SANTIAGO, CHILE – NOVEMBER 4: A woman celebrates after scoring on a penalty shot against the Argentina national team during the women's hockey gold medal match played at Deportivo del Estadio Nacional Park on day 15 of the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago 2023. Ashley Sessa from the United States. April 2023, Santiago, Chile. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE (Charlotte Sports Live) — A U.S. Olympic candidate and former UNC Tar Heel field hockey player is donating equipment to local field hockey clubs.
Ashley Sessa is a member of the U.S. Women's National Field Team and donated equipment to clubs in Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Massachusetts.
Sessa is from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, and Charlotte is the new home of U.S. field hockey. The donation reduces the cost for new players entering the sport.
Her equipment provider, STX LLC, donated practice and game balls to Dawinton East Field Hockey in Exton, Pennsylvania, WC Eagles Field Hockey Club in Spring City, Pennsylvania, and Cape Cod Field Hockey Club in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts. To do. and Charlotte Ambush Field Hockey Club.
Officials say the latter two of these four clubs will also receive new STX field hockey sticks. Total donations to the four clubs equate to more than $7,500.
Sessa is only 19 years old and has been a member of the U.S. Women's National Team since 2021. She played for the University of North Carolina in 2022, her freshman year, and won the 2022 NCAA National Championship. She entered the transfer portal after the season and took the following school year off to train full-time with the women's national team in Charlotte and aim to qualify for Paris. Sessa plans to transfer to Northwestern University in the fall after the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Since joining the U.S. national team, she has won two gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal.
Sessa is currently training as one of 28 Olympic hopefuls vying for selection to the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team, which will be selected by U.S. Field Hockey's national governing body in June.
“As Ashley prepares for Paris this summer, we are counting on her to grow the sport of field hockey here in the U.S. and in Los Angeles,” said Justin MacDonald, director of marketing for STX. We hope that the number of participants will increase dramatically when the event is held.” International sports community in 2028. ”
I would like to contribute to the development of the game of field hockey in America. All young athletes should have the opportunity to participate in sports, regardless of their life circumstances. Team sports like this also teach many life skills, from teamwork to problem solving and overcoming adversity. Together with our partner, She STX, we were able to send equipment such as sticks, game balls, and practice balls to different communities that are making a difference and growing the game. These donations will allow more people to experience this amazing game. I hope I can inspire the next generation of athletes and potential college athletes and Olympians.
ashley sessa
