As we recognize the Best Of 2023 in this issue, we also start to look ahead to 2024. While not all schedules are finalized, we do know when and where some local teams and athletes are competing and which major international events are back in the area. With that in mind, here’s a look at what’s ahead with The 15 “2024 Sports Highlights.”
1. College Basketball
The first big event of the year will see Maryland host Purdue on Jan. 2, bringing Zach Edey and the national-title-contending Boilermakers to College Park. A visit from Michigan State on Feb. 3 marks another big home game for the Terps. Other big games for area teams include …
Jan 20: Army at Navy
Jan. 20: Morgan State at Coppin State
Feb. 10: Vermont at UMBC
Feb. 24: Charleston at Towson
March 7: Coppin State at Morgan State
The CIAA Men’s & Women’s Basketball Tournament is back at CFG Bank Arena from Feb. 26 to March 2, the first time the event will be played at the fully renovated building. And the CAA tournament is back in nearby D.C. at the Entertainment & Sports Arena from March 8-12 (men) and March 13-17 (women).
2. College Football
Some new opponents highlight the schedule for Maryland in 2024, including the first-ever visit from USC on Oct. 19 and a first-ever trip to Oregon’s Autzen Stadium on Nov. 9. Navy’s annual rivalry game with Notre Dame takes place in East Rutherford, N.J., on Oct. 26, and the Army game is much closer to home at FedEx Field in Landover on Dec. 14. While we don’t yet know the date for the final matchup between Towson and Delaware as CAA rivals, we do know that Towson and Morgan square off on Sep. 7 at Unitas Stadium and the Military Bowl returns to Annapolis in December.
3. Cycling
The 2023 Maryland Cycling Classic grew not only in spectators (an estimated 80,000 along the course between the county and city) and viewers (the event reported nearly 800,000 tuned into the livestream) but also in the overall scope across the span of four days. The 2024 event (Sept. 1) will hope to expand even more and may benefit from having the recognition of competitors coming directly off the Olympics. In addition, the USA BMX East Coast Nationals are in Severn from Oct. 11-13.
4. Golf
While we’ll have to wait another year for the return of the PGA Tour (the 2025 BMW Championship is back at Caves Valley), there will be a significant golf competition in the area this year. The Big Ten Women’s Golf Championship will take place at Bulle Rock in Havre de Grace from April 19-21.
5. College Lacrosse
After a remarkable turnaround in 2023, Johns Hopkins will look to take the next step back to Memorial Day weekend in 2024. The Blue Jays host all of their local rivalry games this year, with Towson (Feb. 6), Loyola (Feb. 17), Navy (March 16) and Maryland (April 20) all coming to Homewood Field. Perhaps one or more of those teams will be playing in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals on May 21 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. And Harford Community College will look to defend its first-ever national championship when the Owls again host the NJCAA Championships on May 11 and 12.
6. High School And Pro Lacrosse
Two major high school lacrosse showcase events return to the region in 2024. The Senior All-America Lacrosse Games are back in Baltimore from July 25-28, while the National High School Lacrosse Showcase comes to Howard County in June. The IAAM Championships return to USA Lacrosse’s Tierney Field in Sparks on May 10 and 11. In addition, the newly christened “Maryland Whipsnakes” will make their home debut when the PLL returns in the summer.
7. Maryland 5 Star
The fourth edition of one of the biggest eventing competitions in the world will come right on the heels of the Paris Olympics, providing the opportunity to see Olympic athletes up close and in person at Fair Hill in Elkton from Oct. 17-20. Howard County’s own Sydney Solomon competed in the event for the first time last year and gave fans a local competitor to root for.
8. Olympics
Maryland athletes won’t dominate the Paris games like they have at some other recent Olympiads, but they’ll still be featured during the Olympics from July 26 to Aug. 11 and Paralympics Aug. 28-Sep. 8. Obviously, Montgomery County native and decorated swimmer Katie Ledecky is expected to be one of the biggest stars of the Games, while Harford County’s Chase Kalisz will look to defend his gold medal in the 400-meter medley. Local Paralympic athletes like Jessica Long and Tatyana McFadden are likely to be prominent parts of the Paris Games as well.
9. Orioles
With 4:05 p.m. Saturday games and 6:35 p.m. weekday games locked in for the entire season, the Birds’ defense of their AL East title begins on March 28 with an Opening Day visit from the Angels. It will mark the first season opener in Baltimore since 2018. They look to exact some revenge when the World Series champion Rangers visit Camden Yards from June 27-30. Old friend Manny Machado and the Padres pay a visit from July 26-28. They’ll also be home on Easter, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day and Labor Day.
10. Preakness
Rumors continue to swirl about a potential seismic shift to the Triple Crown calendar, as 1/ST Racing & Gaming has said publicly that it is considering pushing the second jewel of the series back two weeks in order to have more horses make the turnaround from the Kentucky Derby. But for now, the 149th Preakness is slated for May 18 at Pimlico.
11. Ravens
While dates won’t be set for some time, there are certainly some opponents to look forward to on the Ravens’ 2024 schedule. The Eagles make the short trip down I-95 for the first time (in a regular-season game anyway) since 2016. The Ravens will head to LA for another date with the Chargers, plus (health provided) we’re slated to get another Lamar Jackson-Patrick Mahomes showdown in Kansas City and the team’s first trip to Dallas since 2016 as well.
12. Rugby
The USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships come to Maryland for the first time from April 26-28, hosted at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Montgomery County. Perhaps it could be a bit of a “tryout” for the area to be a host for the 2031 Rugby World Cup (Baltimore is on the shortlist) — the first Rugby World Cup to be contested in the Americas.
13. Running
The Baltimore Marathon is again the centerpiece of the Baltimore Running Festival, which returns to the streets of downtown on Oct. 19. Other major events include the Annapolis Running Festival on March 9, the Frederick Running Festival on May 4 and 5, the Baltimore 10-Miler on June 1 and the Ocean City Running Festival on Oct. 28.
14. Spelling Bee
The Scripps National Spelling Bee returns to Prince George’s County in May, but before that, Maryland Sports is sponsoring a regional qualifier in Baltimore on March 23. I’m assuming that proper names like “Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu” are fortunately still not allowed.
15. Wrestling
For the first time ever, Maryland hosts the Big Ten Wrestling Championships on March 9 and 10 at Xfinity Center. It could be a big year for local wrestlers as well, with former gold medalists Kyle Snyder (Carroll County) and Helen Maroulis (Montgomery County) both hoping to get back to the podium at the Olympics.
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox
Originally published Dec. 13, 2023