Terps Welcome No. 2 Freshman Class
9/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Head coach Cathy Reese announced the addition of 10 women for the 2016 season Thursday. The class ranked No. 2 overall by Inside Lacrosse while seven student-athletes were named among the magazine's Top 50 Freshmen rankings.
“We are so excited to welcome the freshmen class to Maryland,” Reese said. “Our team is bringing in 10 athletic, talented and committed student-athletes. I think they're all excited to come in and compete and contribute.”
The 2015 class includes attackers Kelsey Cummings and Izzy Obregon, midfielders Marissa Donoghue, Jen Giles, Katherine Golladay and Caroline Steele, defenders Julia Braig, Meghan Doherty and Shelby Mercer and goalkeeper Megan Taylor.
The Terps boast seven Under Armour All-Americans, all of whom were ranked by Inside Lacrosse: No. 15 Giles, No. 16 Steele, No. 20 Mercer, No. 25 Braig, No. 27 Taylor, No. 36 Doherty and No. 48 Cummings.
The freshmen bring immediate chemistry to the Terps. Giles and Doherty were teammates at Mt. Hebron High School while Donoghue and Mercer played at Century together. Cummings, Doherty, Giles, Mercer and Taylor played club together for M&D Lax. Eight of the 10 freshmen are Maryland natives.
The 2015 class features a number of relatives to current and former Terps. Cummings and Mercer's sisters, Taylor and Alice, are seniors at Maryland. Steele's mother, Gretchen, and cousin, Kristen Lamon, played for the Terps. Braig and Giles both have cousins on the current roster: Lindsay Biondi and Taylor Hensh.
Julia BraiG, D, Reistertown, Md. (St. Paul's)
A 2015 Under Armour All-American, Braig was a four-year letterwinner at St. Paul's. The Reisterstown, Md., native is the 25th-ranked freshman by Inside Lacrosse. A first team all-conference selection, Braig also lettered in soccer and swimming.
kelsey cummings, A, ellicott city, md. (mcdonogh)
The 48th-ranked freshman by Inside Lacrosse, Cummings was also a 2015 Under Armour All-American. Cummings helped lead McDonogh to three national championships and a 64-0 record in three seasons. The Ellicott City, Md., native posted 34 goals, 16 assists and 16 ground balls as a senior. Cummings was also a three-year letterwinner in field hockey and led the team to the 2014 IAAM championship. She also played club for M&D Lax.
meghan doherty, d, ellicott city, md. (mt. hebron)
Ranked No. 36 on the Inside Lacrosse Top 50 Freshmen list, Doherty is a two-time all-county first team selection. Doherty was named to the Washington Post all-met team in 2015 and earned most valuable defender honors. The Ellicott City, Md., native led Mt. Hebron to a 13-1 record in 2015 and the county championships in 2014 and 2015. Doherty was also a three-time MVP for the basketball team and played club for M&D Lax.
marissa donoghue, m, sykesville, md. (century)
A four-year letterwinner a Century, Donoghue led the team to the state championship in 2012 and 2015. A two-time all-county selection and three-time all-conference honoree, Donoghue posted 28 goals and 77 ground balls as a senior. The Sykesville, Md., native also lettered in field hockey and led the team to the 2014 championship.
jen giles, m, ellicott city, md. (mt. hebron)
A 2015 Under Armour All-American, Giles is the 15th-ranked freshman in the class of 2019. The Ellicott City, Md., native was named the 2015 Howard County Times Player of the Year. Also a US Lacrosse All-American, Giles was a two-time champion of the Under Armour Underclassmen All-American tournament. A two-time Washington Post all-met selection, Giles was also a three-time first team all-county selection in soccer. Giles played club for M&D Lax.
katherine golladay, m/d, richmond, va. (collegiate)
A 2015 US Lacrosse First Team All-American, Golladay is also a two-time US Lacrosse Academic All-American. Golladay led Collegiate to the 2014 LIS championship and East Grand Rapids to two state championships. She was a three-time all conference and three-time all-state honoree. Golladay also lettered in track and played club for Geronimo.
shelby mercer, d, woodbine, md. (century)
Mercer led Century to a 19-1 record and the state championship as a senior. A 2015 Under Armour-All American, Mercer is ranked No. 20 on the Inside Lacrosse Top 50 Freshmen list. A Woodbine, Md., native, Mercer was an all-county selection in lacrosse, basketball and field hockey. She also played club for M&D Lax.
izzy obregon, a/m, fairfax station, va. (robinson)
Obregon led Robinson to the state, region and district titles in 2015. A 2015 US Lacrosse and Under Armour All-American, Obregon was a first team all-conference, all-region and all-state selection as a senior. The Fairfax Station, Va., native also led W.T. Woodson to two district championships and Bishop Ireton to the 2013 state championship game. A two-time Washington Post all-met selection, Obregon was also a four-year letterwinner in field hockey.
caroline steele, m, severna park, md. (severn)
Steele earned MVP honors at the prestigious Under Armour All-American game over the summer. Ranked No. 16 on Inside Lacrosse's Top 50 Freshmen rankings, Steele holds Severn's records for most goals scored in a game (11), most goals scored in a season (94) and most career goals (246). A four-time all-county selection, Steele is also a two-time first team Washington Post all-met and Baltimore Sun first team selection. The Severna Park, Md., native was named the Anne Arundel County Capital Gazette Player of the Year in 2015 and also lettered in basketball and soccer.
megan taylor, gk, glenelg, md. (glenelg)
A 2015 Under Armour All-American, Taylor is the 27th-ranked freshman in the class of 2019. A four-time all-county selection, the Glenelg, Md., native was also a two-time Under Armour Underclassmen All-American honoree. Taylor was named a US Lacrosse All-American and Academic All-American in 2014. She also lettered in field hockey and basketball and played club for M&D Lax.
