The 2026 season of Maryvale Varsity Lacrosse was unbelievable. Ending the season #1 in the nation, 19-0, and the IAAM A Conference Champions for the second year in a row. Now, Cayden Reese was named Baltimore Sun Player of the Year, Coach Brian Reese was named Baltimore Sun Coach of the Year, and Four student-athletes were named Baltimore Sun All-Metro Players - Maddie Moran and Chloe Thomas on First Team, Kendall Carfine and Emma Mohn on Second Team.
Player of the Year: Cayden Reese, Maryvale, senior, attacker
Sure, Cayden Reese enjoys scoring goals. What makes the nation’s consensus No. 1 recruit happiest, however, is making the feeds that set up teammates.
“Knowing how hard people work, it makes me happier to see them succeed,” she said.
“She’d much rather get the assist, I think, than the goal,” Maryvale coach Brian Reese, Cayden’s father, said. “It’s actually funny, but we always say, ‘Watch how hard people cut when Cayden has the ball,’ because they know if their stick is open, she’s going to feed them. She loves to be the set-up person.”
This season, the senior attack played a major role in setting up Maryvale’s dream season. She finished with 60 goals, 35 assists and 40 draw controls, using her vast knowledge of the game and ability to create offense to lead the Lions to a 19-0 record, a No. 1 national ranking and their second straight Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference title.
The Maryland commit put together her best season to date, despite facing constant face guards and quick slides from opposing defenses.
Most uniquely, she did it all while playing for her dad and will take the field next season for her mom, Terps coach Cathy Reese.
“They’re two of the best coaches in the coaching world, but they’re different people – different kinds of coaches,” Cayden said. “They both know so much, so I think it’s really going to benefit me. I already get all of the feedback from both of them anyway. I just think that’s such a cool opportunity to learn from both of them.”
Maryvale girls lacrosse player Cayden Reese, who is the Sun's girls lax Player of the Year. Reese, the nation's consensus top senior and daughter of Maryland coach Cathy Reese, led Maryvale to an undefeated record and second straight IAAM A conference title. The Lions ended the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation in both major polls. (Lloyd Fox/Staff)
She plans to study business in College Park while working to adjust to the speed of the game at the Division I level.
And, someday, she can see herself carrying on her parents’ legacy as a coach.
“I do love coaching and just sharing the love I have for the sport with everyone else,” Cayden Reese said. “It makes me so happy helping them get better. It’s something I love to do.”
Coach of the Year: Brian Reese, Maryvale
Reese expected a few hiccups after graduating six starters from last year’s Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference champions. His task, however, became significantly more difficult in late March when senior Lainey Minderlein, a midfielder he called the “heart and soul of our team,” went down with a season-ending knee injury.
It was a set of circumstances that would force most teams to reevaluate and, perhaps, shift strategies. Under Reese’s leadership, however, Maryvale plowed ahead and actually improved.
Facing a brutal schedule in what’s widely considered the most dominant girls lacrosse league in the nation, Maryvale outscored opponents by an average of 10 goals, finishing 19-0 to earn its second straight A Conference title and ending the year as the nation’s consensus No. 1 team. Nine times this season, the Lions defeated teams that had been ranked in the nation’s top 25.
Reese, a 1998 Maryland graduate and former All-America defenseman, coached his final game for Maryvale on May 8, a 10-5 win over McDonogh in the A Conference finals, announcing afterward his plans to depart the program. He accumulated a 76-17 record during his five seasons at the helm for a school that had averaged three wins a year in the league over its prior seven seasons.
The success this season was particularly special for Reese, with his daughter, Cayden, leading the way. Next year, she will play for her mom, Brian’s wife Cathy, at the University of Maryland.
“It’s kind of a dream come true; a storybook ending,” Reese said. “I don’t think our goal was ever to go undefeated. As a coach, you look for those times when maybe you have those little dips and obstacles that you can kind of improve from, but we really didn’t have that on the field during games. Our girls just did a great job of caring for each other, being fired up for every game and putting their best foot forward.”
Reese, also The Sun’s Coach of the Year last season and co-Coach of the Year in 2017 at Glenelg Country, says he hopes to coach again if the right opportunity comes along. He plans to take his time and be selective.
For now, he’s just content to savor Maryvale’s dream season.
All-Metro First Team:
- Maddie Moran, Maryvale, sophomore, midfield - The young midfielder came into her own this season, scoring 47 goals, winning 45 draws, dominating on defense and leading the team in loose-ball controls, as the Lions went undefeated and claimed their second straight IAAM A title.
- Chloe Thomas, Maryvale, senior, defense - The Stanford-bound senior was a standout matchup defender on an undefeated Maryvale team that allowed just 5.5 goals per game and frequently showcased her unmatched speed on clears.
All-Metro Second Team:
Kendall Carfine, Maryvale, junior, defense
Emma Mohn, Maryvale, senior, attack
