The Best In The Business

Rayne Wright came to College Park from Bethlehem, PA, in the fall of 2020 with First Team All-State and Third Team All-American high school honors to her name. The Terps had big expectations then for their star defender coming out of Liberty High School, but Wright’s overall program impact has far exceeded even those high hopes.

“She came in in 2020 and that was a weird year for all of us but she’s always been a wonderful player to coach and a great student of the game to coach,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “We’ve always been able to rely on her, but now she’s become one of the best defenders in the country.”

Wright made a big impact on the field instantly. In her freshman year, she started 13 of 15 games and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors once. This season, she has started all nine games for the Terps as part of an extremely talented back line. She is also pushing herself to continue to impact the offensive end more and more.

“Every year I’ve been trying to improve on my confidence in moving the ball up the field,” Wright said. “I’ve tried to do it more and more every year, but I’ve always been such a safe player, which can be good sometimes but not always. So this year I’ve been attacking in the field more and I’ve gotten some good results out of it.”

Wright, who picked up an NFHCA National Defensive Player Of The Week honor last season, is the anchor of a back line that is allowing an average of just one goal a game.

“We have so much experience in that back line and we all trust each other a lot,” she said. “You can have all the skill in the world, but experience is so important. And we’ve been able to implement the new people super easily because they’ve been super eager to learn about how we play.”

Wright also gained significant experiences in the sport during her time this summer as part of the 2023 U.S. U-21 Women's National Team. 

“I never expected field hockey to be able to take me so many different places,” Wright said. “Being able to play at different places in different parts of the world is an absolutely amazing experience.”

But perhaps even more important than her impressive play on the field has been her leadership—a trait she has had to grow into, but one that has been an absolute necessity for the team. 

“She services her team before herself every day,” Meharg said. “She does it with such hard work. She’s such a genuine leader. She brings a really passionate and intense character.”

Prior to the 2023 season kicking off, Meharg named Wright one of the team’s two captains, alongside fifth-year Maura Verleg. 

“We did name the captains this year—we don’t every year—and a big part of that is the way Rayne leads,” Meharg said. “She’s very open to all people of the team; she’s a big catalyst for the unit.”

In some ways, Wright has been a leader on the team since the day she stepped foot on campus, with her character and work ethic setting an example for the rest of the team to follow.

“I always felt that I had a good sense of leadership because I could tell everyone on the team felt comfortable coming to me one-on-one about anything,” Wright said. “And I’ve always prided myself on being easy to talk to and approachable for all my teammates.”

In other ways, however, Wright had to grow into the role during her first three seasons as a Terp. 

“She really had to step out of her comfort zone this year,” sophomore Ava Trexler said. “She likes to lead by example, but this year she's had to lead using her voice and giving us the knowledge she’s gained through her four seasons here.”

And did Meharg always envision Wright as one of her team captains one day?

“Not at all. Not at all.

“She was always so quiet. But she also always had very domineering people around her who filled that leadership position around her, so this year when those players graduated, it was time for Rayne to fill that role. And she’s doing an absolutely fantastic job.”

Becoming more of a vocal leader has been a point of emphasis for Wright ever since she was named captain.

“Obviously being a captain comes with a lot more responsibility. I’ve continued keeping that emphasis on being the best person I can for everybody else on and off the field, but also focusing on leading more vocally and embracing that captain title.”

The title is not one that Wright takes lightly.

“Maryland means everything to me and the fact that I was asked to be a captain for this program that has been so successful for over 35 years under Missy, was a huge, huge honor. To be a part of that and have a role in that is more than I ever expected; it’s been amazing.” 

The feeling is mutual between Wright and the rest of the team. 

Trexler sums up Wright’s impact perfectly: “She’s the best in the business for sure.”