ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten have announced the 2026 Big Ten Field Hockey Players to Watch list. Penn State Field Hockey had three players named to the list: Sienna Dunn, Ella Gaitan and Lara Pyle.
One of nine newcomers to the Penn State squad, Dunn enters the year with a plethora of international experience. The Isle of Man-native was a member of England’s U16, U18 and U21 teams and was a 2025 England U21 team captain at the Junior World Cup. Dunn was a bronze medalist with Team England and a two-time BUCS gold medalist with the University of Nottingham.
Gaitan joins the Nittany Lions after a two-year tenure at Maryland. The forward saw action in 34 games as a Terrapin, starting 31, and accumulated 14 goals and 32 points. For her efforts, Gaitan was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2024 along with a stint on the 2024 US U21 National Team after being selected for the US U18 National Team in 2023.
A sophomore out of Brisbane, Pyle has solidified herself as a key cog in the Penn State machine. During her true freshman season, she played in 17 games, starting in 15 while securing an assist against Rutgers in the season finale. During her career prior to Penn State, Pyle was a three-time Australian national championship and a two-time captain for the Australian U16 team. Additionally, she has junior international experience after playing in the Mirnawan Cup in Malaysia with the Australian All-Star team in 2023.
Penn State field hockey is set to begin its 63rd season of competition and the first under newly appointed head coach Hannah Prince with a pair of non-conference home matches on Friday, August 28 at 4 p.m. against the Virginia Cavaliers and on Sunday, August 30 versus the Lock Haven Bald Eagles at 12 p.m. Both contests will be streamed on B1G+ and fans can attend every home game at no cost.
Visit GoPSUSports.com for the up-to-date information on Penn State Field Hockey. Fans can follow Penn State Field Hockey social media on Facebook at /pennstatefieldhockey as well as Twitter and Instagram @PennStateFH.