COLLEGE PARK, MD. - With the season less than two weeks away, the No. 2 Maryland women's lacrosse team has selected graduate student Abby Bosco and seniors Shaylan Ahearn and Emily Sterling as its 2023 captains, head coach Cathy Reese announced Tuesday.
 
This will be Bosco's second season as captain and Ahearn and Sterling's first. 
 
"Abby, Shay and Emily are of course amazing lacrosse players but even better people and leaders," said Reese. "They earned this distinction from their teammates and we are very excited for them to lead us as we set out to accomplish our goals this season." 
 
A 2022 IWLCA First Team All-American and Big Ten Defender of the Year, Bosco returns to Maryland to lead a defense that allowed only 7.81 goals per game, the second lowest mark in the country. Bosco's 63 groundballs were the most in the history of Big Ten lacrosse and the most by a Terp since 2004. The Big Ten Defender of the Year defended the opponent's best player, helping hold 17 of 21 opponents to under 10 goals. Bosco also led the team with 26 caused turnovers and stood second with 89 draw controls. The consensus First Team All-American was also a Tewaaraton nominee, named First Team All-Big Ten and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on March 8. Bosco was selected as the USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason National Defender of the Year.
 
A senior midfielder and draw specialist, Ahearn led the Terps with 115 draw controls in 2022, the eighth most in program history. Ahearn was a Third Team Inside Lacrosse All-American, a Second Team All-Big Ten selection and two-time Big Ten Midfielder of the Week. The Woodbine, MD native also totaled 11 goals, eight assists, 19 points, 10 groundballs and seven caused turnovers. She had at least nine draw controls in six different games and won 57-percent of all draw controls during the season, the 10th best mark in the country.
 
The 2022 IWLCA National Goaltender of the Year, Sterling finished 2022 second in the nation in both save percentage (.531) and goals against average (7.87) and recorded the best save percentage ever in Big Ten play at .626. The junior finished the year with 169 saves to only 149 goals allowed, had over a 50-percent save percentage in 12-of-21 games, had double digit saves in seven games and had a stretch of seven games from March 30 - April 30 where she had over a 50-percent save percentage in every game. Sterling was also a Honda Award Finalist, the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year, an IWLCA First Team All-American, a Tewaaraton nominee, First Team All-Big Ten selection, a four-time National Player of the Week and five-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Sterling was selected as the USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason National Goalie of the Year.
 
Bosco, Ahearn and Sterling  will open the 2023 season against Saint Joseph's on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 1:00 p.m. Buy tickets here.