Honoring 50 Years of Greatness

Tradition, respect, excellence and belief — the four words epitomize Maryland field hockey’s 50 years of dominance. 

Under Hall of Fame head coaches Sue Tyler and her successor, Missy Meharg, the Terps cemented themselves as one of the nation’s top field hockey programs as a consistent perennial contender every year. 

Maryland’s eight NCAA titles are the third most among all Division I schools. It has 21 Final Four appearances and an all-time winning percentage above 75 percent. Maryland also has the longest active streak of NCAA Tournament appearances, with 28 consecutive bids. Maryland is even six wins away from 800 as a program.

Legacy is a word that gets thrown around a lot in sports. However, the program's legacy for Maryland field hockey draws many players to College Park and continues to energize them to keep fighting for championships. Senior midfielder Hope Rose and fifth-year defender Rayne Wright had much to say about the significance of legacy heading into the 50th year of Terps field hockey in 2024. 

“All of those former teams left a type of legacy that I think we as a team want to leave as well,” Rose said. “We want to do exactly, or even more than what other teams did before us.”

Wright shared a similar sentiment. “If you think about it and look back on all the things [they did], you're like, ‘I'm going to do it for those people because they did it for us.’ That means stepping out on the field every day and playing at the highest level possible. That brings so much pride.”

Meharg says the team has been preparing for this milestone season since the beginning of the calendar year, frequently looking to team history for motivation. 

“This team has done work since January to hone in on defining us, digging deep into the values, the words and the language that got them to be at Maryland today,” Meharg said. “It’s the same ideas from the last 10 years, 20 years, 30 years. We’re just honoring 50 years of greatness.”

A 2023 All-Big Ten First Team honoree, Wright explained that part of the offseason prep involved pinning down their team mantra. 

“We did something in the spring where everybody had a core value that they picked for themselves, that they take pride in,” Wright said. “As we did that, we narrowed it down to what the team would do.”

The team landed on tradition, respect, excellence and belief as their guiding principles for the season. 

“Being able to take those values in everything that we do on and off the field, everything we do with Maryland on our chest,” Wright added. “It honestly has created such a great start for us.”

Alongside Wright, the 2024 team boasts a handful of upperclassmen, including fifth-year — and recently dubbed Olympian — Emma DeBerdine. 

DeBerdine returns to College Park after playing with the United States women’s national field hockey team at the Paris Olympics. The 2023 All-Big Ten First Team awardee is opting to finish her college career at Maryland, and Coach Meharg couldn’t be happier to have her speedy midfielder back. 

“Emma DeBerdine will be back with us for the season and will be able to hold a dynamic part of our midfield,” Meharg said. “She's one of the fastest five players I’ve ever coached, and I think she’s probably one of the fastest players on the Olympic team. I’m really excited to have that counterdefense speed to get under the ball.”

Rose, another 2023 All-Big Ten First Team awardee, spent her summer captaining the U21 U.S. women’s national field hockey team and plans to return her leadership experience to her Maryland team. 

“I've been on the U21 national team for a couple of years now, so it was a big difference in leadership, a huge step up,” Rose said. “I think just taking in the confidence that I had, not only with my play but my voice on and off the field, I need to bring that into this team being a senior.”

Fans can also expect the return of last season’s impressive freshman class. Current sophomores such as forward Maci Bradford, defender Josie Hollamon and goalkeeper Alyssa Klebasko made their mark in 2023 and now wield all-important playoff experience. 

“Our freshmen last year were so impactful,” Meharg said. “They’ve advanced to the final game in the Big Ten and the second round of the NCAAs, so they have a lot of good experience.”

In addition to its returning core, Maryland welcomes a handful of talented newcomers, including French U20 women’s national field hockey team member Adèle Jardemar. The freshman adds to Maryland’s long list of international players, something Meharg takes great pride in. 

“Over the years here, we’ve had 14 different countries of student-athletes,” Meharg said. “We have a tradition of excellence and dominance of global hockey. One of the phrases we've always used is, ‘united through hockey.’ Bringing in Jardemar mixes very well with celebrating half a century.” 

Coach Meharg also highlighted the recently renovated Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex as a fitting symbol of the team's growth and excellence and an exciting addition for the upcoming season. 

“I think this building is kind of the pinnacle,” Meharg said. “We just moved in here in 2024, and we've done a lot of work with the team redefining or reestablishing the tradition, the winning and the championships.” 

To pay homage to the many individuals who have been a part of the dynasty, Maryland field hockey is celebrating 50 years of dominance in its home season opener against Louisville on Aug. 30. Maryland field hockey alumni will return to cheer on the 2024 squad and commemorate the milestone year with their fellow Terps. 

“It’s a great feeling to know that even when you do leave, you always have a family to come back to,” Rose said. 

Tradition, respect, excellence and belief will guide Maryland field hockey and energize the team to uphold the program’s legacy of dominance in 2024. Although newly painted, the mantra represents 50 years of Maryland field hockey.