Maddie Zimmer ‘not surprised’ that Hershey, Palmyra field hockey grads are competing together in the 2026 FIH World Cup
USA Field Hockey athlete Maddie Zimmers looks to pass the ball to Lauren Wadas in the 2026 FIH Nations Cup. Photo: USA Field Hockey
On a good day, the drive between Hershey and Palmyra, Pennsylvania, takes no more than 15 minutes.
Both high schools are part of a fiercely competitive field hockey triangle — along with Lower Dauphin — that produces must-see matchups every year. Around here, the love of sport, intense competition, and deep-rooted high school rivalries has helped develop elite athletes.
Regardless of high school classification, the teams make sure at least one game stays on their schedule to keep bragging rights alive.
That stretch of U.S. Route 322, running from northern Dauphin County into Lebanon County, is dotted with Hershey Kiss-shaped light poles, running trails, a sprawling medical system, and it offers the occasional whiff of chocolate.
The high school programs consistently rank among the best in Pennsylvania — and often among the nation’s elite.
In just a few days, Hershey and Palmyra will watch four of their own compete against the world’s best at the 2026 FIH World Cup.
"Growing up in Palmyra allowed me to chase big goals," USA Women's Field Hockey athlete Lauren Wadas said. "Field hockey is such a part of the culture there. It allowed me to fall in love with the sport early."
Wadas and Maddie Zimmer, a Hershey graduate, began playing field hockey together.
Before they competed on rival high school squads, they played for the Alley Cats Field Hockey Club in Palmyra. Both became standouts and occasionally played alongside USA Field Hockey teammate Jenny Rizzo, also a Hershey graduate.
Wadas eventually went on to play for the WC Eagles Field Hockey Club.
All three were selected to compete at the 2026 FIH World Cup, which begins Aug. 15 in Belgium and the Netherlands. The United States are scheduled to open the tournament against Pan American rival Argentina in Belgium.
The World Cup ends on Aug. 30.
The FIH are also hosting the inaugural 2026 FIH Para Hockey World Cup, where Zimmer’s high school classmate Nate Miller will compete. Zimmer has helped support Miller’s training several times throughout the summer as he prepared for his tournament.
"It's been nice to stay in contact with him and his dad, and to share this moment as we head to our respective World Cups," Zimmer said. "It's really special to have that connection with Nate."
The Para Hockey World Cup features a 6-a-side, mixed-gender tournament for athletes with intellectual disabilities. The tournament runs from Aug. 20 to Aug. 24.
In high school, both Zimmer and Wadas played center mid. Both said they remember constantly fighting to take control of the game.
"They were ballers," Rizzo said.
USA Field Hockey goalie Jenny Rizzo is pictured clearing the ball during a Hershey High School field hockey game in 2015. Photo: Submitted
Rizzo is joining Kelsey Bing, of Houston, Texas, as the team’s goalies for the World Cup.
"They played a few U-19 club tournaments with me," Rizzo said of Wadas and Zimmer. "I still remember them as little, nugget babies. They were four or five years younger than me. They were studs. We were all part of that competitive triangle — and the Lancaster-Lebanon League. I'm a competitor. I love the competitive games. It's cool to know that we are now on this journey together for Team USA."
After graduating from Palmyra and Hershey, respectively, Wadas and Zimmer became one of the most powerful duos in NCAA Division I field hockey history. They reunited as teammates at Northwestern, where they shared the dream — and the reality — of winning back-to-back national titles in 2024 and 2025.
Known as the Cardiac ‘Cats, the recent Northwestern teams turned the competitive fire that once fueled Wadas and Zimmer’s high school rivalry into victorious road trips, karaoke bus rides, and a friendship that produced winning moments on and off the pitch.
"All of her clutch game-winners are up there," Zimmer said of her memories with Wadas. "Winning the national titles is up there. We were roommates in the Spring of our freshman year. We could only have one roommate because of COVID. My last name was a Z and hers was a W. I remember celebrating her birthday, and the only thing we could eat was hotel food. We laugh about it now — how we were stuck in a hotel room together every other weekend."
All three played in the Big Ten Conference. Rizzo is a Penn State alum.
"I think Northwestern is a wannabe Ivy," Rizzo said. "I went to Penn State with blue-collar families. The LL League, Hershey and Palmyra grind and battle — it is just one step down from the Big Ten. I was recruited by Char (Morett-Curtiss), and that was the kind of hockey she expected us to play."
Making the FIH World Cup roster is a "dream come true" for all three, who are all abundantly grateful for their parents' support.
USA Field Hockey athlete Maddie Zimmer is pictured dribbling the ball out of Lower Dauphin’s backfield. Zimmer is a Hershey High School graduate. Photo: Submitted
"I'm just really proud of the work we've put in," Zimmer said. "We've been pushed physically harder than at any other time on this team. The Charlotte heat is no small feat. We can outwork and outrun any opponent.
"There are going to be days when our stickwork is off or we're not quite connecting passes, but with our work ethic, we've learned that some of that stuff doesn't matter. We have worked on a lot of scenarios so we can physically dig ourselves out of a goal deficit.”
The mindset they are taking into the competition is one of the team’s strongest, they said.
"I'm definitely not surprised that the three of us, from the same 10-mile stretch, are on the team,” Zimmer said. “That area has produced so many great hockey players. It's a testament to the youth programs and the high school programs. That part of Route 322 has something special."
All tournament games for the 2026 FIH World Cup are found on Watch.Hockey.
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