Photo by: USA Field Hockey / World Sport Pics
Zimmer, Sessa Named to USA Field Hockey Olympic Roster
6/11/2024 1:00:00 PM | Field Hockey
EVANSTON, Ill. – Wildcats Maddie Zimmer and Ashley Sessa will officially join Tracey Fuchs at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, USA Field Hockey announced Tuesday afternoon. Sessa and Zimmer are among the 16 athletes selected to Head Coach David Passmore's Olympic roster.
This will be the first Olympics for both Zimmer and Sessa, who each took a red-shirt season in 2023 to train with the United Eagles. The pair helped Team USA to their qualifying berth in Ranchi, India, in January of this year, contributing to three wins in pool play ahead of the team's 2-1 defeat of Japan in the semifinal to secure their Olympic bid.
Zimmer, who will be a red-shirt senior this fall, will add Olympic appearances to what is already an impressive resume in both collegiate and international play. A three-time All-American, Zimmer was named the 2020-21 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in the 'Cats' 2021 National Championship season. She recently registered her 50th cap with Team USA on May 26 during the FIH Pro League mini tournament in London. Her stand-out performance in the Ranchi qualifiers earned her back-to-back Player of the Match honors and helped the United Eagles to their Olympic berth.
Sessa, a red-shirt sophomore, has excelled as part of Team USA as well, also reaching the 50-cap milestone last week in London. She played a key role in the semifinal victory in Ranchi, earning Player of the Match, and scored the deciding goal in the United Eagles' recent victory over Germany in the FIH Pro League. She'll make her Wildcat debut this fall after beginning her collegiate career at North Carolina, where she won a National Championship in 2022.
Northwestern Head Coach Fuchs will serve as an assistant on Passmore's staff during the games - her first Olympics as a coach for the Eagles. Fuchs competed in both the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and the 1996 games in Atlanta, where Team USA finished eighth and fifth respectively. Her playing career included 268 international caps, a gold medal in the 2002 World Cup, and five medals at the Pan American Games. She previously served on USA Field Hockey's coaching staff for the 2006 World Cup as well as for this year's Olympic qualifiers.
Fuchs, Sessa, Zimmer and the United Eagles will begin play in Paris on July 27, when they're set to take on Argentina in pool play. Field hockey competition will take place at the Yves-Du-Manoir Stadium and will run through August 9. Team USA's opening match will be broadcast on CNBC, with the majority of the following games to be broadcast on USA.
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— Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) June 11, 2024
Ashley Sessa and Maddie Zimmer have been named to @USAFieldHockey's Olympic roster! ?? pic.twitter.com/ZscFG3nYua
This will be the first Olympics for both Zimmer and Sessa, who each took a red-shirt season in 2023 to train with the United Eagles. The pair helped Team USA to their qualifying berth in Ranchi, India, in January of this year, contributing to three wins in pool play ahead of the team's 2-1 defeat of Japan in the semifinal to secure their Olympic bid.
Zimmer, who will be a red-shirt senior this fall, will add Olympic appearances to what is already an impressive resume in both collegiate and international play. A three-time All-American, Zimmer was named the 2020-21 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in the 'Cats' 2021 National Championship season. She recently registered her 50th cap with Team USA on May 26 during the FIH Pro League mini tournament in London. Her stand-out performance in the Ranchi qualifiers earned her back-to-back Player of the Match honors and helped the United Eagles to their Olympic berth.
Sessa, a red-shirt sophomore, has excelled as part of Team USA as well, also reaching the 50-cap milestone last week in London. She played a key role in the semifinal victory in Ranchi, earning Player of the Match, and scored the deciding goal in the United Eagles' recent victory over Germany in the FIH Pro League. She'll make her Wildcat debut this fall after beginning her collegiate career at North Carolina, where she won a National Championship in 2022.
Northwestern Head Coach Fuchs will serve as an assistant on Passmore's staff during the games - her first Olympics as a coach for the Eagles. Fuchs competed in both the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and the 1996 games in Atlanta, where Team USA finished eighth and fifth respectively. Her playing career included 268 international caps, a gold medal in the 2002 World Cup, and five medals at the Pan American Games. She previously served on USA Field Hockey's coaching staff for the 2006 World Cup as well as for this year's Olympic qualifiers.
Fuchs, Sessa, Zimmer and the United Eagles will begin play in Paris on July 27, when they're set to take on Argentina in pool play. Field hockey competition will take place at the Yves-Du-Manoir Stadium and will run through August 9. Team USA's opening match will be broadcast on CNBC, with the majority of the following games to be broadcast on USA.
Players Mentioned
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