University of Maryland Athletics

 

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CAREER HONORS

• 2024 Big Ten Medal of Honor Recipient
• 2024 USA Lacrosse Third Team All-American
• 2024 Athletes Unlimited Draft Selection
• 2024 Tewaaraton Nominee
• 2024 Second Team All-Big Ten
• 2024 Academic All-Big Ten
• 2024 Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American Honorable Mention
• 2024 Inside Lacrosse Midseason Second Team All-American
• 2024 USA Lacrosse Preseason All-American Honorable Mention
• 2024 Tewaaraton Watch List
• 2022 & 2023 Big Ten Goaltender of the Year
• 2022 IWLCA National Goalkeeper of the Year
• 2022 Honda Award Finalist
• 2022 IWLCA First Team All-American
• 2022 & 2023 Big Ten Goaltender of the Year
• 2022 USA Lacrosse Magazine First Team All-American
• 2023 USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason National Goaltender of the Year
• 2023 Tewaaraton Watch List
• 2023 All-Big Ten Tournament Team
• 2022 Tewaaraton Nominee
• 2022 Inside Lacrosse Midseason Second Team All-American
• USA Lacrosse National Player of the Week (4/26/22)
• 4x IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week (4/12/22, 4/26/22, 5/3/22, 4/4/23)
• 7x Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week (3/22/22 & 4/5/22, 4/12/22, 4/19/22, 4/26/22, 3/21/23, 4/4/23)
• 2020-21 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar

STERLING IN THE NEWS
Emily Sterling is playing like the best goalie in the country for Maryland women’s lacrosse. Just don’t tell her that. (Baltimore Sun, May 24, 2022)

As a Graduate Student in 2024: Made six saves in three quarters of action in NCAA Second Round win over James Madison (5/12)... Made 10 saves and had one ground ball in Big Ten Quarterfinal against Rutgers (4/27)... Made 12 saves and had one ground ball in win at #17 Princeton (4/17)... Had four saves and caused a turnover against #24 Penn State (4/13)... Made 13 saves and caused a turnover in win at #8 Johns Hopkins (4/10)... Had ten saves and caused a turnover against #1 Northwestern (4/6)... Made nine saves to go along with one ground ball and one caused turnover in win at #2 Michigan (3/30)... Had 12 saves against #14 Penn (3/27)... Made eight saves and had one ground ball in win over Rutgers (3/24)... Had nine saves and one ground ball in win at Georgetown (3/20)... Made six saves and had three ground balls in win at Oho State (3/16)...  Had 14 saves and one caused turnover in win over #2 James Madison (3/10)... Made three saves in win at William and Mary (3/6)... Had 10 saves and three ground balls in win at #10 Denver (3/2)... Had 11 saves to go along with two ground balls and one caused turnover against #16 Florida (2/24)... Tallied nine saves in home opening win over Drexel (2/21)... Posted nine saves and three ground balls in overtime win at #5 Syracuse (2/17)... Started in goal and made nine saves to only two goals allowed in a win over St. Josephs (2/9)

As a Senior in 2023: Started in all 22 games in goal ... Big Ten Goaltender of the Year for the second year in a row ... Made 186 saves to 206 goals allowed, a .474 save percentage, top-20 in the nation ... Sixth in the nation with 186 saves ... Had over a 50-percent save percentage in 11 of 22 games ... Made nine saves to only six goals allowed in NCAA First Round vs. Drexel (5/12) ...Held #23 Rutgers scoreless for the first 26 minutes of the game in Big Ten Semifinal win (5/4) ... Tallied 10 saves to only seven goals allowed in B1G Quarterfinal win over Ohio State (4/29) ... Made 13 saves against one of the best offenses in the country at #2 Northwestern (4/22), tallying a 50% save percentage ... Had a .632 save percentage (12 saves, 7 goals allowed) with a groundball and caused turnover vs. #15 Michigan (4/2) ... Matched season-high with 15 saves to only 11 goals allowed vs. #17 Princeton ... Tallied 10 saves in win at #24 Penn (3/23) ... Made nine saves to only eight goals allowed in win at #22 Rutgers (3/18) ... Made a season-high 15 saves vs Georgetown (3/15) ... Tallied seven saves to only four goals allowed vs. William & Mary (3/8) ... Made eight saves to only three goals allowed in season opening win over Saint Joseph's (2/11)

As a Junior in 2022: Started in 20 of 21 games ... Best goalie in the nation, winning IWLCA National Goaltender of the Year honors ... Honda Award Finalist ... Ranked second in the nation in save percentage at .531, totaling 169 saves to only 149 goals allowed ... Led the nation in goals against average, only allowing 7.87 per 60 minutes of play ... Had over a 50-percent save percentage in 12-of-21 games ... Had double digit saves in seven games ... Had a stretch of seven games from March 30 - April 30 where she had over a 50-percent save percentage in every game ... Recorded 24 groundballs and caused four turnovers ... Tallied eight saves to only five goals allowed, holding Florida (5/19) to their lowest goal total of all season in the NCAA Quarterfinals ... Picked up six groundballs in two game Big Ten Tournament vs. Johns Hopkins (5/6) and Rutgers (5/8) ... Finished off incredible April stretch, tallying 12 saves to only eight goals allowed to clinch Big Ten title at Michigan (4/30) en route to being named the National Player of the Week  ... Recorded career-high 16 saves in incredible performance to limit No. 2 Northwestern to only nine goals, a 64-percent save percentage to clinch Big Ten Regular Season Title ... Named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for third week in a row after 19 save week at Princeton (4/13) and Ohio State (4/17) ... Notched 13 saves to only six goals allowed vs. Penn State (4/7), a .684 save percentage ... Held Johns Hopkins (4/2) to only six goals, doubling up with 12 saves, a .667 save percentage, while picking up a season-best four groundballs ... Only allowed three goals at Georgetown (3/30) and notched six saves, a .667 save percentage ... Earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors after 10 save performance to Rutgers (3/20), holding them to a season low six goals ... Made eight saves to only seven goals allowed vs. Villanova (3/13) ... Played three quarters at William & Mary (3/5), only allowing five goals and recording nine saves ... Shut out Delaware in the first half (3/1), notching five saves.

As a Sophomore in 2021: Appeared in all 17 games with 16 starts in goal ... Totaled 129 saves and was second on the team with 36 groundballs (most by a goalie since 2007)... Played for 942:54 in goal ... Recorded a .399 save percentage ... Had seven games with eight or more saves ... Had four games with double digit saves ... Matched career-high, scooping up five groundballs in NCAA Second Round at Duke (5/16) .. Was phenomenal in first career NCAA Tournament vs. High Point (5/14), making 11 saves to only four goals allowed, a .733 save percentage, while securing two groundballs and a caused turnovers ... Recorded a career-high five groundballs and caused two turnovers, intercepting Northwestern passes in Big Ten Championship (5/2) ... Shut Johns Hopkins out in first half of Big Ten Semifinals (4/30), making four saves ... Secured four groundballs in Big Ten Quarterfinals (4/29) ...  Tallied 10 saves to only eight goals allowed, backlining a great defensive performance in 9-8 win over #20 Johns Hopkins (4/14) ...  Made 17 saves over two games at #3 Northwestern (3/27, 3/29) and picked up a career-best four groundballs in the first game ... Helped hold opponents to less than 10 goals for four games in a row (Michigan, 2/28 to Ohio State, 3/20) ... Had fantastic game vs. Ohio State (3/20), posting 12 saves to only five goals allowed, a .706 save percentage in addition to picking up three groundballs ... Tied career-high with two groundballs and made seven saves vs. Michigan (2/28) ... Posted career-best 11 saves in first career win vs. Michigan (2/26).

As a Freshman in 2020: Appeared in three games in goal with start at North Carolina (2/22) ... Tallied 13 saves over three games in 114 minutes of game time ... Posted career-high seven saves in first career start at North Carolina (2/22) ... Made two saves in collegiate debut, backlining for Maryland in the second half at George Mason (2/8).

Before Maryland: Selected as part of Inside Lacrosse's Power 100 Freshman rankings ... White Blazer Award, All- County, All- Conference, Captain, Baltimore All-America ... Played club for SkyWalkers Lacrosse ... Black and Gold Award, First Honor Roll, Al Cesky Award, Academic-Athletic Award. 

Personal: Daughter of Mark and Patti ... Has younger sister, Madison ... Chose Maryland because she  fell in love with everything about Maryland, from the coaches and team, to the campus and even the dining hall food.

STERLING'S CAREER HIGHS
Saves: 16 vs. Northwestern (4/23/22)
Groundballs: 5 (2x), last at Duke (5/16/21)