Courting Sustained Success

Eight All-Americans. Eighteen WNBA draft selections. Twenty-two conference titles, six Final Fours and one national championship. That resume is impressive enough on its own, but now, the Maryland women’s basketball program can add a new stat: 50 seasons.

Since women’s basketball became a recognized varsity sport in 1971, the Terps have turned in a half-century of high-achieving hoops, with Dottie McKnight, Chris Weller and current Head Coach Brenda Frese combining to lead UMD to a remarkable 43 winning seasons.

“At Maryland, you really can have it all,” Frese said. “Great academics, great basketball, great location and great people equal a phenomenal experience. You don’t have to settle for just some of those.”

As the team marks this year’s milestone, tipping off its season vs. Davidson at 2:30 p.m. Friday at the #BeachBubble event in Estero, Fla., fans share their favorite moments that inspired Maryland pride:

• “1992, Maryland vs. Virginia. I was teaching in Washington County, Md. I drove to Cole Field House to purchase a ticket. The line was already backed up beyond the parking area—hundreds of people. I elbowed and worked my way into the building. The ushers were making announcements that the game was sold out. As I turned to leave, a woman walked up to me asking if I needed a ticket. ‘YES!’ She gave me one, I got it scanned, found a seat and WHAT A GAME!”
  - Anita Kay, Hagerstown, Md.
   
• “My interest in women’s basketball derives from growing up in West Texas, where girls’ high school interscholastic basketball has been played since 1950, and from my undergraduate college, Texas Tech, which won the NCAA championship in 1993. When my daughter began her studies at Maryland in 2013, I became a season-ticket holder. I'm pleased to support the program, which I regard as one of the highest quality in the country.”
  - Stanley Myles, Gaithersburg, Md.
   
• “I was a freshman at UMD in 1971, and while thinking the women’s basketball then was kind of a joke, I have come to love and deeply respect the women Terps. My favorite memory is Kristi Toliver hitting that three-pointer over Duke’s Alison Bales in the ‘06 NCAA championship. It was a dagger!”
  - John G. Stock III, Ellicott City, Md.

See more about the anniversary celebration at umterps.com/Terps50, and scroll through additional program highlights in the gallery below: