Photographs courtesy Bragg Family
Severna Park junior stars in the classroom and on the lacrosse field
Severna Park junior and three-sport athlete Maria Bragg can’t talk about her success in lacrosse without mentioning her sister Theresa. The older sister poked and prodded Maria to sharpen areas of the game when they practiced together in their backyard or on the Severna Park High School field.
There was a message preached over and over: play confident, fast, and aggressive. Maria cherishes the time they spent together, and you can say their careers will parallel with each other. Both played lacrosse in the Green Hornets program and for Severna Park High. Now, Theresa is a junior on the nationally-ranked University of Florida women’s lacrosse team while Maria will be attending the same school, where she will start playing lacrosse starting in the fall of 2026.
During lacrosse season, the sisters call and text each other about the sport nearly every day. “I always look up to my older sister and try to follow in her footsteps,” says Maria, noting she also learned a lot about lacrosse from her mother Helena, who played at Severna Park and the University of Maryland. “We do a good amount of work together. It makes me a better lacrosse player.”
When Maria, ranked by Inside Lacrosse as the sixth-best player in the country for the class of 2026, goes away to school next year, she should be several steps ahead of the rest of her highly recruited freshmen lacrosse teammates. Her advantage: she knows all about Florida thanks to her sister, a three-year starter at the school.
The 5-foot-11 Theresa has had a great college experience. The 17-year-old Maria wants that, too. “We are not going to be able to play with each other,” Theresa says. “Unfortunately, we miss each other by one year. It will be great to come back and watch her play. I will give her all the tips and tricks about Gainesville. I will still help her even though I won’t be on campus anymore. I will probably be talking to her every day.”
The 5-foot-8 Maria, a midfielder, also considered Clemson University, the University of North Carolina, and Michigan University. She carries a weighted 4.4 grade-point average in high school and took four advanced placement classes this school year.
Maria committed to Florida in September and will sign a National Letter of Intent for a scholarship in November. “My sister was a big influence on me deciding on Florida, seeing how much she loved it there,” she says. “The school just fell right for me. It felt like home for me more than anything. And being around the team, they felt like a close-knit family.”
Before heading off to college, Maria has some big things she wants to accomplish at Severna Park. “I want to be part of something special and have that feeling again of winning a state championship,” says Maria, who also plays for the Baltimore-based M&D Lacrosse Club, considered one of the best in the country. “Four state titles would be amazing. I think it’s possible.”
Photographs courtesy Bragg Family
At the top wish list is to win two more Class 3A state lacrosse championships. Maria was part of two state-title winning teams as both a freshman and sophomore. She was a huge part of both teams—especially the 2023 squad.
In 2023, Maria led the team in draws (69), finished second in goals (29), and dished out eight assists as the Falcons went 17-3. Her performance in two games jumped out. She scored six goals in a rout of South River and totaled three goals and two assists in a win over Glenelg. It was Glenelg’s only loss of the season.
Her point totals surged in 2024. Maria was second on the team in goals (49) and third in assists (23) and ground balls (19). The Baltimore Sun named her second-team all-metro after the season.
She also has been a difference maker on the Severna Park varsity soccer and basketball teams. She earned First-Team All-County honors while leading the soccer team in scoring last year with 13 goals and 13 assists, and Maria started as a point guard on the basketball team the past two seasons.
“She is one of the best athletes I have ever coached,” M&D Lacrosse Club Lacrosse Coach Mary Gagnon says. “I have been coaching probably close to 30 years. They call lacrosse the fastest game on two feet. That’s her. She could absolutely run track.”
