University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
The Messenger
Vol. 6, No. 1/1996
Olympic dream realized
     
     It was a long wait until this summer in Atlanta when
Margaret "Missy'' Meharg, Delaware '85, finally made it to her
first Olympics.
A star field hockey and lacrosse player for the Fightin' Blue
Hens, Meharg was considered a strong contender for a spot on the
U.S. women's national
team that competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.  She suffered an
ankle injury, however, and, as a first alternate on the team, did
not make the trip to Korea.
     Meharg, who has been head coach of the highly regarded
University of Maryland field hockey program for nine years, did
win a spot on the '92 national team that had as its goal the
Barcelona Olympics. But, that
team was upset during a qualifying round game and did not compete
in Spain.
     After that, she decided to concentrate on her coaching
career.
     And an accomplished career it has been, with three of her
last four Terrapin teams reaching the NCAA championships.
     As a field hockey coach with a national reputation for
excellence, Meharg was included in a pool of 10 coaches who
worked with the national team in preparation for the '96 Atlanta
Olympics.
     She had traveled to Dublin with the national team for the
'94 World Cup, a competition in which the U.S. brought home a
bronze medal. The following year, she was named assistant coach
of the national team.
     Reflecting on the '96 Olympics, she mentions the opening
ceremony when all the athletes, coaches and officials approached
Olympic Stadium, packed with people from every nation.
     "It was one of the most exhilarating experiences," she says.
"It was powerful; something I'll never forget."
                                        Neil Thomas, Delaware '76