UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team will be represented at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer as current Nittany Lion Sophia Gladieux has been selected to the United States Field Hockey National Team that will compete in France. Gladieux, a four-year starter at Penn State, will return for a fifth season in the fall of 2024. In addition, former Nittany Lion goalie Jenny Rizzo has been named a provisional athlete for the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.
Gladieux has earned her first trip to the Olympic Games, continuing to build upon a legendary Penn State career. She picked up her third straight first team All-America honor and her fourth overall (she was a second team pick as a freshman in 2020). Gladieux led Penn State in scoring this year with 45 points off a team-best 21 goals and three assists. She has 158 career points off 74 goals and 10 assists to go along with 22 game-winning goals.
Gladieux is now fourth all-time at Penn State in scoring with 158 career points off 74 goals and 10 assists and has 22 career game winning goals. The honor caps off another superb awards season for the Penn State forward. Gladieux was first team All-Big Ten, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, 2023 All-Big Ten Tournament Team and first team NFHCA All-Region. In addition to being a four-time All-American, Gladieux is a four-time first team All-Region pick, a four-time first team All-Big Ten selection, a two-time NFHCA Regional Player of the Year, a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and has been honored as both the Big Ten Player of the Year and Penn State's Female Athlete of the Year.
The Boyertown, Pa., native becomes the fourth Nittany Lion field hockey player to be named to a U.S. Olympic field hockey team. Chris Larson and former head coach Char Morett-Curtiss were on the 1980 and 1984 teams and Brenda Stauffer was also on the 1984 team, giving Penn State three players on the team that won Bronze in Los Angeles.
Rizzo, who played at Penn State from 2015-18, was a four-year letter winner at Penn State. She started in goal for the Nittany Lions. Rizzo earned All-Big Ten honors twice as a Penn Stater and was part of three NCAA tournament teams. Rizzo was also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a two-time NFHCA National All-Academic Team member.
Rizzo capped off her Penn State career with a superb senior season that saw her tally 73 saves with a .730 save percentage, a 1.60 goals against average and four shutouts. She helped lead Penn State to a 12-6 record, 6-2 in the Big Ten and a trip to the NCAA tournament that year. The year prior, Penn State went 17-5 overall and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals with Rizzo in the cage.
The field hockey portion of the 2024 Paris Games begins on Saturday, July 27 and concludes with the Gold Medal game on Sunday, August 9. The United States in in Pool B and begins play on July 27 against Argentina.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Nittany Lion field hockey team online at www.GoPSUsports.com (click teams, click field hockey), on X/Twitter @pennstateFH and on facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatefieldhockey.