Sports Briefs

Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics

Lacrosse Teams Net ‘Best of the Decade’ Honors

The University of Maryland’s men’s and women’s lacrosse teams scooped up recognition in Inside Lacrosse magazine’s “Best of the Decade” edition. Men’s Head Coach John Tillman and Women’s Head Coach Cathy Reese each took home Coach of the Decade honors. Also from the women’s team, decade awards went to midfielder Taylor Cummings ’16 and defender Megan Douty ’15 as well as the entire program. With Tillman at the helm since 2011, UMD accumulated a 122–38 record, went to seven Final Fours and five national title games and won the championship in 2017. Reese guided the Terps to a 215–14 record in the decade, was the quickest women’s lacrosse coach ever to 300 wins and now stands seventh all-time with 301. Last year, Reese was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Cummings, the only lacrosse player to earn the Tewaaraton Award three times, was a First Team All-American all four years and a two-time NCAA Most Outstanding Player. She now plays for the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL) Fight and is the head coach at the McDonogh School. Douty was a two-time Defender of the Year and conference Defender of the Year. She now suits up for the WPLL Command. She and Cummings won a world championship with Team USA in 2017. From 2010–19, the women’s team won five national championships and had eight Tewaaraton winners, 20 National Players of the Year and 52 All-Americans—all the most in the sport.

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Track and Field Coach Named to Team USA Staff for 2020 Olympics

A former Terp runner and current associate head coach will join Team USA for this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. Danielle Siebert ’06, entering her 12th year as a Maryland coach, was named an event manager for Team USA’s track and field, marathon and race walk Olympic squads at the Games, July 24–Aug. 9. Siebert, an accomplished alum of UMD’s cross-country and track and field teams, has guided record-breaking performances as a coach. A member of USA Track and Field, she has served on several international team staffs, most recently at the 2019 North American, Central American and Caribbean U23 championships.

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Former Terp Finishes Third in AL Rookie of the Year Voting

A Maryland baseball alum placed third in MLB’s 2019 American League Rookie of the Year voting. Brandon Lowe, a UMD infielder from 2014–15, logged 17 home runs and 51 RBIs in 82 games for the Tampa Bay Rays last season, finishing behind the Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez and the Baltimore Orioles’ John Means in award voting. As a Terp, Lowe was a .338 hitter with 10 homers and 30 doubles, helping UMD to consecutive Super Regionals. The Rays selected him in the 2015 MLB Draft, and last season, he became the first Maryland position player named to the All-Star Game since 1947.

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Women’s Soccer Makes First Appearance in Big Ten Tournament

With a 1–0 victory over Michigan State on Oct. 24, the UMD women’s soccer team qualified for the Big Ten tournament for the first time. It was the Terps’ first conference tourney appearance since 2013, their last year as members of the ACC. “They can put their name in the books forever,” said Head Coach Ray Leone. “That matters.” UMD fell to Michigan, 3–0, in the quarterfinals, but ended its historic season with its best conference finish (sixth place at 5–5–1) and first winning record (9–8–3) since 2012.