As the U.S. women’s national field hockey team gears up for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, four Terps will make their Olympic debut.
Leah Crouse, Emma DeBerdine, Brooke DeBerdine and Kelee Lepage are four of the 16 athletes representing the United States in the Olympics. Maryland has the most players from any school on the roster; Penn State, Northwestern and North Carolina each have two players.
Crouse, 24, graduated from Maryland in 2022 after spending the previous four years at Duke, where she tallied 18 goals and 16 assists. Her lone season at Maryland was one of her best, as she posted 10 goals and five assists as a midfielder/forward en route to an All-Big Ten second-team selection.
During her national team career, Crouse has played in 48 matches and scored three goals. She started in all five games as a defender at the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Ranchi, India, and should reclaim her starting spot this summer.
Emma DeBerdine, 23, started in four of the five games in the Olympic qualifiers and has played in 44 games for the national team over the course of her career. She should be a staple at midfield in Paris.
During her four years at Maryland (2019-2022), Emma DeBerdine totaled 23 goals and 23 assists as a midfielder. She was twice named a member of the All-Big Ten first team and National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) third-team All-American (2019, 2022).
Emma DeBerdine and Crouse helped lead Maryland to a 19-4 record and Final Four appearance in 2022.
Brooke DeBerdine started in the only qualifying game her sister did not. The 25-year-old midfielder has played in 50 games for the national team, tallying one goal.
At Maryland, Brooke DeBerdine was twice named a team captain, recording four goals and six assists in five seasons (2017-2021). She was also the first Terp to start in 100 career games and was named an NFHCA All-American in 2020 and 2021.
Lepage played for the Terps from 2016 to 2019, accumulating 11 goals and 21 assists as a defender. Lepage and Brooke DeBerdine saw consistent playoff success as teammates at Maryland, making it to the national championship game in 2017 and 2018.
Lepage did not start in any of the qualifying games but has played in 42 contests for the national team in her career. She will most likely be used as a depth defender in the Olympics.
The United States is in Pool B and dropped their first match vs. Argentina on Saturday, losing 4-1. The U.S. will have upcoming games against Spain on July 29 and Australia on July 31. The U.S. will continue pool play against Great Britain on Aug. 1 and finish with South Africa on Aug. 3.
The semifinal rounds will take place on Aug. 7 and the gold medal game will be played on Aug. 9.
All matches throughout the Olympics will be streamed live on Peacock.
The team missed out on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and has not won a medal since taking home bronze in the Los Angeles Summer Games in 1984.
As heavy underdogs, a team filled with fresh faces and Terps look to shock the world.
