NCAA Women's Lacrosse Preview: No. 10 Maryland's Youth Movement

USA Lacrosse Magazine is beginning its countdown to the 2025 women's lacrosse season by releasing one team preview per day beginning on Monday, Jan. 13.

We continue the countdown with No. 10 Maryland, which will lean on a young midfield anchored by veteran Kori Edmondson.

Sustained success is in the water in College Park. Fourteen Division I women’s lacrosse national championships come with expectations, and Maryland almost always meets them.

A new crop of Terrapins will be tasked with carrying the torch in 2025. Yes, Kori Edmondson returns as a junior coming off a gold medal in Hong Kong, China, with the U.S. U20 National Team, and yes, Kennedy Major is one of the top defenders in the Big Ten. But make no mistake, Maryland is going to look younger than it has in awhile in 2025.

“We’ve got a renewed energy,” head coach Cathy Reese said.

Many eyes will be on Edmondson. She checked in as the No. 17 women’s player in the nation, according to Inside Lacrosse, and earned USA Lacrosse second-team preseason All-American honors. She deposited 38 goals a year ago and is the leading scorer returning.

“We’re looking to her, as well as the other captains, to step up in a leadership role this year,” Reese said. “But leading doesn’t mean doing it all yourself. It means bringing out the best from the people around it.”

Edmondson will be more of a true midfielder this season after being used as an offensive-first player in spurts last year. She’ll spearhead what Reese hopes is an electric transition game. Reese wants to lean into the youth, energy and speed to play an exciting, up-and-down style.

“That’s what we’re more looking at this year with our freshmen class and with Kori returning,” Reese said. “We’re really focused on transition, speed and middies that can play both ends of the field. We’ve gotten away from that a little bit, so just getting back to it.”

TOP RETURNERS

Kori Edmondson, M, Jr. (38G, 11GB, 5CT)
Kennedy Major, D, R-Jr. (20GB, 14CT)
Chrissy Thomas, A, Gr. (18G, 27A)
Neve O’Ferrall, D, Jr. (19GB, 7CT)
Sophie Halus, D, Sr. (23GB, 7CT)

“These guys are stepping up and leading the way,” Reese said while referencing the newness of the roster and inevitably the starting lineup. These five returners are really the only ones coming back with game experience because of the massive crop of graduate students and seniors Maryland benefited from a year ago.

KEY ADDITIONS

Kayla Gilmore, M, Fr. (William Floyd High School, N.Y.)
Devin Livingston, M, Fr. (Victor High School, N.Y.)
Emma Abbazia, M, Fr. (Greenwich High School, N.Y.)
Lydia Ward, D, Fr. (John Carroll High School, Md.)
Shelby Sullivan, A, Fr. (C. Milton Wright High School, Md.)

Reese isn’t expecting freshmen to carve out starting roles early on, but she does expect many of them to contribute up and down the field. The midfield figures to be especially young, with Abbazia, Gilmore and Livingston honing their skills under Edmondson.

NOTABLE DEPARTURES

Graduations: Eloise Clevenger, A; Hannah Leubecker, A; Libby May, A; Victoria Hensh, A; Shaylan Ahearn, M; Meghan Ball, D; Brianna Lamoureux, D; Aiden Peduzzi, D, Emily Sterling, G
Transfers: Jaylen Rosga, M (Northwestern)

X-FACTOR

JJ Suriano, G, So. (redshirted in 2024)

Reese is hoping to pass the goalie torch from one All-American to a potential future one.

“[Suriano] took a redshirt year last year, so it was really cool for her to watch and learn from Emily Sterling, but also just to see the college game and the pace of it,” Reese said. “JJ is such an eager and active goalie. She loves what she does. She’s not afraid of anything.”

THE NARRATIVE

Continuity in a coaching staff is important, and to think otherwise would minimize the impact of assistants and volunteers. The Maryland coaching staff has stayed intact for years, with Reese leading a group that included Lauri Kenis (on staff in 2004-05 and every year since 2007) and Caitlyn Phipps (on staff from 2012-24).

But Phipps left during the summer to take the Georgetown job vacated by the retirement of Ricky Fried. Fittingly, Reese stayed in the Terp family to replace her with Alex Aust Holman, a 2013 Maryland grad who was a volunteer in 2023-24 and will now serve as offensive coordinator.

“It is definitely different in the way that Caitlyn had been an assistant here for a long time,” Reese said. “Alex is a 2013 graduate of Maryland and loves the university and knows how the program works. It really isn’t a totally new face in the mix. It’s just a different role. She’ll embrace a new role and lead the offense.”

Kenis is back to continue leading the defense, and Nadine Hadnagy (a three-time national champion at Maryland) is also on staff as an assistant and director of operations.

Ultimately, Reese said, it’s all about the players. But it’s nice to have familiar faces on staff to develop the 11 freshmen and a couple redshirts Maryland will welcome into the fray this spring.