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• Meharg's Coaching Record Head coach Missy Meharg has dedicated 21 years to the Maryland field hockey program, building a program rich with a winning tradition. Voted National Coach of the Year an unprecedented seven times, Meharg has exemplified the tradition of excellence Maryland field hockey has become known for, a program with six National Championships and seven ACC Championships - solidifying the Terrapins' position among the top programs in the nation. During Meharg's extraordinary tenure at Maryland, the Terps have claimed five NCAA National Championships, including three in the past four years, and all seven of the school's ACC crowns. Perhaps even more staggering is that every one of Meharg's recruiting classes have made at least one NCAA Semifinals appearance and her last 19 classes, in 21 years of coaching, have all had the opportunity to play for a national title. With a firm grasp on the national top five for at least a decade, the team has reached the national semifinals 11 times, including four years in a row from 2003-06, a first for the program. Maryland has also advanced to the national championship game seven times under the legendary coach. Competing in the toughest conference in the nation, Meharg has also mentored the Terps to seven ACC Tournament titles and six regular season crowns. Her teams have also won 20 games in seven seasons, including four in the last six years. Despite all the successes, Meharg has not slowed in her efforts to lure top talent to College Park and mentor them to success. Her players have garnered four Honda Awards, presented to the nation's most outstanding player, 78 All-Americans, 10 ACC Players of the Year, six ACC Rookies of the Year, nine ACC Tournament MVP's, 76 All-ACC performers and over 100 National Academic Squad honorees. Meharg has developed 40 Terrapins who have reached the highest level of field hockey, with 40 players competing internationally, including five players who are members of the 2008 U.S. National Team. Meharg can be described as a leader, a motivator and a mentor. Her seven National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Coach of the Year citations are unmatched by any coach in the country. She became the winningest coach at Maryland in 1998, surpassing her mentor Sue Tyler's 153 victories. With her fifth victory of 2008, she reached 350 career wins, ranking her among the top 10 winningest coaches in NCAA history across all divisions. Accolades have come in the form of seven NFHCA Coach of the Year awards (1991, 1993, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2008), four ACC Coach of the Year honors (1992, 1995, 1998, 2001) and 12 Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year citations. Meharg captured her 300th-career win on the day the Terps defeated Wake Forest for the program's sixth conference title in College Park and is one of six Division I head coaches to win over 300 games. Though Meharg's numbers are extraordinary, her leadership is much more. An educator through sport, she recognizes the ability of athletic competition to teach life lessons. The mentor emphasizes the characteristics of sports that can be used as a vehicle to develop a meaningful life. "Establishing a hard-working, compassionate environment which assists to teach women in `becoming' confident female leaders through their roles as a member of the Maryland field hockey team," says Meharg. "Coaching with enthusiasm, building a community and establishing a mindset of service models the ultimate success." During her tenure at Maryland, she has been involved in all facets of collegiate field hockey. She currently serves on the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Advisory Committee. In 1996, Meharg served as an assistant coach as former Terp All-American Kate Kauffman-Beach and the U.S. squad competed in the Olympic Games in Atlanta. The Terps have been represented in the Olympics, the Pan American Games, the World Cup, the Olympic Qualifying Tournament and a number of other international competitions. Four Terrapins mentored by Meharg represented the United States at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, including veteran national team members Keli Smith, Dina Rizzo and Lauren Powley, while Sarah Silvetti was named an alternate. Meharg was an assistant on the 1994 national team that won a bronze medal at the World Cup. Terrapins have also represented several countries in international competitions, including two-time Honda Award winner Paula Infante, who is a member of the Chilean National Team. Meharg is an accomplished and experienced coach on the international stage. She was a member of the U.S. National Team's coaching staff from 1993-1997, which included her appearance in the 1996 Olympics, the 1994 World Cup in Dublin, Ireland, and the 1995 Pan American Games in Argentina. In 1994 and 1995, she served as the head coach for the U.S. Under-21 team. After a hiatus, she returned to the U.S. Field Hockey elite level program in 2004, coaching on both the senior and junior national team selection programs. She was named head coach of the Maryland High Performance Center, establishing the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex as an east coast national training site. She currently serves as general manager of the Thundersticks, which won the USFHA National Championship in 2006. During her career, Meharg has been extensively involved with teaching in the U.S. Field Hockey Association Coaching Certification Program. She is among an elite group who received Level III certification in December 2007, the USFHA's highest coaching accreditation and the first of its kind. She has completed several other certification programs which are directed by the Federation of International Hockey (F.I.H.). Meharg enjoyed doing color commentary work for television and has worked a variety of sports, including field hockey. She has completed seven instructional field hockey coaching videos with Championship Productions. Meharg's collegiate playing career was nearly as successful as her coaching career is now. She was an All-America forward at the University of Delaware, where she also played lacrosse, from 1981-85. Meharg was a Honda Award nominee in field hockey in 1983, the same year she was named MVP of the East Coast Conference after leading her team in goals, assists and points. The Blue Hen hockey team reached the NCAA Championship semifinal round when she was a sophomore in 1982, and Meharg's lacrosse squad won the national championship the following spring. Meharg enjoyed an impressive seven-year playing career with the U.S. National Team from 1985-91. During that time, she was a member of the 1986 World Cup team and an alternate to the 1987 Pan American and 1988 Olympic teams. She capped her playing career as a member of the 1991 Pan American team and the 1991 U.S. squad that unfortunately missed qualifying for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Meharg earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Delaware in 1985 and her master's degree in sports psychology from Maryland in 1989. She is the mother of two sons: 17-year old Andre, who is a high school senior and plays lacrosse at a boarding school, and 16-year old Genya, a sophomore at Severna Park High School and a member of the school's soccer and tennis teams.
NCAA Second Round
The Meharg Field Hockey Legacy at Maryland Team Accolades Player Accolades Welsh, Infante & Rowe Win Honda Award |
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