Impact Of A Scholarship: Kelly McPartland

For Maryland Women's Lacrosse, the list of stars, both past, and present, is never-ending. 

For over 30 years, the Terps have dominated the national landscape, going to 27 Final Fours and taking home 15 championships.

In 2014 and 2015, Maryland took home the top prize in the country behind the stellar play of numerous players, including midfielder Kelly McPartland. 

McPartland's list of accomplishments is long, highlighted by her First-Team All-American honor in 2014, NCAA All-Tournament Team recognition in 2015, and being on the Tewaaraton Watch List in 2014 and 2015. 

While The Farmingdale, Long Island native will always be a Terp legend, to her, being a student-athlete on scholarship at Maryland matters the most. 

"It really is such an honor because not everyone gets to do that," McPartland said about being on scholarship at Maryland. "Having that opportunity given to me by the coaching staff at Maryland was incredible, and I'm still very grateful to them for this day. Those were the best years of my life."

Coming from a family of nine, McPartland and all of her siblings played sports and took part in extracurricular activities. College expenses became much more challenging to deal with by having such a big family, but McPartland's fears diminished when she committed to Maryland. 

She fell in love with the coaching staff, the players, and, most importantly, the school itself.  

"The school is wonderful," she said. "Being able to be debt-free after school is something that you don't really think about when you're a college kid. It doesn't really cross your mind too much. You don't think about money, but now that I'm out, I can't even imagine having to juggle the things that I did juggle, but having debt on top of that would have been a nightmare." 

Cathy Reese has built one of the most outstanding sports programs in the entire country, and it's due mainly to the culture she's cultivated in her 16 years as the woman in charge. 

Like Reese, McPartland parlayed her incredible college career into a coaching career as she joined the Columbia Lions staff in the Fall after she graduated from Maryland. In 2019, McPartland joined the Delaware Blue Hens staff as an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator. 

In 2021, McPartland fulfilled her dream of becoming a head coach as she was named the leader of the Wagner Seahawks in her native New York. Not only that, but McPartland also plays in the Athletes Unlimited Professional Lacrosse League.

Now that she's seven years removed from her collegiate career, she can reflect on all that she and her teammates accomplished. 

"Winning two national championships my junior and senior year… there's nothing else like that," McPartland said. "You've worked so hard all year, all four years, and you finally reach that."

The championships were extra sweet as the Terps came up just short of the national championship in McPartland's sophomore year. The team lost in triple overtime in the 2013 championship game to North Carolina. 

"That was an absolute heartbreaker. Being able to come back the next two years and compete and work hard with my best friends right next to me and accomplish that goal. You can't really describe that feeling unless you're there in the moment."

To make matters sweeter, in McPartland's senior year, they were finally able to exact revenge as they defeated the Tar Heels in the national championship game.

As a professional athlete and a head coach, McPartland has a lot on her plate, but it's nothing that she can't manage. She's had years of experience and has had incredible people behind her who have supported her in whatever she's done. Whether it's her family, her teammates, or even her old coaches, she's always felt the love and support.

"Cathy, [Lauri], Kenis and Caitlyn [Phipps] have supported me since day one, when I was a student-athlete and when I graduated," she said. "Having them as resources once I graduated and being so well known in the college game and so highly respected, that was a huge advantage for me. I still talk to them very often to this day, asking them questions. They help get me through certain situations. To this day, they are a huge resource for me and a huge support system."

McPartland heaped a ton of praises on her teammates and the assistant coaches, but it's Reese who McPartland has a special place in her heart. The head coach of Maryland has had hundreds of girls come through her program, but she still finds a way to make everyone feel as welcome as the last. 

For McPartland, Reese is the quintessential coach you want to have in your corner. 

"There are not enough good words in the world to describe Cathy as a person. I think the absolute world of her," she said. "She's a great coach, but she's an even better person. She was like my second mom. I can confidently say that you can speak to anyone who played for her, and they would have nothing but great things to say about her. She's a phenomenal human being, and I love her to death, and she's now one of my close friends which you know, not everyone can say when they graduate college."

As a head coach herself now, McPartland uses the scholarship she received at Maryland to give back and reward more young women like herself with the opportunity. 

Though she may be a Wagner Seahawk now, McPartland is and always will be a Terp.

"If I wasn't given that scholarship and support, who knows where I would be right now," McPartland said. "Being given the opportunity to play under Cathy and her coaching staff, they really did truly shape me into who I am today as a human being as a coach as a person. So to those donors, there are not enough thank yous in the world. You gave me the opportunity of a lifetime."