Maryland spring sports storylines to watch

Maryland basketball season is over, meaning it’s time to focus on the spring sports season. Maryland has one of the most well-rounded athletic departments in the country, with multiple teams usually contending for a national title at any given time. This season’s no different, and there’s something to like — however big or small — on every team.

Here’s a storyline for each program as conference play starts for most teams:

Can Maryland women’s lacrosse pull off what it came a game away from doing last year?

Daniel Chavkin: The women’s lacrosse team is 9-0, the only team yet to lose in the country. Now the Terps will try to do what they couldn’t last season, when they lost both the national championship and the undefeated season in their final game. The Terps are top-10 in the country in scoring offense and scoring defense and are lead by sophomore goalkeeper Megan Taylor, who has the best save percentage in the country. Cathy Reese has her team at the top of the sport once again, looking for her fourth championship in eight years.

Will Matt Rambo become Maryland men’s lacrosse’s all-time leading goal and points scorer?

Alex Littlehales: By season’s end, senior attack Matt Rambo could cement his legacy as Maryland’s greatest offensive player ever. Through the Terps’ first seven games, Rambo has tallied 17 goals to move into sole possession of fourth on Maryland’s all-time goals leaderboard. With 130 career goals and counting, Rambo needs just 24 to surpass Joe Walters as Maryland’s all-time leading goal scorer. He also reached the 200-point mark against North Carolina this weekend, becoming the fifth player in program history to ever do so, and needs 30 more points to move into first all-time.

Rambo’s record depends heavily on the length of Maryland’s season. If the Terps contend for the Big Ten title and make a deep tournament run to a third straight NCAA Championship game, Rambo will have as many as six extra postseason games to work with. He’s averaging four points with two goals per contest, and can certainly accomplish this feat by season’s end.

Is Maryland baseball a top-tier program, or was the team’s recent success just catching lightning in a bottle?

Andrew Kramer: The Terps made it to the NCAA Super Regional round in 2014 and 2015. It’s been suggested that perhaps the specific cadre of players on those teams were a one-off, and that the Terps won’t be dancing regularly. That opinion was amplified when Maryland failed to make the NCAA Tournament in 2016. Yet this year they were the consensus pick to win the Big Ten, and have started 15-8. So will Maryland put the doubters to rest by making it to the NCAA Tournament as well as winning the Big Ten?

Freshman Anna Kufta may become face of Maryland softball.

Bryan Jones: The softball team has had a rough start to its season, starting 7-23-1. Despite the record, fans should be optimistic about the Terps’ future. The face of the program may soon be freshman Anna Kufta. Not only is she leading the team with three home runs, but she is also hitting .311 and slugging .538. Kufta is also learning a new position as she was moved from third base to shortstop, a position she has never played before.

After the best start in program history, how will Maryland tennis respond from back-to-back losses?

Thomas Kendziora: The Terps got off to the best start in program history at 11-1, but dropped consecutive matches at Northwestern and Illinois this weekend to start conference play 0-2. They’ve got road matchups with Penn State and Ohio State this Friday and Sunday before playing their last five Big Ten matchups at home. Maryland started the year 6-0 on the road, but could put itself in a hole early in the conference season if it’s not careful.

How will Micha Powell finish out her Maryland track career?

Ryan Connors: Powell gained some considerable fame last year after going to the Rio Olympics, and is the best Maryland track has to offer. She was only 0.04 seconds off her indoor personal record in the 400 meters this winter, established a new indoor PR in the 200 and was named a Second Team All-American. Powell finished ninth in the 400 at the NCAA indoor national championships. She’ll be out looking to better that finish and break her own school record in the 400 this spring.