Paris 2024: Ready To Make Their Mark

Growing up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Brooke and Emma DeBerdine dreamed of representing their country while playing field hockey. 

The United States women’s national field hockey team was based just 15 minutes from the DeBerdines at the time. Some of their players even coached the sisters’ club team. Being surrounded by the best allowed the sisters to fulfill their dreams, as both were named to the U.S. Olympic women's field hockey team, which is gearing up to debut at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 

Before reaching the world's biggest stage, Brooke and Emma had decorated careers at the University of Maryland. But more impressively, they join an Olympic roster comprising one-fourth of former Terps, making Maryland field hockey the program with the greatest representation. 

“So many of our supporters are coming from the Maryland community, and I think that's special,” Emma, a two-time All-American forward for the Terps from 2019-22, said. “I think having so many of us on the roster really shows tribute to how amazing Maryland field hockey is and the kind of culture and traditions they've created. I think it's special that we get to represent that and show it on such a high level.”

Maryland field hockey’s list of representatives on the 16-player roster includes Brooke and Emma DeBerdine, Leah Crouse and Kelee Lepage. The school has twice as many players on the roster as Northwestern, North Carolina and Penn State. The Terps’ current assistant coach, Jenny Rizzo, is also part of the team. She’s a provisional athlete and will travel to Paris with the team. The U.S. opens play against Argentina on July 27, making its first Olympic appearance since Rio 2016. 

Missy Meharg, head coach of Maryland field hockey, coached all four of the former Terps set to appear on the national stage. Overall, Meharg coached 11 players who have gone on to make Olympic rosters. She was also an assistant coach for the U.S. national team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

“[The pride is] being able to be a place where people can hone in on their love of the game and being able to play it at the highest level for as long as they possibly can,” Meharg said. “Maryland is a place for athletes to come, hone in on the game, love it so much and be inspired by the coaching staff and the former players that have played here. If you follow the program's lineage, which includes loving the game and playing at the highest level for as long as possible, the results can be endless.”

The four Maryland alumnae have a combined 184 national team appearances. Crouse and Emma competed for the U.S. team that won the silver medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. All four have also spent at least one season in the International Hockey Federation Pro League.

“At the Pan American Games, we got to play Argentina twice,” Emma said. “This past pro league, we got to play the Netherlands, Argentina, Belgium and Germany, the best teams in the world. It prepares you to play the rest of these high-intensity, high-caliber teams we will face next month.”

The University of Maryland’s representation at the Paris Olympics is a testament to the field hockey program’s dominance and ability to produce the nation’s best athletes. The Terps have won eight NCAA Tournament Championships, seven of which occurred during the Meharg era. 

Emma says playing field hockey at Maryland and receiving coaching from Meharg and others on the staff significantly impacted her readiness to compete internationally after graduating in 2022. Katie Bam was an assistant on the Terps’ staff from 2017-21, coaching three of the four Maryland Olympians. She won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's best female collegiate field hockey player as a student-athlete at Maryland in 2010 and 2011. Bam was also part of Maryland’s 2008 national championship team before representing the U.S. at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics Games. 

Another Olympian, current assistant Scott Tupper, also coached all but one of Maryland’s 2024 Olympians. He provided a wealth of knowledge with his extensive Olympic background. Tupper appeared in three Olympic Games (2008, 2016 and 2020) and holds the Canadian record for goals in an Olympic Games with the five goals he scored in Rio 2016.

“I just encouraged all the girls to make sure they manage themselves well leading up to departure,” Tupper said. “Taking rest and personal time when needed, knowing when you just need to put your feet up and turn the phone off. It's an exciting, stressful time leading up to the games, but it's important to make sure you arrive in the village with a full battery. Once there, just enjoy it. There are going to be ups and downs, but just approach each day the right way, and don't get too high after a win or too low after a loss. Have fun, play hard and leave it all out on the field.”

Each athlete on Team USA’s roster with ties to Maryland had a standout college career. Three of the four also played the 2019 season alongside each other, a season in which the Terps finished 17-4. But they all remain connected with each other and the university, as Meharg often reaches out to them in group texts. 

Brooke says sharing the accomplishment of making the U.S. national team and qualifying for the Olympics with her sister and fellow Terps makes it more meaningful. In 2022, she was named the Big Ten’s Medal of Honor recipient and the University of Maryland’s Student-Athlete of the Year. Brooke was also the first Terrapin to start 100 career games and owns the program record for starts with 104. 

“All four of us coming from one school, and now Jenny being involved with the program as well, is just amazing,” Brooke, a two-time All-American midfielder from 2017-21, said. “It just pays tribute to all the athletes that have come before us and our teammates that constantly pushed us to this level. And obviously, the gold level standard that Missy has with her coaching staff and how they bring us up and develop us as people and as athletes.”

The U.S., ranked No. 13 globally, is coached by David Passmore and enters Paris in Pool B, including Australia, Argentina, Great Britain, Spain and South Africa. They will play in one of the most iconic stadiums in French sporting history, Yves du Manoir Stadium, which hosted the first Olympic Games in Paris in 1924.

Team USA clinched its spot in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with an exhilarating 2-1 win against Japan in the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Olympic Qualifier semifinal in January, where the top three nations earned Olympic berths. USA scored both of its goals in the fourth quarter. 

More impressively, Team USA entered the qualifiers as one of the lowest-ranked teams, holding the No. 15 designation. On the way to the berth, they beat three higher-ranked teams, including No. 6 India, No. 11 New Zealand and No. 9 Japan.

The U.S. has won one Olympic medal in women’s field hockey, a bronze medal in 1984. The U.S. women’s team qualified for the Olympics each year from 2008-16, with a best finish of fifth in 2016. Emma, her Terp teammates and the rest of Team USA’s squad are ready to make their mark in Paris.   

“It definitely feels very surreal,” Emma said. “I just feel very honored and have a lot of pride. It hasn't exactly kicked in yet. I don't think it will until we get there or until we have our first game. I'm excited to see all the emotions and feelings that it brings, but right now, I'm just feeling a lot of pride, and I’m very excited.”