Maryland field hockey head coach Missy Meharg is itching for a trophy.
It’s been three years since Maryland field hockey raised the Big Ten Championship trophy above its heads, and almost 14 since it got its hands on the national title. After falling to Michigan in the Big Ten semifinals and to Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, the Terps are sure to be back with a vengeance.
With a combination of reliable returners and promising newcomers, Meharg has assembled a team of phenoms
with an incredible opportunity to raise those trophies once again.
Key losses
The absence of a few key players from 2024 is bound to be felt by Terps fans and former teammates alike.
Hope Rose was the Terps’ leading scorer last season. She had a 73.5% shots-on-goal percentage, 12 goals, two assists and three game-winning scores. Rose was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2021. She was also named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic Region team all four years of her career, and was on the NFHCA national senior team in 2024.
Defender Rayne Wright was anchor on Maryland’s defense, starting in 98 of the 102 games she played in. In 2023, Wright was named a captain, achieved All-Big Ten first team honors, NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Region team honors and was a member of the 2023 U.S. U21 Women’s National Team. In her last season as a Terp, she was named second-team All-Big Ten.
Returners to watch
Though the Terps lost a lot of talent in graduating seniors and fifth-years from last season, plenty of returners showed they have the skill to shoulder the responsibility of leading them into a successful 2025 season.
Forward Ella Gaitan made a huge impact on offense last season and will look to do the same in her sophomore season. Before becoming a Terp, Gaitan competed on the 2023 U.S. U18 Women’s National Team and played on the U21 team in 2024. After her freshman campaign, she was named to the 2024 Big Ten All-Freshman team and second team All-Big Ten. Gaitan closed last season with three assists and nine goals, a third of which were game-winners.
Alyssa Klebasko manned the Terps’ net for 1,135 minutes last season and isn’t stepping out any time soon. Klebasko was granted second team All-Big Ten and All-Tournament team honors in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, Klebasko joined the U.S. U18 Women’s National Team and was on the U21 team earlier this year. In her two seasons as a Terp, the sophomore goalkeeper has faced 351 shots, stopping 147 of them.
Junior Josie Hollamon will serve as a team co-captain for the 2025 season. The defender was named 2024 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, 2024 All-Big Ten first team honoree, and 2024 NFHCA All-Mid Atlantic Region first team member. In 2023, she played on the U.S. U21 Women’s National Team and is currently a member of the 2025 U.S. Women’s National Team. Last season, Hollamon racked up six assists — the most on the team — along with five goals, one of which was a game-winner.
Senior Ericka Morris-Adams will join Hollamon as a co-captain for this season. During her freshman season in 2022, Morris-Adams was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Last season, Morris-Adams started and played in every game for a total of 1,037 minutes. The defender had one assist and was one of two players last year to record a defensive save.
Newcomers
Meharg and her staff made huge strides in the offseason, recruiting some of the best talent the class of 2025 had to offer.
Midfielder/defender Jordyn Hollamon, the younger sister of captain Josie Hollamon, has some large shoes to fill but has proved she has talent to do so. She has already accumulated a laundry-list of titles, including 2023-24 Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year, 2023-24 Division II Delaware Player of the Year, 2024 USA TODAY Field Hockey Player of the Year and 2025 Delaware Female Athlete of the Year. As a high school senior, Hollamon scored 61 goals and 12 assists.
Ella Fehr is entering her first season as a Terp after transferring from VCU. In 2024, Fehr was named to the All Atlantic-10 second team and rookie team, and was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week twice. The midfielder scored nine goals last season, had one assist and maintained a shots-on-goal percentage of 55.8%.
Ryleigh Osborne has potential to be a strong option in goal for the Terps this season. Entering her freshman year, Osborne was named to the 2024 Anne Arundel All-County first team, 2024 NFHCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region first team, and the All-Met first teams in the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post.
Looking ahead
The NFHCA ranked Maryland field hockey at No. 5 at the end of last season. Preseason rankings for the 2025 season will be released on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
The Terps will begin regular season play with two matches in the Conference Cup. They face Stanford on Aug. 29 at 12 p.m and Villanova on Aug. 31 at 2 p.m. After the Conference Cup concludes, they’ll appear in the Big Ten/ACC Championship. There, Maryland will rematch against Duke, who knocked it out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Conference play will begin at home against Penn State on Sept. 19, followed by another high-stakes matchup against Michigan on Sept. 26. The Wolverines defeated the Terps in an overtime shootout in the Big Ten semifinal last season.
