Supporting & Inspiring Female Student-Athletes

Many distinguished individuals who are currently or were once a part of the Maryland women’s athletics community gathered at XFINITY Center on Sept. 16 to host the Fall 2024 Campus Conversations forum in collaboration with ESPNW. 

The departmental program was designed and instituted to bring meaningful conversations to support and inspire female student-athletes as they prepare for the transition from college to the real world. Athletes from every varsity sport attended to listen to the panel of former Terps talk about achieving success while sharing their wisdom and encouragement. 

“We were so fortunate to have ESPNW and Campus Conversations on campus,” said Damon Evans, Maryland’s Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics. “It was truly an inspiring night for all of our Terps. I truly appreciate the panel’s insight and perspective. I know that our Terps were very grateful for the discussion.”

Former Terps attending the event as panelists included Sophia Antonopolous (women’s lacrosse, 2020-23), Marissa Coleman (women’s basketball, 2005-08), and Stephanie Giameo (gymnastics, 2012-15). The trio provided a wealth of knowledge with their backgrounds as high-achieving athletes and current successful individuals in their respective careers. 

Sheila Matthews, a Digital Producer for ESPN and Andscape, and Sereita Cobbs, the Senior Director for Fan Experience at ESPN, moderated the discussion. 

“Partnering with ESPNW to host a Campus Conversations event provided us another opportunity to support our women leaders, amplify their voices and highlight their impact,” Dr. Sue Sherburne, Maryland's Executive Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, said. “Their successes and willingness to give back to our student-athletes and the University community is inspiring and further builds Maryland pride.”

The panel sparked conversation by beginning a discussion on their respective journeys after graduating from Maryland. They spoke about their frame of mind, the transition and leaving sports behind, among many other talking points.  

Coleman, who studied communication at Maryland, shared her unique experience preparing for the WNBA Draft. She played a decade in the WNBA and was named a 2015 All-Star after winning the 2006 NCAA championship and being named an All-American for the Terps. After retiring from basketball, Coleman transitioned to a career focused on business and entrepreneurship. 

“I think my journey is unique in that I'm almost going through everything in reverse,” Coleman said. “My career just ended, and I'm 37. A lot of the woes that college athletes are facing right after they graduate, I'm kind of dealing with them much later.”

Antonopolous, the youngest of the trio of former Terp student-athletes, shared her postgraduate journey and advice, mentioning the importance of networking. She graduated with a public health science degree and was accepted into physician assistant school at Thiel College. After recently completing the didactic portion of her education, she is now on clinical rotations where she gets to experience and try out each medical specialty.

“Through Maryland Made, there are opportunities that other schools don’t have,” Antonopolous said. “There are so many places to get involved, network, help with resume building and get mentors. … Get involved and use being a student-athlete to your advantage.”

As former student-athletes pandering to current student-athletes, the panel acknowledged the difficulty of moving on from the sport they grew up playing. However, Giameo expressed how former student-athletes can stay involved with their sport after graduation. 

Giameo was an All-American on beam at Maryland. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree from the Robert H. Smith School of Business and a Master's in Accounting at the University of Virginia. She’s a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Senior Manager at Deloitte in the Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Transaction Services practice, primarily serving private equity clients investing in infrastructure.

“There are so many ways that you can still stay connected to your sport and with athletics in general,” Giameo said. “Some things that I do are I love watching college gymnastics during the season. I’m a big fan of the GymTerps. I also come back to Maryland to attend a meet or a football game to stay connected with my coaches and teammates. There are also ways to stay connected with Maryland Athletics through the M Club.”

Senior track and field student-athlete Emma Pegg, who studies kinesiology, was recently named President of Maryland’s Pre-Health Terps program for the 2024-25 school year. She assisted with the second portion of the event, which involved splitting student-athletes in attendance into breakout rooms by class.

Like many other student-athletes in attendance, Pegg used the overall experience to learn from the many distinguished women who were previously in her shoes.  

“I was really honored to be there and part of everything,” Pegg said. “Meeting so many amazing women and being part of such an amazing event was a great opportunity to grow. These are great steps to be taking in my career.”