlike the FGR. MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Loyola Maryland senior guard Dylon Cormier (Cardinal Gibbons) was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League team. Cormier, who was a two-time AllMetro Atlantic Athletic Conference selection, and the Greyhounds were picked to finish fifth in their inaugural Patriot League season by coaches and sports information directors. Navy was selected to finish last. ... Towson played its first game in its new SECU Arena, defeating Bloomsburg (Pa.), 86-65, in the first of two exhibition games for the Tigers. Seniors Mike Burwell and Jerrelle Benimon led the way for the Towson, combining for 34 points and 13 rebounds. WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Jim Lewis was named interim coach at Georgetown. The move comes two weeks after Keith Brown resigned from the position. The university had placed Brown on administrative leave eight days before that amid complaints from players alleging inappropriate conduct and abusive language during practices. Lewis, whose interim tag will be re-evaluated at the end of the season, most recently served as an assistant with the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. He was the first head coach of the Washington Mystics in 1998 and before that was George Mason’s head coach from1984 to1997. WOMEN’S COLLEGE SOCCER: Senior Hayley Brock, who missed the previous two games with an injury, put Maryland on top 2-1 in the 57th minute and the Terps (9-8, 5-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) went on to a 3-1 victory over host Syracuse (7-10-1, 3-8-1). ... UMBC (10-5-2, 5-2-0 America East) used a pair of goals over the final 3:25, including the game-winner with 1:00 to go from freshman forward Amanda Dailey to complete a 2-1 come-from-behind victory against visiting Hartford (10-5-3, 5-3). The Retrievers hit doubledigit wins for the first time since 2001and reached five America East victories for the first time since joining the league in 2003. With one game remaining in the regular season, UMBC has a chance to clinch a first-round bye with a victory Sunday, marking its highest conference finish ever. HUNTING: Maryland’s fall turkey season will open Saturday and continue through Nov. 2. Fall turkey hunting is permitted only in Garrett, Allegany and Washington counties with a bag limit of one turkey per hunter. Turkey surveys conducted by the Department of Natural Resources show a slightly below-average level of reproductive success this past summer. The annual mast survey conducted by DNR shows that acorn abundance is low this fall, a condition that might force turkeys into crop fields and other areas where they are more easily observed by hunters. NBA: The Washington Wizards waived forwards Josh Childress and Pops Mensah-Bonsu and guard Xavier Silas. The final roster is set at 15. JUNIOR VARSITY GIRLS SOCCER: Because of an unsportsmanlike act by some members of John Carroll’s team in a loss Oct. 15, its final three games of the 2013 season have been canceled. SAILING: Pride of Baltimore II, America 2.0, Adventurer (65) Adventure and Pounce won their classes at the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race last week on the Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore to Portsmouth, Va. —