Over the past year, Maryland sports brought us Big Ten championships, national championships, tons of highlights and some unforgettable moments. As we stuff our face with all the turkey and pumpkin pie we can handle, Terps Watch looks back on everything we’re thankful for.

Beating Duke

We might not get to see the Blue Devils as often now that Maryland is in the Big Ten, but the Terps seem to take advantage of every opportunity they get against them. During an improbable run that ended in the national championship game, Maryland field hockey took down Duke, 3-2, in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals. Even though there may not have been rioting afterward, it’s always nice to see the Terps add another L to the Blue Devils ledger, especially if it ends their season.

The Juice

Chance the Rapper might have some juice, but Maryland’s got too much. The Excessive Juice sign, which was broken out during the Terps’ upset win over Texas in Week 1, has become the symbol for Maryland football this year. It started in the offseason and quickly took Maryland football by storm, with fan signs and T-shirts soon following. It may not be getting the attention of the Turnover Chain in Miami, but Excessive Juice gained popularity well before it.

Freshmen

It’s usually easy to pick a freshman from a crowd, whether from the lanyard hanging from their neck or the false sense of hope they have going into classes. Within the past year, Maryland has had a number of freshmen that not only stood out, but took a step above the rest.

Last season, the rookie trio of Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter and Justin Jackson led the basketball team in scoring multiple times, and earlier this year, a freshman quarterback in Kasim Hill carried the football team to two victories. As we begin approach the holidays, current freshmen Bruno Fernando and Darryl Morsell are coming into their own on the court. Morsell won Big Ten Freshman of the Week after his 15-point performance against Bucknell, just another reason to be thankful for the underclassmen in your life.

The sport of lacrosse

Among everything in this past year, lacrosse hasn’t let us down. Maryland men’s and women’s lacrosse teams took home national championships in May, and after that, Matt Rambo and Zoe Stukenberg swept the Tewaaraton awards, once again proving College Park is the Lax Capital of the World.

As always, Jake Layman

There’s never a time not to be thankful for Jake Layman. He’s the only active NBA player to be recruited by Turgeon in his time at Maryland. (Turgeon had a hand in bringing Alex Len to College Park, but Gary Williams was the one who found him.) In five appearances for the Portland Trail Blazers this season, he’s scored six points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists. Even though Layman may not get the playing time he deserves, we’re grateful that a former Terp is continuing his excellence on the national stage.