Jacqueline Joyner-Kersee is a retired American track and field athlete who competed in both the heptathlon and long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals at four different Olympic Games. Joyner-Kersee was also a four-time gold medalist at the world championships. Since 1988, she has held the world record for heptathlon.
Dawn Michelle Staley is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team. A point guard, she played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers and spent eight seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), primarily with the Charlotte Sting. Staley also played on the United States women's national basketball team, winning three gold medals at the Olympic Games from 1996 to 2004, and was the head coach of the team that won an Olympic gold medal in 2021. She is the first person to win the Naismith Award as both a player and a coach.
Ann Meyers Drysdale is an American retired pro basketball player and a sportscaster. She was a standout player in high school, college, the Olympic Games, international tournaments, and at professional levels.
Lisa Maria Fernandez is an American former softball player and current associate head coach at UCLA. She played college softball at UCLA as a pitcher and third baseman, and is a three-time medal winning Olympian with Team USA.
Tracey Claire Fuchs is a former field hockey midfielder from the United States, who was a member of the US women's team that finished fifth at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. She also competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, where Team USA finished in eighth and last position. She also played for the 1994 World Cup team that won the bronze medal. She won a bronze medal at the 1995 Pan American Games. Fuchs won the NCAA Division I national title as the coach of the Northwestern Wildcats in 2021.
Foluke Atinuke Gunderson is an indoor volleyball player who plays as a middle blocker for Japanese club Hisamitsu Springs. Born in Canada, she represents the United States internationally. Gunderson won gold with the national team at the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix, 2014 World Championship, the Rimini Volleyball Nations League, and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, silver at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Her 2020 Olympics win allowed her to complete the trifecta of winning an Olympic bronze, silver, and gold medal.
Kathleen "Katie" O'Donnell Bam is an American field hockey player. She was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and attended Wissahickon High School in Ambler, Pennsylvania. O'Donnell began playing for the Maryland Terrapins in the 2007 season. She was the youngest member of the 2005 United States women's national team and has become known for her excellent stick skills and ability to create. Her attributes were put on full display throughout her freshman campaign as she earned a starting position for the preseason number-one team in the country at forward.
Alyssa Michele Naeher is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She was part of the United States roster at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and was the starting goalkeeper for the winning U.S. teams at the 2019 FIFA World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics. She has also played for the Boston Breakers and Turbine Potsdam. She was named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year while with the Breakers in 2014.
Melissa González is an American field hockey player. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she competed for the national team. She was born in Peekskill, New York. She attended Lakeland High School. González completed her collegiate field hockey career at the University of Connecticut. She gained multiple awards during her collegiate career including First Team All-American and Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year. González has competed in World Championship games since 2014. She was named Best Player of the Tournament at the 2017 World League Semifinals in Johannesburg, South Africa. González's Olympic experience includes the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England, and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In addition to playing, she has been a volunteer assistant coach at UConn, Yale and the University of Massachusetts.
Katherine "Katie" Reinprecht is an American field hockey player who participated in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. She competed for the United States women's national field hockey team in the 2012 and 2016 field hockey events.
Lauren Crandall is an American field hockey player. At the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics, she competed for the United States women's national field hockey team in the women's event, serving as team captain in 2012 and 2016. She played for the national team from 2005 through 2016. Before joining the national team she played field hockey for Wake Forest University, winning the NCAA field hockey championship twice.
The Syracuse Orange field hockey team is the intercollegiate field hockey program representing Syracuse University. The school competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I field hockey.
Abbey Cooper is an American middle- and long-distance runner. Cooper is the most decorated Ivy League athlete in track and field and cross country running. She is the first Dartmouth female distance runner to win an NCAA title. She won a total of seven NCAA titles in her career. In 2014, she became a professional runner for New Balance.
Abigail Lynn Dahlkemper is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team.
Jill Witmer is an American field hockey player. Witmer was named to the U.S. National Team in 2013 and was named to the U.S. Olympic Team in 2016.
Kathleen Sharkey is an American field hockey player. In 2016, she was named to the United States women's national field hockey team for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Caitlin Van Sickle is an American field hockey coach and former player. From Wilmington, Delaware, she was a standout athlete at Tower Hill School where she was the state's athlete of the year in both field hockey and lacrosse. She played at the collegiate level for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 2009 to 2012, receiving numerous honors including being a three-time All-American and a three-time Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Defender of the Year. She won a national championship with the Tar Heels in 2009 and helped them make appearances at three further.
Field hockey in the United States is a sport which has only limited popular support. In the US the sport used to be female dominated as opposed to Europe's male dominant leagues. However, in the United States of America, there are few field hockey clubs, most play taking place between high school or college sides, almost entirely of females. The strength of college field hockey reflects the impact of Title IX which mandated that colleges should fund men's and women's sports programmes comparably. Pennsylvania is a hotbed for field hockey in the United States.
Erin Matson is an American former field hockey player and the current head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels field hockey team. A standout player on that team from 2018 to 2022, she led the Tar Heels to win four NCAA Championships.
Ashley Joy Hoffman is an American women's field hockey player. Hoffman was raised to the United States national team in 2017, following success in the national junior team.
