The Bonds That Built Champions: Maryland’s 2005 and 2006 Teams Reunite
Maryland’s back-to-back national championship teams return to College Park this weekend, celebrating the friendships and legacies that have endured two decades.
Brady Ruth, Staff Writer
9/18/2026
History often repeats itself.
The Terps have celebrated reaching the acme of collegiate field hockey eight times in program history. A program that’s reached 21 Final Fours has had an abundance of outstanding teams over the years.
Perhaps no squads were stronger or close-knit than the 2005 and 2006 National Championship teams that will be honored on Sunday during Maryland’s game against Wake Forest on Big Ten Network.
Coming back to Maryland for our 20-year reunion is incredibly special. So much of who I am today was shaped by my time as a Terp and by the experiences, challenges, friendships, and memories we shared as a team. Getting to celebrate 20 years since winning not one, but two national championships with the people who lived it alongside me is something I’m really looking forward to. It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years, and I’m so excited to be back on campus and together again. Once a Terp, always a Terp!Ali (Grater) Beach
“They were extraordinary teams doing ordinary things and we’re so excited to have them back to College Park,” head coach Missy Meharg said. “This GROUP of Terps had so much fun and respect for each other on and off the field. They loved the game above all else from origins of the United States, Holland, England, Canada and Chile. For the LOVE of the GAME.”
The back-to-back champions also sparked a span of five national championships in seven years. The 2005 and 2006 squads combined for a 46-4 record across two seasons, propelling Maryland into a national powerhouse.
“It’s an honor to come to College Park and celebrate back-to-back national championships with the University of Maryland community,” Emily (Beach) Taylor said. “To be able to recognize the accomplishments of the field hockey program with teammates and coaches from all over the country and world means so much. What Missy and the rest of the staff at Maryland have built is truly special and I can’t wait to meet the current team and get to watch them play! Go Terps!”
This weekend, they’re back for more than recognition; they’re reuniting with a family built on trust, fun, and a love for one another and the game.
“It’s a special thing to be a part of a collegiate team, but especially a championship team,” Kristina Edmonds said. “You just create a bond that stays with you for life. A lot of the people that played together are still friends. A lot of us are very involved in the field hockey community, so we end up seeing each other often.”
Many of those players lived together, enhancing their bonds from teammates to lifelong sisters. An area deemed “The Village” wasn’t just home to champions, but a tight-knit community that remained close long after their collegiate days ended.
It's going to be a super exciting weekend. The main thing I’m looking forward to is getting back with all those fabulous women and seeing where their lives have taken them over the past 20 years. I’m excited to hang out with everyone, catch up and talk about all the good memories we had together. We all have busy lives, and a lot of us have kids now, but we still try to catch up and stay in contact with one another. The nice thing is that even if we don’t chat every month, I know when we get there this weekend, it’s going to feel like no time has passed.Brianna (Davies) Price
“Being on the Maryland field hockey team was one of the best experiences of my life,” Emily (Trycinski) Repsher said. “I am so thankful for the memories and people this team brought into my life! I am so excited to celebrate our back-to-back national championships! I can’t believe it’s been 20 years! I would go back in a heartbeat! Go Terps!”
The weekend will feature far more than a halftime ceremony. The teams will reunite Friday at one of Maryland’s practices, where they’ll reconnect and get to know the 2026 squad — one that Meharg sees many similarities in to those championship teams.
“We’re excited and honored for our current athletes to meet these CHAMPIONSHIP women,” Meharg said. “They found winning a byproduct of loving to outwork each other every day. We used to have a quote that said ‘How you do one thing is how you do all things’. They didn’t know any other way but to give 100% of whatever you had in your tank. They truly understood that concept and I’m confident our present TERPS will feel their vibe.”
A strength of the 2005 and 2006 teams was their abundance of young talent. As the 2026 team sits 7-0 — a feat both the national championship teams achieved — the fresh faces on the roster have made some of the biggest impacts in the season’s early going.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to talk to the team about staying super close in the moment with each other on the field,” Price said. “I think we were so successful because we bonded so well off the field and trusted one another. As a former player and a coach now myself, I know those relationships are important on the field.”
Saturday will be a packed day of reunited fun, as the alums will enjoy a crab feast and a tour of the field hockey complex before heading to Terpsville Fanfest, Maryland’s pregame tailgate ahead of the football game against Virginia Tech.
The teams, families’ and coaches will soak in the game together at SECU Stadium, reliving the memories they made in College Park two decades ago.
“The things that stand out the most would be the friendships I built during my time here,” Price said. “I was there for four-and-a-half years and truly had the best four-and-a-half years of my young life before having children and starting a family. Maryland Field Hockey is very special in that way.”
When the Terps battle Wake Forest — the same program they beat 1-0 in the 2006 National Championship Game — the spotlight will turn to the forever champions at halftime with a special ceremony. Two of Maryland’s all-time great teams cemented their legacy years ago, and Sunday promises to be a full-circle moment for some of College Park’s top squads.
“I don't know if we realized it at the moment, but winning two national championships is actually a pretty extraordinary thing,” Edmonds said. “But now taking a step back, especially with how much time has passed, you start to realize just how unique and special being part of a championship team and winning two national championships really was.”
