Standout Seniors

When the second-ranked Maryland women’s lacrosse team takes the field for the first time in the 2023 season on Saturday, it will do so with sky-high expectations. At the center of those expectations lies a group of eight seniors that have unparalleled experiences and successes under their belt as a result of its three-plus years at Maryland. 

Shaylan Ahearn, Victoria Hensh, Brianna Lamoureux, Hannah Leubecker, Libby May, Aiden Peduzzi, Emily Sterling and Katie Sites came to College Park in 2019 as one of the most heralded classes in program history and have developed into a powerhouse of a unit for the historic lacrosse program. 

“It’s a really special group,” head coach Cathy Reese said of the seniors. “Their journey and experience has been totally unique. It’s something that none of us could ever wrap our head around or understand, but they’ve come out better because of it.”

The group, who pretty much are all roommates in some combination now, came into College Park together having already built previous relationships during their club days in high school.

 “Either playing with each other or against each other, we’ve all known each other for a long time,” attacker Hannah Leubecker said.

The girls didn’t have much time to settle into college lacrosse, quickly being thrust into significant roles and extended playing time as freshman as the Terrapins managed a 3-3 record before the remainder of the season was canceled due to COVID.

“Most freshmen don’t play right away, but they got thrown in there pretty much from day one and we struggled to start that 2020 season,” Reese said. 

The next season, in another year affected by COVID protocols and conference only competition, Maryland made the second-round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Duke in a one-goal heartbreaker. 

A big factor in the marked progress? The growth of the girls’ relationships off the field—an aspect that Reese considers to be a vital part of her program.

“We’ve had a lot of time over the last few years, especially with COVID, to really form some strong bonds,” attacker Libby May said. “We’ve had our ups and downs, but it’s just made our relationships stronger. I think you see it on the field too. We have so much trust in each other that it really elevates our play.”

“We’re all such different people, but it just works,” May added. “We have this mutual understanding that, no matter our differences, we’re all here for each other.”

That trust on the field was fully showcased throughout a 2022 campaign that saw the Terps finish the season with a dominant 19-2 record and a Final Four appearance for the 12th time in the last 13 Final Fours. 

In their third season in a Maryland uniform at the time, the seven juniors shined particularly bright.

Sterling was named the National Goaltender of the Year. Leubecker was a Third Team All-American. May starred when the lights shined the brightest in the postseason. Ahearn became one of the most dominant draw specialists in the nation. Lamoreux and Peduzzi helped lead a superb Maryland defense. This class was littered in everything the Terps did last season. 

“You could see their growth as the season went on,” Reese said. “We could see their knowledge of the game expand each week and they really learned how to adapt in the way we needed them to in order to become a Final Four team.”

“I definitely feel like our class had a breakout year last season,” May added.

The team’s growth in the group’s three years at Maryland is a big source of pride for the senior class. 

“Our class experience has definitely been different than most classes, but it’s just brought us that much closer and it’s not let us take anything for granted,” Leubecker said. “Each thing we’ve accomplished, we’ve had to really work through. We know that nothing is going to just come to us.” 

“Just looking at all the years we’ve been here and the progress that we made, it’s very humbling and exciting, and I’m definitely very proud of all of us,” May added. “I’m just grateful to be here and grateful to have had all these people by my side.” 

Still, the sting of being just one game away from playing for a national title, isn’t something that goes away easily. But just as they’ve done through every curveball thrown their way throughout their Maryland careers, the close-knit group used the hardship as a way to come back even stronger—both on the field and in how they care for one another as teammates.

“Anytime that any sort of relationship goes through something tough, it can either make or break you,” May said. “For us, moving forward, we’ve been able to really understand how we all are as people and that makes our bond so much stronger.”

“When you go through difficult things and you have to depend on each other, you learn how to trust one another and it makes the bond on the field that much stronger,” Leubecker added.

As many tough losses do, coming up short in the Final Four had the hidden benefit of providing an extra source of motivation for this year’s extremely talented Terps—something that Reese has already noticed. 

“It’s made them come back hungrier,” Reese said. “They got a little taste of what that experience was like and it made them come back hungrier and more focused. It’s been a good start to our preseason having that under us.”

This season, as the No. 2 nationally ranked team with six preseason All-Americans (including Sterling, Ahearn, Leubecker and May) and the favorites in the Big Ten, the sky's the limit for this year’s group of Terps. And though the goals are incredibly high, the biggest point of emphasis remains the process and the journey along the way. 

“Obviously, we hope to win a National Championship at the end of this thing, but the journey has been so amazing, with all the things we’ve accomplished together and how we’ve grown together,” Leubecker said. “That’s what we’re going to focus on this season—continuing to grow as a team.”

“It’s not gonna be about who we play, or any outside pressures,” she added. “If we’re great, it’s because we’re playing together, we’re trusting each other, our team is close and that will have translated to the field.”