25 for 25 — The Top 25 Moments From The Last 25 Years

Maryland Athletics is celebrating the first 25 years of the 21st century by looking back at some of the greatest Terrapin moments across all of our sports. Listed by date, these games, moments or highlights represented the best of the University of Maryland from 2001-25. Join us each week in the month of December as we look back at some of the greatest moments in Maryland history.

Note: Moments had to take place from Jan. 2001 to Dec. 2025 to be considered.

Men's Basketball

March 25, 2001

Maryland upset No. 1 seed Stanford in the 2001 NCAA West Regional Final to earn the school’s first-ever berth in the Final Four.

There were no All-Americans on this Maryland team. It didn't need any.

Six weeks after their season seemed to be coming apart, the Terrapins used their speed and depth to upset top-seeded Stanford 87-73 Saturday and reach the Final Four for the first time.

"We're just really proud of ourselves," said Lonny Baxter, who led Maryland with 24 points in the West Regional final. "I was really desperate to make it to the Final Four, get coach there for the first time."

Coach Gary Williams made it in his 23rd year as a major college coach, the last 12 with Maryland.

He didn't allow himself to celebrate on the sideline until Drew Nicholas dribbled out the final seconds before heaving the ball high into the air.

"I knew we'd come out and play well. Whether that would be enough against a team like Stanford, I didn't know," Williams said. "The big thing is, we made our shots."

Women's Lacrosse

May 20, 2001

The undefeated Terrapins won the 2001 NCAA Championship - the first of the century for the Terps - capping off a run of 7-straight national championships

The top-seeded and top-ranked University of Maryland women's lacrosse team realized its goal, winning its seventh straight NCAA Championship in a 14-13 double overtime thriller with third-seeded Georgetown at Homewood Field in Baltimore.

 In doing so, the Terrapins (23-0) became the fourth Maryland team in school history to finish its season without a blemish, joining the undefeated 1995, 1996 and 1999 teams.

The Terps' exciting win did not come easy as it occurred with eight seconds remaining on the clock in the second overtime period. The winning goal was scored by senior Allison Comito after fellow senior Tori Wellington had dumped the ball into her just to the right of the goal mouth.

"I wasn't looking for anyone in particular," said Wellington. "I was actually trying to settle it, then I saw Allison wide open. Before she shot it, I knew it was going in."

Football

November 17, 2001

In Ralph Friedgen’s first season as head coach, his Maryland Terrapins secured an ACC Championship and a bid to the Orange Bowl with a 23-19 win at NC State.

The play that clinched Maryland's first outright Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 16 years hadn't been used since fall camp.

That's the same time first-year coach Ralph Friedgen began building a winning attitude among a group of players who refused to quit again Saturday night.

The Fridge and his No. 10 Terrapins rallied late to slam the door on Florida State's nine-year run as ACC champions, becoming one of the more unlikely champions in league history with a 23-19 win over North Carolina State.

"I told them earlier that if you take this into life with you and work through it you can do anything," Friedgen said. "And they did. These guys fought for it. We beat everybody we needed to beat."

Maryland went from 5-6 last year to 10-1 under its rotund coach and now awaits its first major bowl bid since the 1977 Cotton as the ACC's Bowl Championship Series representative.

Men's Basketball

April 1, 2002

“The Kids Have Done It” … A moment etched in the heart of every Maryland fan, as the Terrapins scaled the mountain top to win it’s first-ever men’s basketball NCAA championship.

A star who stepped up and a tightly wound coach - a match made in Maryland, and good enough to turn the Terrapins into national champions.

With All-American guard Juan Dixon snapping out of a scoring drought just in time, Maryland ended Indiana's magical tournament run with a 64-52 victory Monday night.

This was the Terrapins' first appearance in a national championship game and the senior-laden lineup came through over the final 9:42, pulling away from the Hoosiers to become the fourth straight No. 1 seed to win it all.

Coach Gary Williams guided his alma mater from the depths of probation 13 years ago to the pinnacle of college basketball. He let his intense demeanor melt long enough to celebrate with his team, which featured four players who had started at least 100 games in their careers.

"We had to really grind it," he said. "It took us a good 25 minutes before we really ran our offense. Not many coaches get a chance to coach three great seniors like this. It was a thrill for me to watch these guys work hard and get their reward."

Volleyball

November 23, 2003

Maryland upset top-seeded Georgia Tech to win the 2003 ACC Tournament and advance to the first of three-straight NCAA Tournaments.

The second-seeded Maryland Terrapins upset the first-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 3-1 (26-30, 33-31, 30-27, 30-22) to win the 2003 ACC Volleyball Championship at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. 

Three Terrapins posted double-doubles including tournament MVP Lynnsy Jones with a team high 18 kills and 14 digs, Maria DiLivio (11 kills, 15 digs) and Sarah Treadwell (15 kills and a game-high 21 digs). Georgia Tech was led by Lynnette Moster who garnered a double-double with 15 kills and 16 digs.

The win upped Maryland's record to 26-7 on the season.

Maryland would also win the final ACC Tournament in 2004 to make the NCAA field and then earned the ACC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as the ACC’s regular season champion in 2005.