Ashley Sessa

Last updated

Ashley Sessa
Personal information
Full name Ashley Nicole Sessa
Born (2004-06-23) June 23, 2004 (age 21)
Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height 5 ft 1 in (155 cm)
Playing position Midfield/Forward
Club information
Current club WC Eagles
National team
YearsTeamCapsGoals
2019–2021 United States Indoor 10 (12)
2021–2022 United States U–21 10 (4)
2022– United States 57 (15)
Medal record
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Women's field hockey
Pan American Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2023 Santiago Team
Pan American Cup
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2025 Montevideo
Pan American Junior Championship
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2021 Santiago
Women's indoor hockey
Indoor Pan American Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2021 Spring City

Ashley Nicole Sessa (born June 23, 2004) [1] is an American field hockey player, who plays as a midfielder and forward. [2]

Contents

Personal life

Ashley Sessa was born and raised in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania. [2] Sessa has been playing field hockey since the age of four. [3] She attend Spring-Ford High School in Royersford, PA her freshman year, then transferred to Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, PA where she graduated in 2022. Ashley Sessa was the first high school field hockey player to take advantage of the NIL rule her senior year via sponsorship by STX, LLC. Sessa was a member of the University of North Carolina 2022 National and ACC Championship Team. Ashley transferred to Northwestern University in 2024 after taking an Olympic Waiver year in 2023. Sessa won her second consecutive National Championship and undefeated regular season in 2024 with Northwestern (setting a school record for most games won in a single season). For the 2024 season she was named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List, NFHCA Division I Watchlist, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 7, Oct. 22, Nov 4 ), NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 9, Oct. 23, Nov. 4), Big Ten Regular Season Champion, First Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Topped both Big Ten and Nation as statistical player of the year in points per game with 2.94 points per game, Big Ten All-Tournament Team, All-NCAA Tournament Team, NCAA Division I National Champion, NFHCA All-West Region First Team, NFHCA 1st team All American. Sessa also now holds the Northwestern all-time record of most points in a season with 67 points (24 goals, 19 assists).

Sessa is a current member of the U.S. Women's National Field Hockey Team where she was one of only two players to be selected in the U.S. Women's National Field Hockey Team at age 16 [4] in 2021; the first was Katie Bam, selected in 2005. She was a member of the U.S. Women's National Indoor Field Hockey Team where she was selected at age 14 [5] and the U.S. U-21Junior National Field Hockey Team. She was named to the 2024 Paris Olympic Roster, she started in all 4 games and scored the first goal against Argentina for the United States. Sessa was the youngest member of the USAWNT for the 2024 games and the second youngest player ever named to a USA Field hockey Olympic squad.

Career

U.S. Women's National Field Hockey Teams

Ashley Sessa was named to the U.S. Women's National Field Hockey Team in June 2021, her first cap was recorded on November 26, 2021 against Canada in the Canadian Test Series in Chula Vista, California. Sessa's second National Team appearance she placed 4th in the 2022 Pan American Cup in Santiago, Chile.

In 2019, Sessa made her first appearance for the U.S. Women's National Indoor Field Hockey Team, during a test series against Croatia in Sveti Ivan Zelina. She then went on to represent the U.S. at the Indoor Croatia Cup, in Sveti Ivan Zelina, Croatia, where she won a gold medal. [6] In 2020, Sessa made her second international appearance with the U.S. Indoor Field Hockey Team at the Rohrmax Cup in Vienna, Austria winning a bronze medal. She won her second gold medal in her third debut with the U.S. Indoor team in 2021, at the Indoor Pan American Cup in Spring City, Pennsylvania [7] [8] where she was also named Player of the Tournament and to the Pan American Elite Team. [9]

In 2023 Sessa accepted an Olympic waiver to take a year off of college and train full time with the Women’s National team in Charlotte, NC for the 2024 Olympic qualifying tournaments. The first was the Pan American Games (Santiago Chile), where the team won a silver medal. Sessa was also named to the 2023 Pan American Elite Team.

The silver medal win at the 2023 Pan American Games qualified the USAWNT for the 2024 FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier (Ranchi, India) where they won a silver medal and qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sessa was named Player of the Match in the qualifying game against Japan.

Sessa recorded her 50th cap on June 6, 2024 against Great Britain in the 2024 FIH League.

At age 19, Sessa became the second-youngest woman ever to be named to a USA Fieldhockey Olympic roster after Katelyn Falgowski in 2008 (19 years 292 days).

Ashley Sessa netted USA's and her first Olympic goal (2024) in the USA's first game vs (#2) Argentina.

Junior National Field Hockey Team

Ashley Sessa made her debut for the U.S. U-21 Junior National Field Hockey Team team in 2021, winning a bronze medal at the Junior Pan American Championship in Santiago, Chile. [9] [10] Sessa also was a member of the U.S. U-21 Junior National Field Hockey Team which placed 8th in the 2021 Junior World Cup in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

World Championship Experience

Other Career Highlights

2025: Named to the U.S. Women's National Team Series against New Zealand (Charlotte, N.C.) 2025: Named to the U.S. Women's National Team Nations Cup Tournament Roster ( sidelined due to injury) 2024: Became first NCAA field hockey player to win back-to-back consecutive National Championships at 2 different schools (Northwestern and UNC)

Club Hockey

Ashley Sessa started playing club field hockey at the age of 8 in the WC Eagles Hockey Club (2014 - 2022). [11] She was an eight-time National and Regional Club Champion and ten-time National Indoor Tournament Champion. Sessa was member of the WC Eagles International Travel Squad where she won a gold medal at the 2019 Holland Elite Cup in HC Den Bosch, Netherlands. She won a second gold medal and top scorer award at the 2018 Repton Cup in Repton, England and participated in the China International Series in Spring City, Pennsylvania.

References

  1. "Team Details – United States". tms.fih.ch. International Hockey Federation . Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "ASHLEY SESSA". teamusa.org. USA Field Hockey. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  3. "Delaware County teen taking her field hockey game to the next level". 6abc Philadelphia. February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  4. staff, Hockey Paper (June 22, 2021). "Ashley Sessa, 16, joins USA women's hockey programme". The Hockey Paper. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  5. "SpringFord's Sessa joins Team USA" . Retrieved February 1, 2023 via PressReader.
  6. "2019 Croatia Indoor Cup (W)". tms.fih.ch. International Hockey Federation . Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  7. "Women: USA PAHF Indoor Champions". panamhockey.org. Pan American Hockey Federation . Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  8. "Local field hockey stars playing in Pan American Cups in own backyard". pottsmerc.com. The Mercury . Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  9. 1 2 "SESSA Ashley". tms.fih.ch. International Hockey Federation . Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  10. "Episcopal Academy's Sessa an emerging star for U.S. women's national field hockey team". papreplive.com. PA Prep Live . Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  11. Shoemaker, Tim (March 26, 2024). "USA Olympic hopefuls Maddie Zimmer and Ashley Sessa spent time at the PA Field Hockey Senior Cup to "pass the torch" of inspiration to the next generation of field hockey stars". Female Athlete News. Retrieved March 28, 2024.

https://female-athlete-news.com/usa-olympic-hopefuls-maddie-zimmer-and-ashely-sessa-spent-time-at-the-pa-field-hockey-cup-to-pass-the-torch-of-inspiration-to-the-next-generation-of-field-hockey-stars/