KINGSTON – Kelsey Kolojejchick, Paige Selenski and Kat Sharkey thrived from the start as just three of the reasons the Wyoming Valley Conference has been respected for years as one of the best high school field hockey leagues in the country.
With positions on the United States Women’s National Team well-established, the three WVC graduates continue to elevate their status, now excelling among the best players in the entire world.
Just 36 hours after providing the latest proof of the United States’ ongoing climb in women’s field hockey, the three were back at home in Luzerne County among a group of USA Field Hockey representatives presenting the Red, White, Blue and You Clinic at Wyoming Seminary’s Klassner Field Sunday.
The near-future is safe in the hands of the three former local stars and their current teammates, but they are also intent on laying the groundwork for future growth of the sport, both locally and nationally.
During a question-and-answer session after working with the girls on the field, Sharkey told players that her biggest thrill to date has been playing in the 2014 Women’s World Cup in The Netherlands where field hockey is treated like the number-one sport.
“We’re still working on trying to make field hockey as popular as we can in this country,” Sharkey said.
Interacting with young fans and helping them become better at the game is part of that process.
Sunday’s clinic, split into a morning session for middle school players and an afternoon session for high school players, was designed for players ready to pick up advanced skills in the game.
With players learning the game at an earlier age and advancements in equipment, skills and techniques, the national team players are busy teaching higher-level approaches to the game sooner than when they were introduced to them just a decade ago.
“Something that I really pride myself on is my backhand hits, which is something I really didn’t learn until late in high school and on into college,” said Selenski, a 25-year-old who made the national team in 2010 during her career as an All-American at the University of Virginia. “I didn’t master it until the middle of college or end of college.
“There’s a little 10-year-old girl here, who just has an incredible backhand. It’s pretty incredible to see that.”
The three former local standouts were joined by two teammates – Jill Witmer from Lancaster and goalkeeper Alesha Widdall from Whitney Point, N.Y. – and USA Field Hockey representatives, including Keli Smith Puzo from Lewisburg. Puzo played in two Olympic Games, including in 2012 as a teammate of Selenski’s in London, and now serves as the National Athlete Development Manager.
“We develop the curriculum to be a bit more advanced, higher-level skill for players who basically want to learn new tricks and take their game to the next level,” Puzo said.
These are happy times for USA Field Hockey, which has a similar clinic planned in New Jersey Monday after working with 21 younger girls and 65 high school players Sunday.
With Kolojejchick and a strong defensive effort leading the way, the United States officially locked up a spot in the tournament at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and captured its second straight Pan American Games championship, all in the last several days.
Kolojejchick was the tournament’s second-leading scorer with seven goals in six games. The Wyoming Seminary graduate from Larksville led all players in the eight-team event in field goals – those that are not the result of a penalty corner or penalty stroke.
The clinic participants, who came from Maryland and southern parts of Pennsylvania as well as local programs, arrived aware of that success.
“When we met before, Keli Smith told us they all knew,” Kolojejchick said. “I think that makes it more exciting for them.
“They’re thinking, ‘oh my goodness, they just won a Pan Am gold.’ It’s something they should respond to and work hard because maybe they’re thinking we know a lot more.”
Selenski had goals in three straight games during the tournament. The Dallas graduate from Shavertown started every game at forward.
While the offense was clicking, scoring 12 and 15 goals in consecutive games against overmatched opponents, the defense came within two minutes of going unscored upon in the entire tournament. After finally allowing a goal, the fifth-ranked U.S. team held off Argentina, the world’s third-ranked team, 2-1 in Friday night’s final.
“It’s a huge confidence boost, not only as an individual, but as an entire team,” Selenski said of the tournament exploits.
Sharkey, who shared the team scoring lead in the World League Semifinals in June, spent the day on crutches protecting a broken left ankle that was surgically repaired earlier this month. The Wyoming Seminary graduate from Moosic missed the Pan Am Games after suffering the injury at practice, but is aiming to be back on the field this fall, continuing her drive to be on the roster for next year’s Olympic Games.
“I definitely was not able to demonstrate physically as much as I had been in the past,” said Sharkey, who never missed a game during her four years at Princeton University where she was a national scoring champion. “I’m doing my best to verbally explain tactical and technical pieces of the game to them.
“But, also I’m just trying to get to know them, their goals and what they want to learn about field hockey. They have a lot of questions for me about my experiences.”
With Sharkey out of the lineup in Toronto, Kolojejchick split time between her normal position of offensive midfielder and filling in at forward as part of the rotation the team uses at both positions. The former University of North Carolina All-American made the most of more offensive chances.
The four-goal game was her biggest since playing at Wyoming Seminary.
“Because Kat wasn’t able to make it, I had to step up into a more offensive role,” Kolojejchick said. “I just live for big tournaments. There’s just something else that comes out of me.”
With the latest effort, the U.S. women are assured of the chance to play in more big tournaments.
