Going into her last season as a Florida Gator, lacrosse captain Theresa Bragg has more than one reason for wanting to leave a legacy on the program she’s called home for the past three years.
“My attitude going into this season, more than ever, is to just not leave anything unfinished,” Theresa said. “Do the best that I can, because it is my last season.”
The two-time team captain’s leadership has been a fundamental part of the powerhouse team, but she’s leaving behind more than an array of accolades. Her legacy will continue at Florida in the form of her younger sister, Maria Bragg.
Maria, a 5-star midfielder, will be joining the Gators for the 2027 season, coming into a team that’s more than ready to have another Bragg around.
“I’m just really proud of her, and I’m really glad that she chose to come here,” Theresa said. “It’s really cool having my whole team here and knowing that, besides my senior class, all the rest of them are going to be here with her next year.”
The sisters hail from Severna Park, Maryland, and attended Severna Park High School, where each competed at the varsity level all four years. Theresa was a two-time team captain, and Maria became team captain her junior year.
In high school, Theresa was an Under Armour All-American and multi-sport athlete, also playing varsity volleyball and basketball. She was known for being a reliable, physical defender with strong fundamentals. Although she was not listed among the top national recruits out of high school, she built her national prominence from her dominant collegiate performances at Florida.
“Theresa has done a fantastic job. She leads that defense,” head coach Amanda O’Leary said. “She not only leads in the verbal side, but she leads by example. And she is our best matchup defender.”
Meanwhile, Maria has already started turning heads, despite having another year before she sees a collegiate field.
She was known as one of the most complete midfielders in her class, filling the stat sheet in her junior year with 37 goals, 16 assists, 94 draw controls and 33 caused turnovers. Maria was the No. 6 recruit in the nation for the class of 2026.
Like her sister is expected to be, Theresa has been a starter since her freshman year, causing 29 turnovers and recovering 23 ground balls in her career. In 2025, she became only the second defender in Florida history to make the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association first team.
For many of her teammates, Theresa’s impact went beyond the stat sheet and the accolades. Senior midfielder Kaitlyn Davies transitioned to the backline last season and turned to Theresa, one of her closest friends on the team, for guidance.
“She’s someone I was inspired by as I shifted gears to defense, and I just looked up to her a lot,” Davies said. “I would go to her for help when I needed something on the defensive side of the field.”
The veteran’s defensive performance helped Florida become the 12th-best scoring defense in the nation in the 2025 season, allowing just 9.43 goals per game. It was the defense that made all the difference in the Gators’ ability to deliver in the postseason.
“I think we’re all really proud to be the first team in Florida across history to make it to back-to-back Final Fours,” Theresa said. “Hopefully, we’re going to make another and make it even further.”
While winning games has been a significant part of Theresa’s motivation and rewards while at Florida, it isn’t everything.
When she leaves the Gators, she hopes the team’s senior class and herself left a standard of excellence, fun and love, she said.
“I think that winning a bunch of games and stuff wouldn’t really matter if you weren’t having fun with your time and loving the people around you,” she said.
The No. 4 Gators opened their season at home to a 12-10 loss against No. 19 Michigan Feb. 13. The team will look to fall back on leaders like Theresa for support as they look to improve in Baltimore to compete against No. 20 Loyola.
Contact Coral Uzgiden at cuzgiden@alligator.org. Follow her on X @coraluzgiden.
Coral is a sophomore Sports Journalism student in her first semester with the Alligator covering Lacrosse. She also has experience writing for WRUF and covering beats such as high school football and Gators swim and dive. She is an intern for the Women of the Lowcountry and in her free time enjoys playing waterpolo, going to the gym and being outside.
