Anna Krebs and Lauren Sloan have played field hockey together since middle school, when they were both members of the Kentucky International Field Hockey Club.
Krebs is one year older, so they will be in the same age group every two years and play together.
In high school, Krebs will play at Assumption High School, while Sloan will be entering his senior year at Christian Academy.
The two teamed up again this summer to compete on the U.S. Under-18 women's field hockey team.
“When I found out I'd been selected for the U-18 national team, it was a really cool moment,” Krebs said, “and then I was given the captaincy on the road, so I was really excited. It was a big moment in my career as a field hockey player.”
There are only 19 field hockey teams in the state of Louisville, but two of Louisville's best teams are on track to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The next step for the girls on their path to the national team is scheduled to begin Sunday (July 14), when Sloan and Krebs will compete in the Senior Nexus Championship, which features 144 collegiate and post-collegiate players.
“It all starts with the Nexus Tournament, a tournament in July where you get selected for a kind of tryout,” Krebs said. “From there, selections will be made and it will determine who will be on the team. We will have training camps probably once a month and through those camps we will select the traveling roster and determine if they will travel overseas and play in games.”
How the road to the U.S. National Field Hockey Team began for Anna Krebs and Lauren Sloan
Although field hockey has only been a KHSAA-sanctioned sport for 10 years, the sport's two powerhouses, Assumption University and CAL, have won a combined six titles.
Krebs' sister, Caroline, played four years at Assumption High School and is on Providence's field hockey team.
Anne Marie Krebs plays field hockey at CAL and is a sophomore on the Ohio State University team.
Anna was a four-year starter and led the Rockets to their fourth KHSAA state title in 2022.
Following her senior season, Anna was named Miss Field Hockey 2023 by the Kentucky High School Field Hockey Coaches Association.
Anna will graduate in the spring and continue her field hockey career at Northwestern University.
“Anna is an incredibly hard worker and is reaping the rewards of the sacrifices she has made. She has missed dances, spring break trips, parties and vacations to pursue her dreams. She makes it look easy, but it is far from it,” Assumption High School coach Jody Schafer said. “I am confident she will not only thrive on the field, but in the classroom as well. She embodies the mission of Assumption High School field hockey: to develop strong, tenacious and happy young women through field hockey.”
During the 2023 KHSAA season, Anna Krebs and Sloan faced off in a hard-fought championship game. CAL won its first state title since 2017, 3-2, with Sloan being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
“It's always fun to play a really competitive game here. Assumption is always a very competitive game,” Sloan said. “We just try to play with a lot of respect at the end of the day. We're all friends, we're all teammates.”
Kentucky has produced a number of talented field hockey players in recent years, but CAL coach Chris Ward called the Virginia product a “generational talent.”
“I'm very proud of her accomplishments and the list of awards and accolades she's won over the past few years,” Ward said of Sloan. “She's really talented and I think she'll have a great collegiate career. I think she'll continue to be in the pipeline for USA Field Hockey as she gets a little older.”
Sports writer Prince James Story can be reached at pstory@gannett.com and follow @PrinceJStory on X.
This article originally appeared in the Louisville Courier Journal: Assumption, UC field hockey stars continue on path to 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
