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Margaux Paolino
Photo by: Mark Palczewski
National Passion
9/25/2019 11:30:00 AM | Field Hockey
Blue Devils Learn from USA Field Hockey Involvement
The summer of 2018 marked an exhilarating one for Duke field hockey head coach and 1996 U.S. Olympic team member Pam Bustin, who cheered on three current and former Blue Devils representing the United States in the 2018 Vitality Women's Hockey World Cup.
This past offseason has provided more of the same pride for Bustin, with Blue Devils fanning out across the globe to don the red, white and blue at a variety of national and international tournaments.
Headlining the bunch is senior midfielder Margaux Paolino, who has been on the U.S. senior national team roster since 2018. Paolino burst onto the scene in impactful fashion, scoring in her senior national team debut earlier that spring. She was officially added to the team roster in March and spent the spring of her sophomore season balancing school work at Duke with travel and training with the national team.
After becoming one of 18 athletes tapped to Team USA's 2018 World Cup roster, Paolino made her presence felt that summer in London, recording two goals in tournament pool play.
"Knowing that I've played in big tournaments and now being a part of the women's national team, it's so exciting," Paolino said last year. "It's one of the things I dreamed of when I was younger … It's something I can bring back to school now, knowing that I can make a difference on the field, whether it's in international games or being at Duke."
Paolino continued to balanced commitments to the senior national team and to the Duke Blue Devils – as well as her academic pursuits – over the following year. This past summer brought even more international caps for the Villanova, Pa., native, as Paolino was named to the 25-athlete squad that represented the U.S. in the newly-formed International Hockey Federation (FIH) Pro League. The elite competition featured the top nine nations playing each other in a regular season that stretched from January to June. From there, Paolino and the U.S. squad rolled into July's Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Though Team USA came up just shy of 2020 Olympic qualification, taking the bronze in Lima, Paolino gained valuable experience as a member of the squad's starting lineup. She will return to action with the team later this fall as the U.S. continues its mission to qualify for Tokyo 2020.
Having worked her way through the USA Field Hockey system as she's grown has helped Paolino reach some of the highest stages of international play – and make her mark as one of the top players in NCAA action.
"Playing with U-17, U-19 and at Duke — just consistently playing field hockey I was constantly growing," Paolino said. "A lot of the college coaches would be the coaches for the U-17, U-19 teams so you'd learn different styles of play, different techniques, skill. I just took all of that information and brought it to Duke. And since it was every day playing at school here and then in the summer being with them and playing with them, it just all came together."
The combination of Paolino's experiences has also benefitted and inspired her Duke teammates.
"[Margaux] is one of those people who just makes everybody around her better," says Blue Devil freshman and current U.S. U-19 national team member Josie Varney. "I've only been playing with her for about a month now and we've all learned so much from her. The experience she brings and the level of intensity she has from the national team is something that we all learn from and that we all benefit from every single day."
Prior to arriving on campus late this summer, Varney and several other Blue Devils accumulated experiences of their own representing the United States. A midfielder from Smithfield, Maine, Varney was joined in January by Duke teammates Leah Crouse, Mary Harkins, Hannah Miller and Kelsey Reznick in being named to the 2019 U.S. U-19 team. At the same time, senior back Jillian Wolgemuth was tabbed to the 2019 U.S. U-21 national squad. To round out the full Blue Devil contingent, Duke assistant coach Ralph Boersma also serves as an assistant coach for the U.S. U-19 team.
"If you play in the USA Field Hockey system it's a big commitment, next to the commitment you have here [at Duke]," Boersma said. "These girls obviously love the game, they love to get better and they love to represent their country … We're very lucky that we attract that kind of player."
During the spring, Wolgemuth embarked on a playing tour of Germany with the U.S. U-21 national team and Boersma helped oversee a U-19 tour to Germany. Crouse, Miller and Varney were all selected to take part as the U-19 team matched up with U-18 squads from Germany and Belgium in April.
Duke's success within the USA Field Hockey system continued throughout the summer months, as Paolino continued to train and travel with the senior national team and Bustin's program had nine student-athletes invited to compete in June's Young Women's National Championship (YWNC) at the home of USA Field Hockey in Lancaster, Pa. On the roster of 144 total athletes selected were Wolgemuth and fellow senior Haley Schleicher, junior Lily Posternak, Crouse and fellow sophomore Olivia Sahaydak and incoming freshmen Harkins, Miller, Reznick and Varney.
"It's been really instrumental for my class," Varney said of playing with and against current Duke teammates before Duke's preseason even began. "A lot of the sophomores and most of the girls in my class, we've played together for years, which really shows up on the field and off the field. We're all such great friends."
Four Blue Devils advanced with their squads to the YWNC gold medal match, with Schleicher notching a goal and an assist for her team and Varney finding the back of the cage for the U.S. U-19 team. Varney was joined by Crouse and Miller on the U-19 squad, which rounded out the five-day tournament with a 4-2 victory. Following the event, Schleicher and Wolgemuth were among the athletes tabbed to move on to the next step in USA Field Hockey's Olympic Development Pathway, the Women's Development Team Selection Camp.
Boersma and Duke assistant coach Wesley Ann Boersma – who were married in another exciting summer moment for the Duke field hockey family – were both on hand in Lancaster to see the Blue Devils excel in full force. In addition, Ralph also had the opportunity to travel to the Pan American Games in Lima to watch Paolino and the senior national team compete, and while there completed an FIH Level 3 coaching course on site.
"For me, being able to work with a couple of those girls in that international setting is huge for us," Ralph said of his coaching opportunity with the U.S. U-19 team. "Great to see those girls shine on that podium. And with Margaux playing on the senior level, that's something really cool for our program and for the outside world to see you can go to Duke, you can play for us, but you can also pursue these ambitions.
"It all starts with Pam's passion for USA Field Hockey. Being an alum, having coached essentially all the teams you can possibly coach within USA Field Hockey, her passion for that is something Wes and I completely made our own."
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This past offseason has provided more of the same pride for Bustin, with Blue Devils fanning out across the globe to don the red, white and blue at a variety of national and international tournaments.
Headlining the bunch is senior midfielder Margaux Paolino, who has been on the U.S. senior national team roster since 2018. Paolino burst onto the scene in impactful fashion, scoring in her senior national team debut earlier that spring. She was officially added to the team roster in March and spent the spring of her sophomore season balancing school work at Duke with travel and training with the national team.
After becoming one of 18 athletes tapped to Team USA's 2018 World Cup roster, Paolino made her presence felt that summer in London, recording two goals in tournament pool play.
"Knowing that I've played in big tournaments and now being a part of the women's national team, it's so exciting," Paolino said last year. "It's one of the things I dreamed of when I was younger … It's something I can bring back to school now, knowing that I can make a difference on the field, whether it's in international games or being at Duke."
Paolino continued to balanced commitments to the senior national team and to the Duke Blue Devils – as well as her academic pursuits – over the following year. This past summer brought even more international caps for the Villanova, Pa., native, as Paolino was named to the 25-athlete squad that represented the U.S. in the newly-formed International Hockey Federation (FIH) Pro League. The elite competition featured the top nine nations playing each other in a regular season that stretched from January to June. From there, Paolino and the U.S. squad rolled into July's Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Though Team USA came up just shy of 2020 Olympic qualification, taking the bronze in Lima, Paolino gained valuable experience as a member of the squad's starting lineup. She will return to action with the team later this fall as the U.S. continues its mission to qualify for Tokyo 2020.
Having worked her way through the USA Field Hockey system as she's grown has helped Paolino reach some of the highest stages of international play – and make her mark as one of the top players in NCAA action.
"Playing with U-17, U-19 and at Duke — just consistently playing field hockey I was constantly growing," Paolino said. "A lot of the college coaches would be the coaches for the U-17, U-19 teams so you'd learn different styles of play, different techniques, skill. I just took all of that information and brought it to Duke. And since it was every day playing at school here and then in the summer being with them and playing with them, it just all came together."
The combination of Paolino's experiences has also benefitted and inspired her Duke teammates.
"[Margaux] is one of those people who just makes everybody around her better," says Blue Devil freshman and current U.S. U-19 national team member Josie Varney. "I've only been playing with her for about a month now and we've all learned so much from her. The experience she brings and the level of intensity she has from the national team is something that we all learn from and that we all benefit from every single day."
Prior to arriving on campus late this summer, Varney and several other Blue Devils accumulated experiences of their own representing the United States. A midfielder from Smithfield, Maine, Varney was joined in January by Duke teammates Leah Crouse, Mary Harkins, Hannah Miller and Kelsey Reznick in being named to the 2019 U.S. U-19 team. At the same time, senior back Jillian Wolgemuth was tabbed to the 2019 U.S. U-21 national squad. To round out the full Blue Devil contingent, Duke assistant coach Ralph Boersma also serves as an assistant coach for the U.S. U-19 team.
"If you play in the USA Field Hockey system it's a big commitment, next to the commitment you have here [at Duke]," Boersma said. "These girls obviously love the game, they love to get better and they love to represent their country … We're very lucky that we attract that kind of player."
During the spring, Wolgemuth embarked on a playing tour of Germany with the U.S. U-21 national team and Boersma helped oversee a U-19 tour to Germany. Crouse, Miller and Varney were all selected to take part as the U-19 team matched up with U-18 squads from Germany and Belgium in April.
Duke's success within the USA Field Hockey system continued throughout the summer months, as Paolino continued to train and travel with the senior national team and Bustin's program had nine student-athletes invited to compete in June's Young Women's National Championship (YWNC) at the home of USA Field Hockey in Lancaster, Pa. On the roster of 144 total athletes selected were Wolgemuth and fellow senior Haley Schleicher, junior Lily Posternak, Crouse and fellow sophomore Olivia Sahaydak and incoming freshmen Harkins, Miller, Reznick and Varney.
"It's been really instrumental for my class," Varney said of playing with and against current Duke teammates before Duke's preseason even began. "A lot of the sophomores and most of the girls in my class, we've played together for years, which really shows up on the field and off the field. We're all such great friends."
Four Blue Devils advanced with their squads to the YWNC gold medal match, with Schleicher notching a goal and an assist for her team and Varney finding the back of the cage for the U.S. U-19 team. Varney was joined by Crouse and Miller on the U-19 squad, which rounded out the five-day tournament with a 4-2 victory. Following the event, Schleicher and Wolgemuth were among the athletes tabbed to move on to the next step in USA Field Hockey's Olympic Development Pathway, the Women's Development Team Selection Camp.
Boersma and Duke assistant coach Wesley Ann Boersma – who were married in another exciting summer moment for the Duke field hockey family – were both on hand in Lancaster to see the Blue Devils excel in full force. In addition, Ralph also had the opportunity to travel to the Pan American Games in Lima to watch Paolino and the senior national team compete, and while there completed an FIH Level 3 coaching course on site.
"For me, being able to work with a couple of those girls in that international setting is huge for us," Ralph said of his coaching opportunity with the U.S. U-19 team. "Great to see those girls shine on that podium. And with Margaux playing on the senior level, that's something really cool for our program and for the outside world to see you can go to Duke, you can play for us, but you can also pursue these ambitions.
"It all starts with Pam's passion for USA Field Hockey. Being an alum, having coached essentially all the teams you can possibly coach within USA Field Hockey, her passion for that is something Wes and I completely made our own."
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Players Mentioned
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B
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