ARTICLE COURTESY USA FIELD HOCKEY:
Former Penn State Nittany Lion Annie Zinkovich, who played at Penn State from 2000 to 2003, is currently coaching with the USA Field Hockey Masters Teams in South Africa. Zinkavich was a three-time All-Big Ten honoree and two-time NFHCA All-Region selection during her days playing for former Lion mentor Char Morett-Curtiss.
COURTESY USAFH (full releases) -- HERE
The U.S. Men's and Women's Masters Teams are making a mark in international field hockey competition! Since last spring, USA Field Hockey has been working in conjunction with the U.S. Masters to assist the eleven teams competing or preparing for the World Masters Hockey (WMH) World Cups in Cape Town, South Afrida (October 12 to 21) and Auckland, New Zealand (November 7 to 16).
Each Masters team, consisting of athletes over age 35 in five-year increments, along with coaches, trainers and staff, have been busy planning, training and preparing for these international competitions to represent the USA professionally and with integrity for the game. These remarkable athletes embody a lifelong dedication to the sport. They continue to inspire, coach and foster vibrant communities across the country for field hockey to thrive.
To support the effort of these volunteer, self-funded programs and athletes, and to keep costs down, sponsors and individual donors have stepped up contributing more than $34,000, collectively, to offset the estimated $18,000 cost each team must bear to participate in these prestigious international competitions. The support from sponsors and donors doesn’t just cover the costs of teams to compete - it fuels the love for the sport for future generations as a sport for all, a sport for life.