UNIVERSITY PARK Pa. — If you asked sophomore Jemma Punch this past spring if she'd be returning home to Australia for the rest of the year and even the fall 2020 semester, she wouldn't have believed you. Covid-19 has impacted not only students and athletes in America but all around the world. Punch had to return to her hometown of McDowall, Australia after the spring season was canceled and school at Penn State was moved to virtual learning. After only having classes in person for one semester, her first semester, it was all going to change again when she left State College Pa.
Punch started her field hockey career at a very young age of 5 years old, where her love for the sport began and grew. When it was time to start thinking about her future, Punch thought it would be a great opportunity to study and play in the U.S. Her and her father put together a YouTube video of all her skills and game play for universities to check out. Penn State was just one on the list of a few universities that Punch could possibly attend.
Penn State field hockey has had international players on their team prior to Punch, starting back in 2015 with Aurelia Meijer from Hattem, Netherlands. Head coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss has believed in and continues to see the importance in developing the talent in the U.S. and at Penn State. When recruiting international players, Morett-Curtiss want to know that the player is also committed to getting an education, in addition to playing the sport.
Punch was considered by Penn State when assistant coach Stuart Smith reached out and expressed interest. Smith is from Australia himself and is familiar with the club teams and coaches from there as well. Punch had played field hockey at her high school as well as a club team for several years and had made a name for herself as one of the top youth players in all of Australia. Smith and Punch spoke over Skype calls, which led to Punch ultimately making her decision to further her athletic and educational career at Penn State.
"I just heard the enthusiasm they had in their voices and the positivity, it is such a family-based team that I knew I'd look back on and say it was the best four years of my life," Punch said.
When Punch arrived at Penn State in the summer of 2019 to start her classes, it was the first time Punch had seen the campus. She was able to get acclimated with her team and school when training started. Last year's season ended for the Nittany Lions in an overtime loss in the Big Ten Championship game against Iowa. Punch played in all 20 games last season as a freshman and finished third on the team in scoring with 13 points.
"I really just love the atmosphere here, everyone is just so passionate including the fans and the other players' families that really take you in as your own," Punch said.
When asked about Punch and how her first season with Penn State went, Morett-Curtiss commented on the type of player Punch has become and the amount of growth she has seen since the first game of the season to the start of the spring season.
"We had great talks in the beginning of the season about being confident, and she really began to put herself out there more, got out of her comfort zone and as a result just became a stronger player because of it," Morett-Curtiss said.
Punch had a great first-year experience and felt like she was a part of the Penn State family. Aside from training and playing with her team, Punch had a lot of fun last year when she, some of the other freshmen and sophomores joined a team for the intramural basketball league. They also enjoyed going downtown for dinner together, often to The Corner Room.
After leaving Penn State and heading back to Australia in March, Punch had to quarantine in a hotel when she landed for two weeks before returning to her family's household. Seeing her family through a window for the first time in months wasn't exactly the way Punch pictured it, but she was happy to be back home.
Field hockey hasn't stopped for Punch since March. She trained with her club team and was eventually allowed to participate in their games, ultimately helping lead her team to a title this year. Punch has balanced playing, studying and working at a local café during her time home and is now playing indoor hockey. Punch and her three younger siblings are all involved in field hockey so if it isn't her game or practice, she's attending one of her family members.
She has been staying connected with Penn State in all different ways. Her teammates call and text her almost every day, and when there is one of them on the phone there are six others. E-mail has been a big way she has kept in touch with Morett-Curtiss and the rest of the coaching staff. They share any exciting news they have and provide updates on each other's lives, such as Punch's family recently moving into another home these past few weeks.
A Zoom call with the coaching staff and Punch took place only a couple days ago where they discussed when she would return to Penn State. Punch didn't come back to the U.S. earlier with the uncertainty of how restrictions would work for the fall semester and she didn't want to risk not being able to travel home again. With the season starting in the spring with conference games, Punch will be returning to the U.S. right before school starts again after winter break in January. She couldn't be more excited to get back to doing what she loves with her team.