Robert H. Smith School of Business - University of Maryland, College Park

Score One for Smith!
First-year MBA Berber Rischen Takes Womens Field Hockey to NCAA Title

Berber Rischen (Right) and her sister and teammate Ameliet.

First-year MBA Berber Rischen took time off from writing her Leadership and Teamwork paper this weekend to help the Maryland Terrapins to their second consecutive National Championship in Field Hockey. Rischen joined the team this fall, using her final year of eligibility from her undergraduate work at Kent State. Since then, she has met the unique challenge of pursuing her MBA in the classroom while pursuing wins on the field. She started as midfielder in all but one game this season.

Berber contributed 25 points this season, but none were as memorable or valuable to the team as her decisive penalty stroke in the NCAA semifinal this past weekend. This point gave the Terps the edge in strokes over the University of Connecticut. The Terps went on to defeat top-ranked Wake Forest, 1-0 to take the NCAA title.

Rischen's classmates have not seen all of her contributions to Maryland athletics, but many are aware of her skill as a student and an athlete.

"Berber is a great team player. It's no surprise that she led the way for the Maryland field hockey team to win nationals," fellow first year MBA Camille Hoff said.

Now Rischen is tasked with joining her fellow first-year MBAs in group work, exam preparation, and an internship search. Hopefully, shell also finish that Leadership and Teamwork paper.

Read more about the Terps victory