Last Friday Maryland lost to Indiana 70-60 in the Big 10 tourney quarterfinals but was still able to clinch an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Terps won 17 games under Mark Turgeon in 2021 and 15 games under Danny Manning in 2022 but have won 21 games under Kevin Willard in 2023 and claimed the school’s 1st NCAA tourney bid since 2021. In addition to shining a light on the players who got the job done on the court, it is also important to recognize the spirited students who have worked just as hard on the sidelines, such as band members/cheerleaders/dancers. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Maryland cheerleader Karen Gottlieb about being a captain.
You are from Gaithersburg, MD: what made you choose Maryland? I have lived in Maryland for my entire life so even from a young age UMD was at the top of my list. I had a deep interest in attending a prestigious/reputable institution. Additionally, I am a homebody and definitely prefer to stay close to my family/pets. UMD satisfied all of those requirements for me and I had the most amazing college experience attending the University of Maryland!
You have been on the UMD cheer team for 4 straight years and are a co-captain this year: what is the key to being a good leader? I have always strived to be a leader on every team that I have been on. The key to being a good leader for me is the ability for open/free-flowing communication. I believe that as an older member and inherent leader on the team I need to be a welcoming/inviting person who anyone on the team can feel comfortable enough to speak with about any positive/negative things they are experiencing without fear of judgment. It is extremely important to have a successful relationship between the team, its leaders, and the coaching staff.
You did gymnastics for several years before switching to competitive cheerleading at age 10: why did you make the switch, and what is the best part? I absolutely loved gymnastics when I was really young. However, as I got older, the number of practices/week increased significantly and it was definitely taking a toll on my physical/mental well-being. My parents and I knew that there was a cheerleading gym across the street from my gymnastics gym so one day we decided to look into it. After attending a cheerleading practice and absolutely adoring it, my parents decided to pull me out of gymnastics and enroll me at the cheerleading gym: Dream Allstars in Gaithersburg, MD. I stayed at my competitive cheer gym for seven years and the best part was definitely the team atmosphere. Like UMD cheer, my teams at Dream had a very supportive/competitive environment that pushed everyone to be the best athlete they could be. Every cheer team I have ever been on has been like a family.
You are in a sorority at UMD: what is Greek life like on campus? Being a part of Greek life at UMD is something that I have absolutely loved during my college career. The thing about Greek life at Maryland is that it is pretty small so you can have just as amazing a time at school without being a part of a fraternity/sorority. I love being a part of a community, which is why I decided to join my sorority and also become a member of the cheerleading team. Greek life at UMD is extremely inclusive and has given me so many lifelong friendships and memories that I will cherish!
You are double-majoring in economics and public policy: why did you choose those subjects? When I started my freshman year at UMD I was undecided about what I wanted to study. When I was in high school I took AP macroeconomics/microeconomics classes and excelled at both. My mother also majored in economics when she was in college so I decided that I wanted to give it a try. I ended up enjoying it so much that I finished all of my Econ courses prior to my senior year! Because I had scored well during my AP economics class in high school I was able to enter UMD with a few Econ credits. These credits allowed me to have a schedule that was fairly open, which is why I decided to add a second major. I had an interest in working in the public sector so I added public policy to learn about governmental relations. Now that I am a senior, I am so happy that I added public policy because I have developed a deep interest in working in local/state-level politics.
What is the post-graduation plan? I am in a program at Maryland that has allowed me to take around 10 credits of graduate courses in my undergrad in order to graduate with a master’s degree in just 1 year. The program that I am enrolled in is part of the Smith School of Business, and in May of 2024 I will graduate with a Master of Science in marketing analytics. I am also in the process of auditioning for the Baltimore Ravens Cheerleading team and will find out in a few weeks whether I am selected to be a member!
Last Friday your team lost to Indiana in the Big 10 tourney quarterfinals: what is the mood like on campus now that the NCAA tourney is here? The loss last Friday was obviously not intended, but with the NCAA tourney now starting the mood on campus is excited/hopeful. The UMD fan base is die-hard and extremely optimistic for a good outcome in the upcoming tournament game. Maryland fans are supporters for life and we want nothing but the best for our teams!
How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? Travel is limited to 8 individuals from the cheer team: the coaches select athletes based on seniority, position need, and other factors. Typically, we all get a chance to travel at some point but there are some instances when that cannot happen (like tournament season). The UMD cheerleading team has the amazing opportunity to represent our school at the NCA Collegiate Cheerleading National competition on April 6th/7th in Daytona, Florida. Therefor, this time of year is extremely busy for the cheer team. We are divided up so that we can allocate some cheerleaders to compete at nationals and some others to travel to both the men’s/women’s basketball tournaments. I was not selected to cheer at the NCAA Tournament but am thrilled to see my teammates cheering on our team in person.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for Birmingham? The squad that is in Birmingham has already sent so many pictures of everyone hanging out and having a great time together. They have had some free time and decided to go to Top Golf and have a nice team dinner. Having the opportunity to travel to away games and tournaments is a huge privilege that the cheerleaders get to participate in so they are super-excited to cheer at the game on Thursday.
Any predictions for the Terps on Thursday afternoon vs. West Virginia? I predict that the UMD men’s basketball team is going to beat West Virginia with flying colors! I wish them luck: Go Terps!