COLLEGE PARK, Md. –The Maryland women's lacrosse team will feature Inside Lacrosse's No. 1 freshman class in the nation next spring. Seven Terps were ranked in the publication's Top 50 Freshmen rankings, including three of the top five.
"We are so excited to welcome this freshman class to Maryland," head coach Cathy Reese said. "We bring in a lot of talent and experience to the team. I think this class is ready to get to work, and will really help us out on the field in the spring."
This is the first time since 2011 Maryland has had the top-ranked freshman class.
The 2016 class includes Lizzie Colson, Brindi Griffin, Kali Hartshorn, Victoria L'Insalata, Andrea McTaggart, Natalie Miller, Julia Salandra, Nikki Sliwak and Hannah Warther.
The Terps feature seven Under Armour All-Americans, all of whom were ranked by Inside Lacrosse: No. 2 Colson, No. 4 Griffin, No. 5 Warther, No. 19 Sliwak, No. 23 L'Insalata, No. 29 Hartshorn and No. 48 Miller.
Griffin and Salandra are the younger sisters of 2015 Maryland graduates Brooke Griffin and Taylor Salandra, who helped the Terps win two NCAA Championships.
Six of the incoming Terps are from Maryland while two are from New Jersey and one is from New York.
lizzie colson
m, manchester, md. (manchester valley)
Inside Lacrosse's No. 2 freshman in the 2016 class, Colson was selected as USA Today's Player of the Year. She was a 2016 Under Armour All-American and earned Carroll County Times' Player of the Year honors three times. She was selected as the Baltimore Sun Player of the Year. Colson set a Carroll County record with 108 goals as a senior.
Brindi griffin
a, edgewater, md. (mcdonogh)
A 2016 Under Armour All-American, Griffin is the No. 4 recruit nationally in the class of 2016. Griffin helped lead McDonogh to four straight high school national championships and an 80-0 record.The Edgewater, Md., native was a three-time US Lacrosse All-American and a two-time Baltimore Sun First Team All-Metro honoree. Griffin competed for Team USA in the U-19 World Championships last summer, helping the U.S. win silver. Her older sister, Brooke, was an All-American for the Terps and graduated in 2015.
kali hartshorn
m, allentown, n.j. (allentown)
Hartshorn was selected as both a 2016 Under Armour All-American and US Lacrosse All-American. She is ranked the No. 29 freshman in her class by Inside Lacrosse. Hartshorn was Allentown's leader in goals, assists and points as a senior, and was a three-time all-area and All-CVC selection. She also lettered in basketball and soccer.
Victoria l'insalata
m/D, plainsboro, n.j. (west windsor-plainsboro north)
A 2016 Under Armour All-American, L'Insalata is Inside Lacrosse's 23rd-ranked freshman. She was selected as Defensive Player of the Year twice. The Plainsboro, N.J., native was a first team All-CVC and all-area honoree.
andrea mctaggart
m/d, catonsville, md. (catonsville)
A four-year letterwinner in lacrosse, soccer and basketball, McTaggart was a two-time all-county selection in 2015 and 2016. She led the lacrosse team to the 2015 county championship and 2014 state finals. A standout in the classroom, McTaggart is a member of the National Honors Society, Spanish National Honors Society and Math Honors Society.
natalie miller
d, west river, md. (st. mary's)
A 2016 Under Armour All-American, Miller was ranked No. 48 by Inside Lacrosse. She was also a two-time Under Armour Underclassman All-American.
julia salandra
m/D, woodbine, md. (glenelg)
Salandra led Glenelg High School to the state and regional championships this past season. The Woodbine, Md., native was a two-time all-county selection and a Washington Post All-Met honorable mention this season. Salandra also lettered in track. Her older sister, Taylor, played lacrosse for the Terps from 2012-15.
nicole sliwak
m, Wantagh, N.Y. (wantagh)
A 2016 Under Armour All-American, Sliwak is the 16th-ranked freshman nationally. The Wantagh, N.Y., native is also a two-time US Lacrosse Academic All-American. She is a two-time First Team All-Long Island selection and three-time all-county honoree. Sliwak also lettered in basketball and soccer and was an all-county selection in both sports.
hannah warther
m, sykesville, md. (century)
A 2016 US Lacrosse and Under Armour All-American, Warther was also picked as a USA Today Second Team All-American. She was named Inside Lacrosse's No. 5 freshman. Warther posted 71 goals and 11 assists as a senior and notched 253 career goals and 290 career points.
