Yesterday, a pair of college programs crossed significant numerical milestones, ones which combine coaching longevity, on-field talent, and the willingness of universities to invest in the game of field hockey.
WIth a 3-0 road win yesterday at Indiana, the University of Maryland became the second Division I team to reach 800 wins as a program. And with a 3-2 win yesterday over Holy Cross, Sally Starr won her 500th career game at Boston University.
Those are some pretty amazing numbers which deserve a look-see, especially when it comes to the acumen of the head coaches — Starr at Boston University, and Missy Meharg of Maryland.
Both of these women have put decades into their craft. It is pretty dizzying to see the shifts in the college game, especially the change in sanctioning from the AIAW to the NCAA in 1982. And if you take a look at some of the early games in both Boston University’s and Maryland’s histories, you see universities like Gallaudet, Trinity, and Rhode Island which no longer offer field hockey.
You also see great successes. Meharg and Sue Tyler have brought the Terps eight national championships, while Starr has guided the Terriers to 14 NCAA Tournaments and the 1987 ECAC field hockey championship.
This, as well as foresight by their respective universities, have yielded some amazing home facilities for both of these programs — the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex in College Park, Md., and New Balance Field in Allston, Mass.
I think, however, that there are some other parallels between these two collegiate programs and their well-respected head coaches. One is the fact that Meharg and Starr, like many successful people, surround themselves with great assistants.
Starr’s assistant coach, Tracey Paul, has been at BU for two decades after her stellar scholastic career at Escondido San Pasqual (Calif.), and has been a coach for the U.S. junior national team, most recently between 2021 and 2023.
Meharg’s associate head coach is Scott Tupper, who took the Canadian men’s field hockey team to three Olympics, scoring 126 goals in 322 international appearances. Jenny Rizzo, the goalkeeping coach at Maryland, was in the U.S. women’s national team pool for the last few years.
Another commonality is that both teams have alumnae as part of their programs — Liz Ryan at Boston University, Kasey (Tapman) Asper at Maryland.
But one thing that, I think, serves as an interesting parallel is that both Starr and Meharg enjoyed significant success in other sports. Both played lacrosse at a high level — Meharg captaining the University of Delaware, and Starr playing for the U.S. women’s national side in the late 70s.
They are people who recognize the value of the well-rounded and skilled athlete, and have developed numerous players over their careers.
A hearty “Well-played!” from this corner to the Boston University and Maryland programs and their milestones.