Olympians Shine in NCAA Play

Six U.S. Olympians returned to their college teams this fall, and all helped lead their team to strong performances throughout the season, and five into conference play and the NCAA Tournament.

Maddie Zimmer (Sr.) and Ashley Sessa (So.) and the No. 2 ranked Northwestern Wildcats punched their ticket to the 2024 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship Semifinals in Ann Arbor, Mich. this weekend, with a 3-2 OT win over Virginia the past Sunday. Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Sessa scored her 23rd goal of the season in the match, while Big Ten Player of the Year Zimmer, along with Sessa, assisted on teammate Lauren Wadas’ game-winning penalty corner goal just 3 minutes into overtime. Zimmer has 22 goals for the Wildcats this year. Northwestern improved to 21-1 on the season, tying the program record for wins. Northwestern will face the University of Massachusetts on Friday and are aiming for a win and a chance to secure a spot in the final on Sunday.

Beth Yeager (Jr.), assisted Princeton University to an outstanding season and was the unanimous choice once again for Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, an award she’s won three times now. Princeton ultimately fell to Saint Joseph’s 1-0 in the NCAA Quarterfinals.

Abby Tamer (Jr.) helped the University of Michigan make it to the final eight, notching 12 goals and 14 assists in the season. The Wolverines fell to Virginia, 1-2, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan finished its 2024 season with a 15-5 record, captured the Big Ten Tournament title and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the 20th time in program history.

Emma DeBerdine (Gr.) returned to the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. after competing for USA in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games alongside her sister, Brooke. DeBerdine had a fifth season of NCAA eligibility to compensate for the pandemic shortened season. She earned First Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Tournament Team accolades. The Terrapins exited the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a 1-0 loss to Duke.

Phia Gladieux (Gr.) put on her Penn State University Nittany Lions jersey for her final year of COVID eligibility. Although PSU did not advance to the Big Ten or NCAA Tournaments, Gladieux had a successful final campaign after being named Penn State’s All-Time Leading Goal Scorer and Points Leader, on her way to being named First Team All-Big Ten.