Shining Bright

Christina Dalce is an intimidating presence on the court. 

Standing 6-foot-2, the senior Maryland women’s basketball forward is best known for her ability to set the tone on the defensive side of the ball as she regularly stuffs opposing player’s shots near the rim. However, her dynamic presence is nothing new. 

Dalce is the reigning Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year while simultaneously being named an all-conference honorable mention. From 2021-24, she played at Villanova, where she amassed 169 blocks, ranking second in program history. She also blocked 86 shots during the 2022-23 season to break the single-season record. 

The defensive anchor takes pride in her ability to defend. Her ability and intensity provide the energy her team needs. 

“I think that I can always rely on my defense, to say the least,” Dalce said. “I can always rely on my defense and always turn it up to encourage my team. … [I can] bring the energy and definitely bring the hype.”

Through 13 games with the Terps, the sociology major is averaging 8.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. She’s also recorded five double-doubles thus far and has been one of head coach Brenda Frese’s most impactful players since transferring to Maryland. 

Despite her fiery personality on the court, Dalce’s personality shines brighter off it. Her extroverted temperament is hard to miss, and it was fully displayed during her introduction to fans at the 2024 Big Ten Basketball Media Days.

“She's a big personality that lights up the room when she walks in, and she likes to have fun,” Maryland women’s basketball head coach Brenda Frese said. “We had this moment a couple of times in the summer of her Whitney Houston impersonation. But I think that's the fun thing. She's always just really upbeat and positive and enjoys life.”

Dalce says she developed her personality as a freshman at Villanova. She noticed people were nervous about speaking to her because she was an athlete, and her height was intimidating. She sought to make others comfortable, and a celebrity was born there. 

“I was the type of person that was really shy outside my friends, but once you get to know me, I'm very outgoing,” Dalce said. “But then, while I was in college, something hit me, and it was just like, why am I shy? Why am I nervous to go up to people?”  

Dalce’s personality has seamlessly fit in with her new teammates. Whether the team hosts karaoke night or hangs out in the locker room before practice, Dalce often brings the energy and makes teammates laugh. 

“??She's always there to encourage people,” Kaylene Smikle, one of her new teammates, said. “In the locker room, no matter if we have 8 a.m. practice, she's the first one in there. She's loud, you know where Christina is. She's just a great person to have. I think every team needs a Christina. You need that person to bring the energy every day, consistently.”

The women’s basketball team embodies its core value of family. But that family isn’t complete without Dalce, even though others on the team share a similar temperament. 

“I think that everybody has such unique personalities,” Dalce said. “Sometimes when I meet people outside, they're like, ‘Oh, this person's intimidating.’ I'm like, ‘That's crazy because they’re one of the funniest people I know.’ From our quietest person to our loudest person, everybody has such a great personality.”

Dalce first touched a basketball in fourth grade. However, her middle school travel team in New Jersey didn’t allow fourth or fifth-graders to play for its travel team. She had to wait until sixth grade to join. Her team won its first scrimmage and lost every game afterward. Dalce says she cried after every single game. 

“I cried, like hard cried,” Dalce said. “You would have thought the world was ending the way I was crying.”

Dalce then joined her first AAU team in seventh grade. She remembers having to convince her mother to sign her up. Her mom supported her passions but required Dalce to play for at least a year. 

“My mom pulled up a flyer from when I was in fourth grade,” Dalce said. “She was like, ‘If I sign you up for this, you have to stay here for a year.’ Because I cried after every game, she knew I was very passionate about basketball.” 

At the time, Dalce’s mom paid out of pocket for her two older sisters, Sophia and Briana, to attend college. Briana attended the University of Maryland from 2015-19. Her mother’s one-year requirement was because money was scarce, and dishing out money just for Dalce to quit basketball would be a waste. 

A year passed, and Dalce was still playing basketball. Later, she began playing for three teams simultaneously: her middle school’s travel team, an AAU team and a CYO team. 

“I was getting three hours of training every day,” Dalce said. “Thinking back at it, it was actually absurd the way we're traveling all over the state to get some training. I would say it definitely helped because I went from literally being so inexperienced to having a lot of experience.”

Dalce began playing on the Nike circuit in eighth grade, and colleges began recruiting her. In high school, she blindly committed to Villanova over Penn State and UPenn, even though she had never visited the campus. 

As a sophomore, Dalce was part of the Wildcats’ 2022-23 team, which finished the season with a program record for wins (30) and ended the regular season ranked No. 10 nationally. The team also advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time in 20 years. 

She even earned a spot on the USA Basketball 2023 Women's 3x3 U21 team, which competed in the FIBA Nations League in Handan, China. There, she played alongside her future teammate, Shyanne Sellers. 

Dalce says the “stars aligned” for her to come to Maryland, and her goal is to make the Final Four. As a Terp, she’s an enforcer on the court, but her personality shines brightly off it.