Lisa Wiederlight was a piece to the puzzle that brought home Maryland field hockey’s first-ever NCAA National Championship in 1987. In 37 years since, she has dealt with adversity in her personal life while raising her only son Joshua, who was diagnosed with autism in 2001.
Her purpose in life grew well beyond herself and a sport, and she attributes her perseverance to her days as a Terp and the relationship she developed with Missy Meharg. Meharg was both an assistant and head coach for Wiederlight and she later became a lifetime mentor to her.
Wiederlight is a native of Stamford, Conn., who played almost every sport as a child. But her love for field hockey was different. She instantly fell in love with the sport, which continued to blossom over the years.
“I picked up a hockey stick and fell in love, it was love at first sight,” Wiederlight said.
She even played floor hockey for countless hours as a child. But it was the grip of a field hockey stick that unlocked the burning passion that unknowingly would impact the rest of her life.
Wiederlight was uncertain of her future in field hockey at the collegiate level, as her high school team went 2-10 her senior year. Still, Wiederlight was successful enough to earn a visit to College Park. The rest was history.
Wiederlight’s journey as a collegiate student-athlete started as a walk-on. She made the team as a freshman in 1987 and promptly won an NCAA title with the Terps. Her success later earned her a scholarship by the end of her sophomore year.
But beyond the field, the relationship between Wiederlight and Meharg blossomed into something far more valuable than a championship ring. Meharg is the winningest Maryland coach of any sport and a seven-time national champion. Wiederlight says the coach is an even better person.
“She (Missy) is one of the smartest people that you’ll ever meet,” she said. “I got to meet her at a field hockey camp before, and I was always impressed with her. It always felt like she was a good person at heart. She was also someone who was a very good mentor to me.”
Wiederlight graduated in three and a half years in 1990, and Meharg’s is still a shoulder that the former Terp leans on in life’s toughest moments. One of those tough moments was Wiederlight’s son being diagnosed with autism 23 years ago.
The diagnosis forced Wiederlight, a single mother, to quit working full-time to accompany her son’s needs. During this time, she remembered the words of Coach Meharg from her years as a student-athlete. Meharg often spoke about the “pursuit of excellence” and emphasized perseverance in life. The motivational lessons echoed in Wiederlight’s head.
“That really was the voice [of Meharg] in my head when my son was young and regressing,” Wiederlight said. “It was Missy Meharg saying, ‘Come on, let’s go,’ and I can still hear her voice.”
One memory stands out to Wiederlight the most when reflecting on what made her time at Maryland with Meharg something she holds dearly to her heart.
The Terps were in Baltimore and set to square off against Towson. Towson was celebrating Special Olympics athletes that day and honored them by gifting them Towson gear and gifts. They even brought them to their sideline to bond with the team during pregame. Meharg was aware and found Joshua among the Special Olympics athletes. She gestured for him to join the Terps at the visitor’s bench.
A student-athlete for the Terps at the time was a special education major, and Joshua was paired with them by Meharg. The team bonded with Joshua throughout their warm-ups and pre-game activities. Wiederlight says she will never forget that moment.
“That was the first time in my life with my son, he was probably 18-20 years old, that I got to enjoy and share something with him that I also enjoyed,” she says. “He was a part of the family that I was already a part of.”
Wiederlight recently started a non-profit called My Heart’s Home, which aims to create a community with supportive amenities that address the needs of people with developmental disabilities, wounded veterans, and older adults. She also chairs the Housing and Community Integration Committee for the the state of Maryland’s Autism Stakeholder Group, and serves as a board member of the Autism Society of Maryland.
The impact of the scholarship she received from Maryland will last a lifetime for Wiederlight. The funding for athletic scholarships at the University of Maryland comes from the Terrapin Club.
Wiederlight is grateful for the Terrapin Club donors who supported her and continue to support Maryland athletics.
“Thank you for supporting the development of skills that I learned and honed as a scholar-athlete,” she said. “I’m now using them to help others lead safe, productive lives as part of my non-profit.”
A national championship was won, a mentor was gained and Wiederlight’s loving son felt what it was like to have Maryland pride because of a scholarship. It also allowed her to positively impact the lives of many other individuals like her son.
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