Megan Whittle is used to leading by example.
The Terrapin’s women’s lacrosse attacker started 21 games for coach Cathy Reese’s squad as a freshman. She led the team with 67 goals and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week six times.
She made vital contributions against North Carolina on Saturday, too, as she led the team with four goals. The last of which came with three minutes to go when Whittle split two defenders and scored the game-winning goal in the Terps’ 8-7 win.
Whittle has produced consistently through the first three games of the season, yet she is still adjusting to a new role. The Terps graduated 11 seniors last spring, and as a result, Whittle has been tasked with becoming a leader in her sophomore campaign.
“It’s really easy on a team where we’re all really close and work well together on and off the field,” Whittle said. “I have a little bit of a different role. It definitely helps having last year under my belt.”
With 10 freshmen coming in, Whittle is no longer one of the youngest players. And early on, Reese challenged the team’s youth.
“You can’t wait for [midfielders] Taylor [Cummings] or Zoe [Stukenberg] or Megan Whittle to do something,” Reese said on Feb. 5. “You need to step up and make a difference.”
Helping acclimate the first-year players wasn’t something Whittle had to worry about in her first season.
“Last year, it was about having all of these seniors come back and welcome me into the group,” Whittle said. “They allowed me to just play well and go out there and do what I could.”
Not only has Whittle combined to score a team-high 11 goals in victories over William & Mary, Georgetown and North Carolina, she also helped the Terps implement several new faces on the attack.
Freshmen midfielders Caroline Steele and Jen Giles have also contributed offensively, combining for eight of the Terps’ 45 goals.
Whittle wants everyone to be involved with the game, but she has focused specifically on helping the freshmen improve.
“I’m letting them know it’s okay to play big and it’s okay to take opportunities, because that’s what everybody was telling me my first year,” Whittle said. “I’m just making sure everyone is comfortable and that everyone is getting their looks.”
The first-year players have encouraged the veterans, too.
“There’s been years in the past where [playing] felt a bit like a job and you kind of lost a little of the passion that we’ve had,” said Cummings, one of four captains on the 2016 squad. “This year, we have so many young people who love to play. I think that’s kind of inspiring.”
Whittle, like Cummings, was one of four Terps to be named to the Tewaaraton Award watch list. The Glenwood native said she was honored to be a candidate but added she’s concerned with accomplishing the team’s goal of capturing a third-straight national title.
After their game Saturday against Hofstra, the Terps will play three consecutive ranked opponents, all on the road. As it did against North Carolina, the team will likely need Whittle’s scoring prowess and leadership on the field.
