Maryland Women’s Lacrosse Lands No. 1 Recruiting Class for 2026
8/20/2026 10:57:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
COLLEGE PARK, MD — Maryland women's lacrosse will welcome the nation's No. 1-ranked recruiting class for 2026, as ranked by Inside Lacrosse, to College Park this fall.
Head coach Cathy Reese welcomes nine freshmen to the program, a talented group featuring some of the top players in the country and representing multiple positions across the field.
""I'm super excited to welcome this great group of freshmen to College Park," said head coach Cathy Reese. "This class brings in a lot of talented players at a variety of positions, from all over the country, and we're really excited about what they can bring to our program."
The class is headlined by Cayden Reese, the No. 1-ranked player in the Class of 2026, a position she has held throughout the recruiting cycle. Her future Maryland and longtime club teammate, Kit Laake, is ranked No. 3, giving the Terps two of the top three players in the nation.
Reese capped an impressive high school career by leading Maryvale to the Q-Collar Girls National No. 1 Ranking. She totaled 60 goals, 35 assists and 40 draw controls while also earning Senior All-America Game recognition. She will continue her career in College Park playing for her mother, head coach Cathy Reese.
Six incoming Terps earned recognition in the ILWomen Freshman Top 100 Rankings, the final rankings for the high school Class of 2026 as the players arrive on college campuses this fall.
Maryland boasts three incoming freshmen among the Top 20. In addition to Reese and Laake, Michaela Fay, a defender from Suffern, N.Y., moved up from the watch list to No. 19.
Defender Toby Bergstrom checks in at No. 37, while midfielder Sofia Gagliardi and goalkeeper Ashley Egbert were selected to the watch list.
Maryland's 2026 Recruiting Class
- Cayden Reese — Attack (Glenelg, Md.)
- Kit Laake — Defense (Glenelg, Md.)
- Michaela Fay — Midfield (Suffern, N.Y.)
- Toby Bergstrom — Defense (Lancaster, Pa.)
- Sofia Gagliardi — Midfield (West Chester, Pa.)
- Ashley Egbert — Goalie (Delray Beach, Fla.)
- Avery Jones — Attack (Cumming, Ga.)
- Ava Derby — Midfield (East Quogue, N.Y.)
