May 2, 2013
Each week during the 2012-13 season a Maryland student-athlete, who has shown excellence on and off the playing field, will be selected as the Solomon Eye Associates Terp of the Week. This week's Solomon Eye Associates Terp of the Week is the women's lacrosse senior class.
The eight-member class helped lead the top-ranked Terps to their fifth-straight ACC championship last weekend against North Carolina.
By Liz Vlk |
Media Relations Assistant
No. 1 Maryland topped North Carolina 12-8 to capture its fifth-straight Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship Sunday, but for the senior class, this is just a spring tradition.
Maryland's eight graduating seniors, Alex Aust, Camilla Hayes, Iliana Sanza, Sam Barber, Kasey Howard, Kristen McAfee, Melissa Diepold and Katie Schwarzmann find it routine to finish their ACC play with a championship trophy because for the past four years it has been this way.
During their four years at Maryland the senior class has gone 81-7, needless to say that winning comes naturally to this group.
The talent that will leave when this senior class graduates is hard to believe.
Schwarzmann, one of the most decorated players in Division I history, has been a key part to the Terps tremendous success. Earning top accolades such as the 2012 Tewaaraton, IWLCA First Team All-American, Synapse Sport Midfielder of the Year, WomensLax.com Midfielder of the Year, two-time NCAA Championship All-Tournament team, ACC Offensive Player of the Year and IWLCA National Midfielder of the Year - to name a few - have only propelled the incredible reputation Maryland has for housing the top players in the nation.
Schwarzmann will be the first to tell you that the team's success is defined by a strong group effort, not individual play. Maryland boasts one of the most talented graduating senior classes this season, stemming far beyond the successes of Schwarzmann.
Aust, also a highly decorated player, currently leads the Terps this season in goals (60) and assists (48). The Terps have a nearly seamless defense led by Diepold, Sanza and Howard, leading them to an undefeated season thus far. McAfee and Hayes have been a strong force both on the defensive side of the field and through the transition game.
Aust, Sanza and Schwarzmann have all been named to this year's Tewaaraton top 25 nominee list.
Bragging about each other's accomplishments and strengths is something this group of friends does not mind doing. One reason this unit is so strong is because of their dedication to the team, and to one another.
"I really look up to Katie. Being the reigning Tewaaraton winner she has a lot of pressure, but she does not buckle," says Aust of Schwarzmann. "She has really emerged as a vocal leader this season. Her athletic ability has always been above and beyond. This is her team this year, and we all are playing for her. We all play for each other."
The close friendships formed over their four years together will inevitably make it hard for these eight to say goodbye at the end of the year.
"We are all great friends, we build each other up," says McAfee. "We make each other better, and the reason we are so successful as a team is because we support one another, on and off the field."
It is hard to talk about each player's individual credentials because they are such a talented bunch. Such a special group deserves to go down in history.
"Being undefeated in the ACC is a tough thing to do because of the high competition we constantly face," says Aust. "Winning this fifth title in a row has given us a lot of confidence. As seniors our goal is to finish this season undefeated, earning our second national title in four years. We want to go out on top."
