Feb. 2, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following a four year stent as a standout on the Nittany Lion field hockey team for coach Char Morett-Curtiss, Penn State alum Amanda Dinunzio is the newest member of the Team USA women's Field Hockey Team.
Dinunzio, who has spent the past four months training overseas in the Netherlands, will sign a contract to become the newest member of Team USA that will see her join the team in September of 2016.
"It's kind of crazy, it's hard to believe right now," said Dinunzio. "I've been working towards this for my entire life and to see it all paying off is incredible. When I got the email from Craig (Parnham), the head coach, he said we'd like to offer you a full time position starting in September, right away I knew this was what I was going to do. It's an incredible honor to play with these women on the USA National Team and I'm so grateful to be able to train at the highest level. "
"I grew up in State College. State College isn't really a big place for Field Hockey, so growing up we didn't have clubs or anything like that. Growing up I had to make a lot of sacrifices and travel to play on competitive teams which was a challenge at times. Once I knew this was what I wanted to do I had to commit and sacrifice and be all-in because I couldn't just stay in State College if I wanted to make my dream come true. I started playing in seventh-grade and played through middle school and high school. I couldn't just play in the school programs I had to make sure I was participating extra club teams and tournaments to make sure I was playing with the best competition possible and to push myself to get better year-round."
Dinunzio credited her success in part to the tremendous support from Penn State coaches Charlene Morett-Curtiss, Lisa Bervinchak-Love, and Stuart Smith
"Char, Stu, LB they have heled me so much and supported me the whole way, the best decision I made was coming to Penn State," said Dinunzio.
Coach Morett-Curtiss, who recruited Dinunzio to play for Penn State, had nothing but positive things to say about the former Nittany Lion making the USA national team.
"From the day I saw Amanda play field hockey in our youth field hockey program in the spring, she was just that type of athlete that was very attentive when we were coaching," said head coach Char Morett -Curtiss.
"She paid attention to details even at such a young age. Watching her improve in high school and then when she came to Penn State she just always had a passion for field hockey and was always trying to find a way to play in tournaments throughout the year. It's in her soul, that's what I think makes her such a good player is that she has such a passion for the sport and I think this has been a dream of hers and she did everything she could to make this dream come true. That meant being dedicated and being persistent and being independent with her training in Holland. I'm just so proud of her for the initiative she herself has taken on to make this dream come true but also the fact that she's representing Penn State makes us so so proud. "
Dinunzio will return back to the Netherlands March 1st thru May to continue training before joining the team in September at the home of USA Field Hockey in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at The Nook.
"The Netherlands is one of the top countries for field hockey and having the opportunity to train there has really helped me grow my game," said Dinunzio.
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