Maryland men’s lacrosse attackmen Dylan Maltz, Matt Rambo and Colin Heacock call themselves “Run DMC,” a moniker based on the first letters of their names and honoring the ’80s hip-hop group.
The standout seniors have become close friends since Maltz transferred to the program for the 2015 season, and their 264 combined goals rank first nationally among active three-player units.
But while Rambo and Heacock have garnered widespread attention for their stellar play and humorous antics, Maltz, with his calmer disposition, has not received the same spotlight.
“[Rambo and Heacock] are two personalities that a lot of times everybody notices when they’re in the room,” coach John Tillman said. “[Maltz] has a different personality … He just goes about his business and he kind of does it quietly at times.”
This season, Maltz ranks second on Maryland with 14 goals and is tied for sixth in the nation with a 51.9 shooting percentage. Last weekend in a 15-7 win over North Carolina, he registered his third hat trick of the campaign.
So, even though he is “not as loud or in your face” as Rambo or Heacock, according to goalkeeper Dan Morris, Maltz’s teammates appreciate him.
“He’s huge,” Morris said. “He balances out our attack really well. He just takes smart shots he knows he can [make], so he helps us out a lot.”
Still, greater public interest is shown to Rambo and Heacock, players Maltz described as “goofballs” who are always laughing and teasing one another.
In an ESPN video segment earlier this season, a reporter drove Heacock and Rambo around College Park for an interview that was shared online and featured on the TV broadcast of Maryland vs. Notre Dame. Maltz did not appear in the production.
But as Rambo and Heacock prank each other, trash talk in practice and rack up stories about their friendship, Maltz relishes his role as the team’s mild-mannered sharpshooter. Though his attacking partners have registered more points than him this year, his shooting percentage is more than 15 percent age points higher than the veterans.
Morris believes Maltz’s accuracy comes from an eagerness to ask questions. When Morris saves a shot from him in practice, the attackman asks questions while Rambo and Heacock often engage in back-and-forth banter with the defense.
Seeking the advice of others is a longtime practice for the Ashburn, Virginia, native. He said he pays attention to the shot technique of teammates, and as the younger brother of Derek Maltz, who played lacrosse at Syracuse, he grew up asking for pointers.
In fact, Maltz continues to lean on his brother’s tip to aim for the net.
Maltz serves as the mediator between Rambo and Heacock during animated practice disagreements. Often, the pair of attackmen argue about who has the better off-hand shot, to which Maltz offers a measured response.
“Well Matt, you’re probably the better outside shooter,” Maltz says. “You’ve probably got the edge with the right hand outside, but Colin definitely has the better [shot] coming around the cage righty.”
When he was a freshman at Syracuse, Maltz recalled the positive impression Rambo made on him in the 2013 Under Armour contest. So, at times during his lone season with the Orange, he imagined how exciting it would be to join Maryland’s attacking unit.
Since transferring to Maryland after a difficult season at Syracuse in which he played in just six games, Maltz has excelled in College Park, recording 54 goals over the past three campaigns.
Without Maltz, the Terps don’t believe they would have experienced the same level of success over the past two seasons, when they advanced to consecutive NCAA championship games.
“If we had a third guy that was maybe more of an alpha male all the time, maybe that would conflict,” Tillman said. “[Maltz] does balance the other guys pretty well. It makes our team better.”
