| Cathy Reese |
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Former Maryland standout Cathy Reese enters her third season at the helm of the Terrapins' women's lacrosse program after revitalizing a team hungry to return to the national forefront.
Reese continued to move Maryland in a positive direction in 2008, steering the Terps to an 18-3 record and an Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title. Once again, Reese boasted some of the top talent in the nation as senior Dana Dobbie was tabbed ACC Player of the Year in addition to being named a finalist for the Tewaarton Trophy, given annually to the nation's best player. Dobbie and fellow seniors Kelly Kasper and Lauren Cohen joined sophomore Caitlyn McFadden on the All-America team while Kasper accompanied Dobbie as a Tewaarton finalist. The Terps' 18-3 record was the best for the program since 2003 as Maryland punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 18th consecutive season.
Reese returned to her alma mater in 2007 as the head coach and guided the Terps to a 16-4 record, including a first-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference at 4-1, earning the conference's Coach of the Year award.
Maryland had bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round the previous two seasons, but Reese's Terps advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2004 and had the most wins since 2003. Included in those 16 wins were a pair against teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the country against North Carolina and Duke, respectively.
Reese's guidance produced more than just team success. Dana Dobbie was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy, given annually to the nation's best player, and was the ACC Player of the Year. In addition, Dobbie along with Becky Clipp, Kelly Kasper, and Krista Pellizzi were named All-Americans.
Reese returned to Maryland after spending her first three seasons as head coach at the University of Denver where she guided the Pioneers to their most successful season in school history in 2006. Denver finished that year with a 16-5 record and rattled off 11-straight wins over the course of 43 days. The 11-game win streak was more victories than the school had seen in an entire season as its eight wins in 2003 was the most in a season for the Pioneers prior to 2006.
For a program that saw limited success since its inception in 1999, Reese proved that she is a winner. With a 4-1 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) record, the Pioneers won its first-ever regular season championship in 2006. For her efforts, Reese was named the 2006 MPSF Coach of the Year. In addition, two of her student-athletes were also given season-ending awards as Denver sweeped the conference accolades. Kristie Leggio was tabbed the Player of the Year and Karen Morton was the Newcomer of the Year.
Leggio, Stephanie Greenlees, and Kelly O'Connell were each recognized as all-regional performers in 2006. It was the first time in program history that a Pioneer student-athlete was recognized by the IWLCA/US Lacrosse committee.
In her three seasons in the Mile High City, 11 student-athletes were named to the All-MPSF Team. Not only did her students excel on the field, but they also achieved in the classroom as Denver student-athletes were named to the Academic All-Conference team 11 times.
Prior to lifting the Denver program to national attention, Reese spent nine seasons in College Park, four as a student-athlete and five as an assistant coach. During that span, the women's lacrosse program had one of the most successful streaks seen in collegiate women's sports history. The Terps won seven national championships in her first nine years on campus. That is the third-longest streak in women's NCAA history in any sport.
When Reese first stepped foot on campus as a freshman, it was impossible to gauge how successful she and the Terps would be. Maryland did not lose in her first two seasons as a student-athlete, and it did not lose until midway through her junior campaign. In all, Reese and the Terps went 50-straight games without a loss. In her playing career, Reese guided the Terps to an incredible 75-4 record. In her first three seasons as assistant coach, the Terps went 65-1. Her total record with Maryland in her first nine seasons was 169-19. The Terps also made the NCAA quarterfinals in 2002 and advanced to the national semifinals in 2003 before Reese took the reins at Denver.
As a student-athlete from 1995-98, she was a two-time All-America selection. As a senior, she was tabbed the NCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player and was the second-leading scorer on that championship team with 58 goals and 25 assists. She finished her career with 140 goals, 77 assists, and 217 points. Her 77 assists is tied for eighth all-time at Maryland and her 217 points is 11th.
Reese graduated in 1998 with a degree in speech communications. She and her husband, Brian, have three children, Riley, who is three years old, and Brody, who was born September 24, 2006. Reese gave birth to her first girl, Cayden Elizabeth, on March 12.
Reese Notes:
• 2007 ACC Coach of the Year
• Coached 2007 ACC Player of the Year, Tewaaraton finalist, four All-Americans, and five All-ACC selections
• 2006 MPSF Coach of the Year
• Guided Denver to school-record 16 wins in 2006
• Won seven national championships at Maryland as a player and coach (1995-2003)
• 1998 NCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player
• 184-24 record as a player/coach at Maryland (1995-2003, 2007)
Reese's Career Coaching Record
| Year | School | W-L | Pct. | Conf./Finish |
Postseason |
| 2004 | Denver | 7-12 | .368 | 3-2/Third | |
| 2005 | Denver | 8-12 | .400 | 3-2/Third |
| 2006 | Denver | 16-5 | .762 | 4-1/First | MPSF Finals |
| 2007 | Maryland | 16-4 | .800 | 4-1/First | NCAA Quarterfinals |
| Total | Two Schools | 47-33 | .588 | 14-6 |
