UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) announced that Penn State was one of the teams honored with a NFHCA National Academic Team Award for the 2025-26 season. The NFHCA also earlier last week announced members of the National Academic Squad and National Scholars of Distinction which multiple Penn State players were selected to.
In total, 11 members of the Penn State field hockey team, freshmen Maren Brady, Mia Clarkson, Cooper Cutchins, Hadley Hoffsmith, Josephine Purdy and Brooke Weaver as well as sophomores Riley O’Donnell, Hannah Schrekengaust, Carly Seal, Morgan Snyder and Katelyn Strawser were named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad. Of those 11, Brady, Cutchins, Hoffsmith, Schreckengaust and Seal were honored as National Scholars of Distinction by the NFHCA.
The National Academic Squad program honors undergraduate collegiate student-athletes and scholastic junior and senior student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or higher through the first semester of the current academic year.
The Scholars of Distinction program recognizes undergraduate student-athletes and scholastic junior and senior student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.90 or higher (on a 4.00 scale) through the first semester of the current academic year.
The National Academic Team Award recognizes programs that earned a team grade-point average of 3.5 or higher during the fall semester of the current academic year.
The Nittany Lions are now under the direction of newly appointed Head Coach Hannah Prince alongside associate head coach Mark Wadsley and assisted by Ally Hammel and Janelle Ward.