Maryland Athletics 2024 Hall of Fame Spotlight: Katie Schwarzmann

Growing up roughly 45 minutes from the University of Maryland’s campus, Katie Schwarzmann, a self-described shy introvert, always had one thing that brought her out of her shell — the Terps. 

Schwarzmann grew up in Sykesville, Md., as an avid fan of the Terrapins. She had an exceptional love for Maryland basketball, and some of her vivid memories were watching Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter lead the Terps to unforeseen heights in the early 2000s. Although Schwarzmann gained notoriety playing a completely different sport, she will soon share something in common with those Maryland men’s basketball greats. 

Schwarzmann, 32, will be inducted into the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 18, joining Dixon while being accompanied by Baxter and six others in the class of 2024. Schwarzmann starred for Maryland women’s lacrosse as a 5-foot-4 midfielder from 2010-13. She left a lasting legacy and brought a distinguished program back to prominence. 

“I was super excited to be entering and becoming part of such an outstanding group,” Schwarzmann said. “You look at all the inductees in this class and those already part of the Hall of Fame. It's just incredible to see yourself in that group. … I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this without my coaches at Maryland and previously, including my teammates throughout the years.”

Schwarzmann was Maryland's first-ever two-time Tewaaraton Award winner, an annual award given to the most outstanding college lacrosse player. She’s also the program’s first three-time Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) National Midfielder of the Year. Only one other student-athlete has since won two Tewaaraton Awards and three Midfielder of the Year awards. 

Schwarzmann is one of four Maryland women's lacrosse players named a four-time All-American and one of five Terps to be a three-time First Team All-American. Adding two ACC Offensive Player of the Year and four All-ACC nods to her resume, Schwarzmann's dominance led to four ACC tournament titles, four NCAA Final Four appearances, three national championship appearances and a 2010 national championship victory.

Two of Schwarzmann's close friends and teammates at Maryland were Iliana Sanza and Alex (Aust) Holman. Both saw the future Hall of Famer blossom as an athlete and reach her full potential. The trio was part of head coach Cathy Reese’s 2009 recruiting class and first met one another in high school. 

“There has always been a very calming intensity about her,” Sanza said. “That is her underlying base because she goes 100% on the field but is very humble. She's not in your face. She's not a big talker. … She became more verbal, vocal and brazen on the field at Maryland.”

Holman shared a similar sentiment. “She was like a silent assassin. … She was someone who just worked her way up and had an immediate impact on the team. She was a natural leader and always someone who helped me, believed in me and lifted me along the way.” 

Schwarzmann, the youngest of four children, followed her sisters, Ashley and Lauren, who were playing lacrosse in college. Her older sisters attended Johns Hopkins, but Schwarzmann didn’t want to be a Blue Jay. She wanted to be a Terp, although Reese says recruiting her out of Century High School was met with many shy giggles over the phone. 

“Back when we recruited her, she was just very private,” Reese said. “She was quiet, kind of kept to herself. When we finally connected on the phone, she would giggle a lot and would just be laughing. … She was just taking it all in. She was quieter and made us work hard in the recruiting process.”

Reese’s work proved worthwhile. As a freshman in 2010, Schwarzmann immediately impacted College Park as a critical component to the Terps’ national championship and ACC Tournament victories. She was selected ACC Freshman of the Year. 

In the national championship game, Maryland defeated Northwestern, 13-11, in Towson, Md. The Terps snapped the Wildcats’ streak of five consecutive national titles to capture their first NCAA Championship since 2001 and nation-leading 10th overall. Schwarzmann recorded a hat trick in the game while her friends and family watched from the bleachers. 

Northwestern opened the game with six unanswered goals. Despite being led by a veteran offense, Schwarzmann was the one to put an end to the run, igniting Maryland’s offense and allowing them to mount the comeback victory. 

“She was the catalyst for that turnaround,” Sanza said. “She was the one who started our goals. While others may have been caught up in the moment or just in a funk there offensively, she took control and shifted the rest of the events in that game.”

Schwarzmann’ success in year one was difficult to repeat. However, she continued to improve as her confidence grew. As a sophomore, her stats improved in virtually every category. Schwarzmann’ best offensive season was in 2012 as a junior. She scored 72 goals, ranking the sixth most for a season in program history. Only two Terps have since outscored her. 

Schwarzmann never missed a game, and Maryland achieved an 84-8 record during her illustrious career. She left College Park ranking third in program history in points (304) and goals (228). Only two Terps have since recorded more in each category. Her 165 draw controls, 146 ground balls, 76 assists, and 73 caused turnovers also rank seventh, 12th, 20th, and 11th in program history, respectively.

“What made her so different and so special was her ability to be a genuine midfielder,” Sanza said. “She knew how to attack, how to assist, how to score, but she also busted her butt to get back on defense. She's one of the best defenders. I think no one knows that because it's hard to rack up stats on defense.”

From 2011-13, Schwarzmann consecutively eclipsed the 50-goal mark while being a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award and making the ACC All-Tournament team. She was named ACC Tournament MVP in 2012 and 2013 and made the NCAA All-Tournament team each year of her career. 

“She was a generational player,” Holman said. “You know that right when you see her play. It's not a surprise to me at all that she’s being inducted into the Hall of Fame, but it’s something that I'm just so happy about as she continues to get recognized. I think she's really special, even young lacrosse players should know what she's done.”

Schwarzmann also achieved success academically. She was a four-time IWLCA/US Lacrosse Scholastic All-American and ACC All-Academic Team honoree, earning ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2012 and 2013. Schwarzmann graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and marketing.

The lacrosse star even met her husband, John Haus, at Maryland. John was a standout men’s lacrosse midfielder for the Terps from 2010-13, guiding them to two national championship appearances. Like Katie, John also boasted First Team All-ACC and First-Team All-American honors in 2013. 

The pair, introduced by Holman, met in the fall of 2011. They were married in October 2017 and now have two children, Riley, 3, and Quinn, 10 months. 

“I truly think going to Maryland opened me up and took me out of my shell,” Schwarzmann said. “I met my husband there. I met some of my best friends there. I want to give Cathy so much credit because she made me a more confident person and player.”

After Maryland, Schwarzmann began coaching women’s lacrosse at Mount St. Mary’s as a graduate assistant. She earned her MBA and remained on the Mount’s staff as her sister, Lauren, became the head coach of the program. In assistant and operations roles, Schwarzmann focused on the offense, program goals, practice plans and fundraising efforts. 

Schwarzmann then joined the Penn State women's lacrosse staff in 2018 as its director of operations. Her husband was hired at the university the year prior as an assistant for the men’s lacrosse team. Both still work for the Nittany Lions.

Complementing her Maryland career, Schwarzmann competed for the United States Women's National Team for nearly a decade. She guided them to gold medals at the 2013 and 2017 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Women's World Cups. In 2016, Schwarzmann was the Baltimore Ride's first overall pick in the inaugural draft of the United Women's Lacrosse League (UWLX), the first-ever professional women's lacrosse league globally.

“She's one of the greatest players to play the sport,” Reese said. “She was just a fabulous person to coach, a great person, a great teammate, and a phenomenal player. She left her mark on Maryland lacrosse and will always be somebody who will be positively admired and remembered as one of the best players to play in our program.”