Penn State Harrisburg Athletics is launching a brand-new field hockey program led by Head Coach AJ Misselhorn beginning in the fall of 2024. Recently, she joined Nittany Watch to discuss the program outlook and what is so exciting about field hockey at Penn State Harrisburg.
Misselhorn is a new face on the Harrisburg campus, but she brings with her an extensive coaching background that includes 14 years at the Division I level with Temple and Indiana as well as time spent coaching Warwick and Donegal high schools here in Central Pennsylvania. She said that she’s excited to return to the area, as it’s one of her favorites, and she’s thrilled that the roster is already starting to take shape.
“This is the area in the nation that’s the best in field hockey. I’ve coached all over the East Coast, and I really enjoy Central Pennsylvania. Great families, great for recruiting, so when the opportunity opened up I was really excited to take the job. Recruiting has been great. There are so many great high schools here, and we’re also trying to expand nationwide. Field hockey is the right sport for this school.
Misselhorn is no stranger to the coaching circuit, and she’s not only coached in many different schools but also in many states. She understands the importance of team culture, and emphasized her desire to create a field hockey culture defined by being “gritty, hardworking Americans.”
“Culture is really important. If we can build a good team culture where our players understand what makes us different, what makes us better than our opponents, and what brings us together, we’re able to succeed because we have that belief and trust in each other. We’re going to outwork and outrun our opponents and walk off the field proud of what we’re creating, whether we win or lose.”
Misselhorn emphasized how special and diverse Harrisburg is as a Division III school.
“I love the Division III model. We’re trying to give a great experience as a college student. We have team members involved in student government, we have a veteran, overall we have a pretty diverse team.”
Gurleen Grewal, a member of the field hockey team, also had the chance to share her thoughts about the new program.
“I’m really looking forward to field hockey being recognized as a Division III sport here at Penn State Harrisburg. We all got so much support from each individual on the team and we all stepped in to help support and build this team from scratch. Everyone should come out to help support the team and increase recognition. We will rise to win titles for Penn State Harrisburg!”
Misselhorn also encouraged everyone on the Penn State Harrisburg campus to come support field hockey this fall.
“We’re trying to make history and get this program started right. We have lots of home matches, and we want our program to be a point of community pride as we get together and support each other here at Penn State Harrisburg. We’re going to be a strong team and we’re excited for other people to come out and cheer us on.”
The first field hockey match of the year will take place on Wednesday, September 4th. To keep up with the brand-new field hockey program at Penn State Harrisburg, visit https://athletics.hbg.psu.edu/sports/fh/index.
