College field hockey has become more popular than ever before. Girls from all over the world want the chance to play for a university in America. Playing at the most amazing facilities, practicing almost every day and having a professional staff that helps you develop are only a few of the reasons why many girls want to play in the United States.
Playing field hockey in college gives you the chance to develop your skills and to become a better player. Check out the list below to find out who were able to develop their skills during college and are now known to be the most successful college field hockey players.
10. Tara Vitesse
University of Virginia
Vitesse played for the University of Virginia in 2015-2018. She is the only player to ever receive the National Player of the Year award 3 times. Before college, Vitesse played for the U.S. Junior National team and represented Team USA during the World Cup. In 2018, she was selected to play on the senior team. Her older sister, Michelle Vitesse, used to play for Team USA as well and is currently head-coach at Temple University.
9. Ashley Hoffman
University of North Carolina
Hoffman is an American field hockey player that is currently playing in the Tulp Hoofdklasse. She played college field hockey at UNC, with whom she won the NCAA D1 National Championship in 2018. On top of that, she was named National Player of the Year and received the Honda Award, a prestigious award given to the best hockey player in the country. To honor Hoffman’s legacy at UNC, the Jersey 13 is retired and cannot be worn by other field hockey players at UNC. In 2020, she decided to move to the Netherlands to play for HDM.
8. Melissa Gonzalez
University of Connecticut
Gonzalez played her entire collegiate career at the University of Connecticut. She was selected for the NFHCA All-American first team, which includes the best 11 collegiate field hockey players of the year. She was also named Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Gonzalez has a total of 241 international caps with Team USA and has Olympic experience as well as World Championship experience. She was also part of Team USa that surprised the world during the Rabobank World Cup when they finished fourth in the tournament. She retired from field hockey in 2018. Now she is the head-coach at Yale university!
7. Amy Swensen
University of North Carolina
Amy is an American field hockey Goalie that played for the University of North Carolina. She represented Team USA from 2001-2013. The once recognized No.1 goalkeeper in the world played in two Olympic Games, two World Cups and multiple Pan American Games. She was named goalkeeper of the tournament during the World Cup in 2006.
6. Megan Frazer
University of Maryland
Originally from Ireland, Frazer decided to play field hockey at the University of Maryland. During her collegiate career, Frazer was able to win the NCAA Division 1 National Championship in 2010 and 2011. She was also named on the NFHCA All-American first team and won the Honda Award. On top of that, Frazer was named captain of the Irish National team that made it all the way to the final of the World Cup in 2018.
5. Ayeisha McFerran
University of Louisville
McFerran is another Irish field hockey international that played college field hockey in the U.S. Ayeisha was the goalkeeper of the University of Louisville, where she was named a four-time All-American. She competed in the World Cup in 2018 and was named goalkeeper of the tournament. She has also been nominated for FIH world goalkeeper of the year.
4. Marcia Pankratz
University of Iowa
Retired field hockey player Micha Pankratz played at the University of Iowa. She was also vice-captain of Team USA in 1985-1996. The National team was able to win a bronze medal during the Hockey World Cup, one of the best performances ever by Team USA. She also competed in the Olympics. Now, she is the head-coach at the University of Michigan, with whom she won their first NCAA Division 1 National Championship title for Michigan in women’s sports.
3. Pien Dicke
University of Virginia
Dicke is a Dutch international player that moved to the U.S. to play for the University of Virginia. At UVA, she won ACC freshman of the year, an award given to the best incoming freshman in the prestigious ACC Conference. She was also selected for the NFHCA All-American first team. After a successful year, Pien decided to move back home to join the Dutch National team U21. She was selected to join the Dutch senior team in 2020. She currently has 13 caps and is also playing in the Tulp Hoofdklasse for the First Ladies team of SCHC. She won a gold medal during both the European Championship as well as in the FIH Pro League.
2. Katie O’Donnell
University of Maryland
O’Donnel represented the University of Maryland and won the NCAA Division 1 National Championship in 2008, 2010 and 2011. She also received the Honda Award in 2010 and 2011 for her individual performance. On top of that, she was a two-time national player of the year and four-time ACC offensive player of the year. She also represented Team USA during the Olympics in Bejing and London. One of her career highlights was winning the Sportswoman of the Year award in 2010, previously won by Mia Hamm (soccer) and Serena and Venus Williams (tennis).
1. Erin Matson
University of North Carolina
Erin Matson is currently the best field hockey player in the United States. Some even call her the Michael Jordan of Field hockey. She is currently still playing for the University of North Carolina, with whom she won three consecutive NCAA Division 1 National Championships (2018, 2019, 2020). She also won several individual awards, including a two-time National Player of the year, three-time ACC player of the year and four-time All-American. In 2021, Matson was named by the ACC network as one of the top 10 female athletes in conference history. She has represented team USA since she was 16-years-old and has more than 50 caps.
As you can see, a lot of top field hockey players have built their careers from college field hockey. College field hockey is the stepping stone to the professional level. Would you like to play college field field hockey or are you curious about the possibilities? Our field field hockey team would love to contact you! Fill in our form!
