No. 7 Maryland women’s lacrosse was solid last season, falling in the second round of the NCAA tournament. 

Heading into 2026, the Terps look to continue their steady winning record and make it back to the NCAA tournament for the 36th consecutive season.

Maryland was three games away from a chance at the NCAA finals. It hasn’t won an NCAA Championship since 2019, but has chipped away at the tournament’s several rounds ever since.

The Terps fell to Penn in double overtime in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Maryland led for two quarters but lost it in the fourth. 

Maryland had a 15-6 record last season and was 7-1 in Big Ten play. It also fell to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament final, surrendering the game-winning goal in the final 15 seconds to lose, 8-7.

“As a unit, we want to communicate very well. We want to keep on focusing on that communication piece, because when that comes together, nobody’s going to score against us,” Kennedy Major said.

The returners

Most of Maryland’s starting lineup will return to College Park in 2026. Impact graduate student midfielder and captain Jordyn Lipkin was third in points for the Terps last season and will have a strong leadership role this season. 

In addition to Lipkin, Maryland kept two key midfielders — sophomore Kayla Gilmore and senior captain Kori Edmondson.

Edmondson received a plethora of accolades last season. She was Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, USA Lacrosse Magazine First Team All-American, Inside Lacrosse First Team All-American and All-Big Ten First Team. She led the Terps with 59 goals and 14 assists last season and will look to exceed expectations in her senior year at Maryland.

Annabella Schafer, Maddy Sterling, Neve O’Ferrall, Fallon George and Major will anchor Maryland’s defense once again this season. 

O’Ferrall, Sterling and Schafer stand out on defense. They were all key starters from last season and were strong on ground balls and forced turnovers. O’Ferrall had 34 ground balls and 30 turnovers. Sterling had 10 ground balls and 19 turnovers. Schafer recorded 24 ground balls and 17 turnovers.  

Maryland will remain consistent in net with JJ Suriano returning for her junior season as the Terps’ starter. She made 180 saves across 21 games with a 49% save percentage. 

The newcomers

This season, the Terps will look to mesh new additions to strengthen their roster after some graduations and transfers. 

Maryland lost 11 players from last season’s roster, five graduated and left major holes in the lineup. Attacker Hailey Russo, defender Sophie Halus, goalie Caroline Smith, starting attacker Chrissy Thomas and attacker Kate Sites left key holes for head coach Cathy Reese to fill. 

Maryland’s other six departures left via the transfer portal. Three outgoing transfers went to Florida State and the rest found homes at other nearby programs. 

The Terps replenished their roster through their freshman class and some key pieces from the transfer portal. 

Through the portal, Maryland lost Avery Bickell to James Madison, but brought in senior goalie Caitlin Boden from the Dukes. 

The Terps also added graduate attackers Kristen Shanahan from Notre Dame and Keeley Block from Penn.

Maryland added nine freshmen for 2026 — five ranked in Inside Lacrosse’s top 100 recruits. 

The Terps brought in two freshman attackers: Tatum Woods and Ava Meyn. It also added defenders Sofia Herrera and Lyla Ingrilli and a class of five midfielders: Sawyer Scarola, Ryan Reynolds, Leah Miller, Catie Holmes and Kylie Lamoureux.

Meyn was Maryland’s only top-10 recruit. She was the 2025 USA Lacrosse Northeast Player of the Year. The two-time All-American finished her high school career with 174 goals, 68 assists and 278 draw controls.

“We’ll see Ava Meyn contribute on the offensive end for us, Lyla Ingrilli on the defensive end, Leah Miller on the draw, Kylie Lamoureux on the midfield,” Reese said. We’ve got some people that are going to see some time, pretty early as a freshman, which is tough to do.”

Alongside Ingrilli on defense, Herrera was a top-50 recruit, according to Inside Lacrosse. Herrera tallied 45 ground balls, 45 draw controls and five goals in her senior season.

“A lot of encouragement on our end,” Major said. “Having these players step up, they have to let the people behind them believe in them.”

With the combination of new and returning,  how they click will be important to their success this season.