2024 women’s college lacrosse preview: Maryland ready to return to national contention

By capturing an NCAA-record 14 national titles, members of the Maryland women’s lacrosse program understand they have set the bar for others — and themselves. It’s a responsibility they embrace.

“I think you come to the University of Maryland wanting to win a national championship,” said graduate student midfielder Shaylan Ahearn, a Woodbine native and Glenelg Country graduate. “We hold ourselves to that same high level, and that’s what we’re working towards.”

That commitment hasn’t faded even in the wake of last spring’s 15-14 loss to No. 7 seed James Madison in the NCAA Tournament second round. That early exit capped a three-year run without a national crown for the Terps, which matches their longest stretch since a similar span from 2011 to 2013.

But the 2011 and 2013 teams finished runner-up to Northwestern and North Carolina, respectively, and the 2012 squad advanced to the Final Four. While the 2022 team marched to the NCAA Tournament semifinals, Maryland was unseeded in 2021 — a season impacted by the coronavirus pandemic — and 2023.

Graduate student goalkeeper Emily Sterling said she and her teammates won’t duck the disappointment of last spring’s 15-7 record, which tied the fourth-highest number of single-season losses in program history.

“It’s not a secret that we didn’t end the season how we wanted to or even start the season how we wanted to, and we’ll be the first people to tell you that,” the Bel Air native and John Carroll graduate said. “We are very confident in knowing what we’ve done well and what we haven’t done well. So we didn’t end up where we wanted to be last year, but it’s what happened. So I think everybody is fired up going into this season.”

In a landscape in which reigning titleist Northwestern and relative newcomers Denver and Notre Dame have passed the Terps in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association preseason poll, there remains plenty of reason to be optimistic about No. 9 Maryland, which opens the season at Saint Joseph’s on Friday.

The offense returns its top 10 scorers from a year ago, including three starting attackers in senior Eloise Clevenger (26 goals and 47 assists), graduate student Libby May (62 G, 7 A) and graduate student Hannah Leubecker (40 G, 7 A) and both starting midfielders in sophomore Kori Edmondson (41 G, 6 A) and Ahearn (22 G, 16 A, 139 draw controls). And senior attackers Chrissy Thomas (22 G, 31 A), Victoria Hensh (16 G, 3 A), Kate Sites (8 G), senior midfielder Shannon Smith (18 G, 5A) and junior midfielder Jordyn Lipkin (12 G, 4 A) provided more punch off the bench.

Graduation sapped the defense of three starters, Abby Bosco (43 ground balls, 47 caused turnovers, 98 DC), Marge Donovan (24 GB, 19 CT) and Maddie Sanchez (8 GB, 6 CT). Another starter, redshirt senior defender Clancy Rheude (14 GB, 7 CT), elected to concentrate on her academics.

But coach Cathy Reese and her staff mined the transfer portal to bring in two defenders, former Rutgers graduate student Meghan Ball, last spring’s Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and former Colorado junior Sophie Halus. They are expected to join a defense anchored by graduate student Brianna Lamoureux (34 GB, 8 CT), redshirt sophomore Kennedy Major (19 GB, 10 CT) and Sterling (9.60 goals-against average, .474 save percentage).

“We are more well balanced at this point in the season than we have been in any other year,” Reese said. “I think we’re really solid defensively. I’m just really confident in our depth.”

As encouraging as the players have looked in the preseason, Reese, now in her 18th season at the helm, isn’t the type to make any declarations about her team’s fate. In fact, she revived a quote from her former coach and mentor, Cindy Timchal (now at Navy) who said, “You should expect nothing in life and be ready for anything.”

“Here at Maryland, we want to be the best team we can be,” she said. “I have been a part of a lot of Final Fours, and that’s where our coaching staff expects to be every year. At the same time, we recognize that there’s a lot of good teams out there, it takes a lot of hard work, and on any given day, anything can happen.”

That sentiment is backed by her players, many of whom are eager to rebound from last season.

“I think we’re hungry,” Sterling said. “Last year didn’t end the way any of us wanted it to, and that kind of left a bad taste in our mouth. I don’t think any of us are satisfied with what we’ve done for this program. So I think we’re really excited to get back under it and show the lacrosse world that we’re back.”

Johns Hopkins

Coach: Tim McCormack, second season

Last season: 9-9, 4-2 Big Ten

Postseason: Big Ten Tournament first round, No. 3 seed; NCAA Tournament second round, unseeded

Preseason conference poll: Third of seven teams

Starters gone (1): D Haleigh Moore (41 ground balls, 23 caused turnovers)

Starters back (11): M Ava Angello (40 goals, 13 assists), A Maeve Barker (24 G, 21 A), A Campbell Case (24 GB, 19 CT), M Bailey Cheetham (17 G, 19 A), M Georgie Gorelick (26 G, 6 A), M Abbey Hurlbrink (14 G, 11 A, 53 draw controls), M Jordan Carr (19 G, 2 A), M Annie Marshall (87 DC), D Reagan O’Brien (23 GB, 25 CT), D Paris Colgain (23, GB, 15 CT), G Maggie Tydings (11.60 goals-against average, .383 save percentage)

Season opener: Friday, Feb. 9, vs. No. 21 Albany

Skinny: The No. 14 Blue Jays welcome a trio of impact transfers in Northwestern goalkeeper Madison Doucette (11.47 GAA, .422 SV% in 2022), Boston University midfielder Jenn Barry (26 G, 21 A, 139 DC in 2023) and Cal defender Kacie Riggs (16 GB, 6 CT, 45 CT in 2023).

Loyola Maryland

Coach: Jen Adams, 16th season

Last season: 19-3, 9-0 Patriot League

Postseason: Patriot League Tournament champion, No. 1 seed; NCAA Tournament quarterfinal, No. 8 seed

Preseason conference poll: First of 10 teams

Starters gone (3): M Jillian Wilson (61 G, 19 A, 198 DC), M Meg Hillman (31 G, 8 A), D Katie Detwiler (10 GB, 17 CT, 80 DC)

Starters back (9): A Georgia Latch (45 G, 44 A), A Sydni Black (55 G, 26 A), A Emily Wills (30 G, 41 A), M Chase Boyle (56 G, 11 A), A Anna Ruby (25 G, 14 A), D Lily Osborne (17 GB, 10 CT), D Logan Olmstead (9 GB, 16 CT), D Cydney Lisk (17 GB, 5 CT), G Lauren Spence (7.18 goals-against average, .520 save percentage)

Season opener: Saturday, Feb. 10, vs. No. 10 Florida

Skinny: The No. 8 Greyhounds welcome back midfielder Catie Corolla (19 G, 2 A in 2022) from a torn ACL but must replace the duo of Wilson and Detwiler, who combined to win 72.8% of the team’s draw controls (278 of 382).

Mount St. Mary’s

Coach: Lauren Skellchock, 10th season

Last season: 4-13, 3-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Postseason: MAAC Tournament quarterfinal, No. 6 seed

Preseason conference poll: N/A

Starters gone (8): A Erin Anderson (21 G, 24 A), A Abby Osmeyer (33 G, 6 A), M Dani Donoghue (32 G, 5 A), A Julianna Sanchez (24 G, 4 A), M Abigail Zeigenfuse (40 GB, 21 CT, 32 DC), D Margaret Lonergan (33 GB, 32 CT), D Sophia Culmone (18 GB, 15 CT), G Madison Bradley (11.17 GAA, .452 SV%)

Starters back (4): M Anna Salerno (20 G, 2 A), A Mackenzi Furlong (8 G, 11 A), M Madison Harmening (4 G, 6 A), M Addison Malone (17 GB, 6 CT)

Season opener: Saturday, Feb. 10, vs. Towson

Skinny: The goalkeeper competition involves junior Delaney LaRose, freshman Camille Thomas and sophomores Kaitlin Price and Ashlyn Watkins, a transfer who went 2-2 last spring at Bryant.

Navy

Coach: Cindy Timchal, 16th season

Last season: 13-6, 6-3 Patriot League

Postseason: Patriot League Tournament semifinals, No. 3 seed

Preseason conference poll: Third of 10 teams

Starters gone (3): A Charlotte Ryan (27 G, 10 A), D Athena Corroon (48 GB, 30 CT), D Erin Carson (13 GB, 17 CT)

Starters back (9): M Ava Yovino (42 G, 50 A, 51 DC), M Emily Messinese (49 G, 12 A, 62 DC), M Maggie DeFabio (33 G, 12 A), A Lola Leone (30 G, 2 A), M Alyssa Daley (77 DC), D Katie Golbranson (18 GB, 18 CT), D Grace Peterson (37 GB, 11 CT), D Megan Marengo (14 GB, 3 CT), G Emma Richardell (10.29 GAA, .408 SV%)

Season opener: Friday, Feb. 9, vs. No. 24 Duke

Skinny: Despite only seven starts among 19 games last spring, Leelee Denton totaled 40 goals and five assists in her return to anchor the attack unit for the No. 25 Midshipmen.

Towson

Coach: Kristen Carr, first season

Last season: 11-7, 5-2 Coastal Athletic Association

Postseason: Coastal Athletic Association Tournament final, No. 2 seed

Preseason conference poll: Third of nine teams

Starters gone (4): M Blair Pearre (43 G, 8 A, 51 DC), A Gabby Garrett (20 G, 21 A), M Olivia Malamphy (23 GB, 25 CT), D Samantha Intrieri (21 GB, 5 CT)

Starters back (8): M Milana Zizakovic (41 G, 15 A, 57 DC), M Lindsey Marshall (45 G, 8 A, 72 DC), A Lindsay Clarke (21 G, 19 A), M Ocea Leavy (11 GB, 2 CT), D Blair Goodrich (34 GB, 31 CT), D Shannon Sullivan (33 GB, 16 CT), D Paiton Abbott (16 GB, 10 CT), G Jo Torres (11.19 GAA, .435 SV%)

Season opener: Saturday, Feb. 10, vs. Mount St. Mary’s

Skinny: How the Tigers fare under a new voice for the first time in 14 years in Carr, a former Johns Hopkins assistant coach, will be a storyline to watch in a conference that includes NCAA Tournament second-round finisher Stony Brook, Drexel and Delaware.

UMBC

Coach: Amy Slade, 11th season

Last season: 8-6, 2-4 America East

Postseason: None

Preseason conference poll: Sixth of seven teams

Starters gone (6): A Claire Bockstie (47 G, 21 A), A Lauren Cremen (33 G, 7 A), M Megan Halczuk (23 G, 5 A), A Dymin Gerow (19 G, 9 A), M Jenna McDermott (14 G, 3 A), D Sara DeLeon (17 GB, 14 CT)

Starters back (6): A Kolby Weedon (27 G, 4 A), D Avery Corino (20 GB, 14 CT), D Kennedy Evans (24 GB, 31 CT), D Lauren Conduitt (19 GB, 9 CT), D Ellie Lawton (17 GB, 10 CT), G Isabella Fontana (11.34 GAA, .452 SV%)

Season opener: Saturday, Feb. 10, vs. Delaware State

Skinny: Repeating last spring’s offense that ranked second in the America East in scoring (13.9 goals per game) will rely on whether the Retrievers can replace about 70% of the production lost by the departures of Bockstie, Cremen, Halczuk, Gerow and McDermott.