Sports Briefs

GEAR UP

Pickleball pro Ben Johns ’22 considers the following when choosing a paddle:

DIMENSIONS: Johns plays with a 16.5-by-7.5-inch paddle, in between the standard 16-by-8 doubles and 17-by-7 singles models—a perfect balance for players like him, who compete in both varieties of the sport. The handle he uses measures 5.6 inches, a bit beyond the normal 4.5 to 5. “That gives the paddle more flexibility so when you hit it, it’s going to bend slightly more.” WIDTH: Johns again prefers the middle ground, playing with a 16-millimeter paddle that falls within the usual 1/2- to 3/4-inch range. “The thicker you make it, the heavier it’s going to be,” he says, “but also, the less power you have and the more solidity you have, which just means you get less inconsistent hits.” CORE: Most pickleball paddles, Johns says, use a polypropylene polymer honeycomb core. Polypropylene is a strong, cheap plastic, and the honeycomb shape helps maintain structural integrity. “It’s really light, because most of the core is actually air,” he says. “But you can still hit the ball hard.” SURFACE: Johns goes with fiberglass. “It’s good because it’s springy, which gives the ball power,” he says, “but it also can be made quite rough, so that imparts spin on the ball.”

SPORTS BRIEFS

Longtime Field Hockey Coach Nets 600th Win

Field hockey Head Coach Missy Meharg added a milestone victory to her sterling resume last season, as she led the Terps to a 3-2 victory over UConn on Oct. 17 to secure her 600th win.

Meharg, a Maryland Athletics Hall of Famer, became the first coach in any sport at the University of Maryland and the third in Division I field hockey to reach the 600-win mark.

“What it means is the university, the region, the school have been able to have the very best field hockey players choose the University of Maryland,” she said. “I’ve been really fortunate to coach great athletes who love to win.”

Meharg, in 34 seasons, has coached the Terps to 26 conference titles and seven national championships. She ended 2021 with another deep NCAA tournament run, with Maryland falling to Liberty in a doubleovertime Final Four battle.

Big Ten Champ Named Women’s Soccer Coach

Meghan Ryan Nemzer, a Maryland native who coached Rutgers University to the 2021 Big Ten title and national semifinals, is the new head coach of UMD’s women’s soccer program, Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics Damon Evans announced in December.

Nemzer, who graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Annapolis, had served on the staff at her alma mater, Rutgers University, for 14 years, including as associate head coach for the past eight. Last season, she helped lead the Scarlet Knights to an undefeated season in Big Ten play and the conference title, a spot in the College Cup—where they dropped a 1-0 decision to eventual champion Florida State—and a final ranking of No. 3 in the nation. Rutgers earned bids in the past 10 NCAA tournaments and 12 times total during Nemzer’s time there, with two College Cup appearances. In 2018, she was named one of the top five associate/assistant coaches in the NCAA by Top Drawer Soccer, and last season, she was part of the 2021 North Region Staff of the Year.