Philadelphia has a new super team, the Team USA women's field hockey team competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
They're the team to watch in Paris, packed with East Coast pride as the team features 12 women with ties to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, alone.
This team's genuine area pride goes from Conshohocken to Villanova to Princeton to Lancaster County.
Here's a look at some of the stars.
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DeBerdine Sisters hit the field for Team USA
Only a few parents can say their daughter plays in the Olympic Games. The odds are very low, but for the DeBerdines of Millersville, Pennsylvania, it is even more impressive that both daughters will play in the same event.
Brooke and Emma DeBerdine are not your average sisters. Even though they grew up just two years apart, their field hockey careers have always been intertwined. They played on youth teams together in middle school and played for their high school team at Penn Manor High School.
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Throughout their high school careers, they played with a competitive spirit that thrived off their sibling rivalry, which Brooke and Emma were familiar with growing up.
"I remember before each high school practice one year, our coach had us sprint the perimeter of the field, and we would be pushing each other for the inside lane to win the race," said Brooke DeBerdine in an interview with USA Field Hockey. "I do believe this competitiveness brought out a drive in us and definitely helped us get to where we are today."
The pair's relationship grew more as they got older, as the University of Maryland offered them experiences both on their own and together in a new setting. Brooke, the oldest of the duo, went to college first, choosing to attend school in College Park where she could be her own person without her sister. Following in her big sister's footsteps, Emma also became a Terrapin, and together, they played as proud sisters on the university's D-1 women's field hockey team.
They've worked hard enough in their respective sports to reach the Olympic Games' biggest athletic stage.
"As teammates on the field, I think it's special because we know how each other works, and it's obviously exciting to play with when you just know how each other works and click, and that telepathic feeling kind of comes in sometimes when you have a sister moment on the field, and that's really special," Brooke said.
The sisters carry quite a legacy, joined by fellow Keystone State native Kelee Lepage as former University of Maryland Terps who represent Team USA at the Olympic games. Their head coach, Missy Meharg, is known for producing field hockey Olympic athletes, and she celebrates 36 years of leading the athletic program.
"I recruit athletes right from high school who have the vision to be an Olympian.", said Coach Meharg.
"She [Missy Meharg] knew what kind of athletes Brooke and I were capable of being as she does with all of her athletes, and it was really a goal of hers to push us through and get us to here today," Emma said.
A couple of Team USA stars get training tips from Kylie Kelce
Team USA field hockey star-athletes and Philly natives Lepage and Ashley Sessa teamed up with Kylie Kelce, wife to former Eagles player Jason Kelce and former D-3 field hockey athlete at Cabrini University, to get their game on.
Kylie currently coaches high schoolers as a head varsity field hockey coach, but this time, she was on the other side, getting a feel for her stick again and learning some new tricks from America's best.
Lepage was born and raised in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania, and attended Twin Valley High School in Elverson. She has one silver world championship medal under her belt. Ever since her mom pushed her to participate in a field hockey camp in third grade, she fell in love with the sport and hasn't looked back.
Ashely Sessa, a current player at Northwestern University, was born and raised in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, and attended Episcopal Academy in Newton Square. At just 20 years old and one of the youngest on the roster, she already has five world championship medals, including two gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal. When she started playing the sport at her local YMCA at four years old, playing for the rest of her life was no doubt in her mind.
"It's every athlete's dream to go to the Olympics, and we did the hard work and qualified, so actually getting to go is a surreal moment," said Ashley Sessa.
Both have been passionate about field hockey for many years and are honored to represent their country and play in the Olympic games.
Other tri-state area field hockey athletes
More athletes who are joining the DeBerdine sisters, Lepage and Sessa from the area include:
- Leah Crouse who lives in Spring City, Pennsylvania.
- Phia Gladieux from Oley, Pennsylvania and attends Penn State University and lives in Conshohocken.
- Amanda Golini from Randolph, New Jersey, attended Lafayette College and lives in Conshy.
- Ashley Hoffman from Mohnton, Pennsylvania and lives in Conshy.
- Karlie Kisha from Hamburg, Pennsylvania and lives in Villanova
- Meredith Sholder from Fleetwood, Pennsylvania.
- Beth Yeager attends Princeton University in New Jersey.
- Maddie Zimmer from Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Field hockey starts competing on July 27, 2024, the day after the Opening Ceremony. They will face off Team Argentina at 1:45 pm ET.
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