Missy Meharg Has Masterminded Maryland’s Field Hockey Team For Four Decades

The University of Maryland has had some legendary coaches including Gary Williams, Lefty Driesell, Brenda Frese and Cathy Reese. However, Severna Park resident and field hockey head coach Missy Meharg has totaled more victories than any other coach in Maryland’s athletic history.

Meharg began as an assistant coach in 1985 and was named head coach in 1988. Since then, she has amassed nearly 700 victories, seven national championships and 28 conference championships.

Maryland field hockey’s longtime leader has also been named NCAA National Coach of the Year nine times and has been inducted into four halls of fame.

To achieve this status, Meharg has recruited talented players internationally, nationally and regionally, including numerous athletes from Anne Arundel County. Currently, Meharg has players from Broadneck, Archbishop Spalding and Crofton high schools on the roster.

“Coaching takes a lot of dedication and energy to the role, which is well beyond the X’s and O’s of the game,” said Broadneck field hockey coach Shannon Hanratty. “Missy’s enthusiasm for the world of field hockey hasn’t ever missed a beat, which, I feel, contributes to her longevity and success as the leader of the Terps.”

Before leading Maryland’s field hockey program, Meharg was a four-year standout at the University of Delaware, where she was named All-American in both field hockey and lacrosse. She was also a co-captain in each sport as well as being a two-time conference player of the year in field hockey.

After graduating from Delaware, Meharg was hired as Maryland’s assistant coach and became the Terps’ head coach at the age of 24.

Since then, Meharg has had 73 All-American field hockey players and 12 players compete on the United States Olympic team.

Meharg’s oasis from the rigors of coaching and battling the Capital Beltway is coming home to Severna Park and enjoying its iconic scenery.

“Severna Park is a great, great town,” Meharg said with a smile. “I have lived in Severna Park for 22 years and love the river and its calming and peaceful feeling it provides.”

In addition to being a sanctuary of stress relief for Meharg, Severna Park allows her to stay connected to area coaches and club teams in the region.

“The field hockey played in Anne Arundel County is exceedingly strong, and in addition to the high school programs, the area’s club teams are great as well,” Meharg said.

Recruiting new players from the central Maryland region is paramount to Meharg’s success as she promotes the advantages of representing a university that enables family and friends to watch the players’ collegiate careers.

Held every summer, field hockey camps are part of Meharg’s recruiting efforts. The camps expose young players to Maryland’s field hockey facilities, teach them new skills, and allow them to get to know the coaches.

“I’ve worked the Maryland camp for two summers and working with Missy and her staff is always an enjoyable experience,” Hanratty said. “There is so much passion and joy surrounding the game on their campus and it’s awesome to be part of it.”

Though her summers are filled with recruiting and camps, Meharg takes time to get in some rounds of golf at Chartwell Golf and Country Club and frequent local restaurants.

“Missy is always a pleasure to be around,” said Chartwell head golf professional Rob Agresti. “She always has a smile on her face and impacts people in a positive way.”

Meharg calls Severna Park a “sacred place” and relishes the history of Severna Park and heritage of families.

As Meharg’s brief offseason window is ending, she’s preparing for next season. This past season, she had 11 freshmen on the squad including Broadneck’s Faith Everett, Spalding’s Skylar Gilman and Crofton’s Ryleigh Osborne.

“I’m super excited for next year with all the young players improving from their first year,” Meharg said. “We had seven first-year players accumulating 35 minutes or more per game this year.”

Meharg hopes to return to the NCAA field hockey tournament next year as this year was the first time since 1994 that the Terps did not qualify for the tournament. Maryland finished with a record of 10-8.