Studying the world stage: how former field hockey Olympian Karlie Kisha is translating the FIH 2026 World Cup action for Villanova

Assistant coach Karlie Kisha talks to her player pregame. Photo: Villanova Athletics

Karlie Kisha’s field hockey journey has carried her from Pennsylvania to the sport’s biggest stages — and now back to the sideline.

She helped Connecticut win two NCAA Division I championships, represented the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics and reached the national team only after overcoming a thyroid cancer diagnosis.

She also was part of the U.S. squad that finished fourth at the 2022 Pan American Cup and second at the 2023 Pan American Games. Each chapter demanded something different from her; at Villanova, those experiences have become lessons she can pass on.

Kisha sees the connection between the international game and the college game in real time.

Reflecting on the U.S. team’s World Cup play, she said its performance “has a huge impact on college field hockey.”

Villanova even cleared two practices from its schedule to watch.

“The girls saw things that we want to implement,” Kisha said.

That instinct — to study, translate and teach — has shaped her rise through the Wildcats’ staff, from assistant coach after graduating from UConn to associate head coach.

The view from the sideline has changed the speed of the sport for her.

Coaching, she said, allows her to “learn both sides of the game” and “bring back experiences to teach the girls.”

It has also made her more attentive to the individuality of the athletes in front of her. Kisha sometimes recognizes pieces of her own game in players, including recruits, but resists molding everyone in the same image.

“Not all players need to be the same,” she said.

Her job is not to create copies of herself; it is to help each player reach a higher level.

That perspective is rooted in a life spent around the game.

Kisha’s mother, Diane Heistand, played and coached field hockey for more than 30 years, while her sister, Rayelle, is the head coach at Slippery Rock University.

The sport also gave Kisha one of her closest friendships. She met Penn State assistant coach Ally Hammel through the national-team pipeline, and the two trained and played together on the road to Paris.

Kisha remembers carpooling with “Ham” to practices in Charlotte — long drives and long training days that turned teammates into best friends.

Their paths crossed again when Penn State hosted Villanova in Happy Valley, this time with both women coaching from opposite sidelines.

The Nittany Lions won that contest 2–0, but the score hardly diminished the full-circle moment.

Kisha spoke warmly about facing her former teammate and laughed when she nearly called Hammel by her nickname instead of her full name.

Then came the detail that captured how far their relationship had traveled beyond the pitch: “I’m actually in her wedding coming up in October.”

From teammates to opposing coaches to bride and bridesmaid, their story mirrors Kisha’s own evolution — new roles, same game, lasting bonds.

*Simmie Samra is a student-intern at Penn State University.  

Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Reach us at femaleathletenews@gmail.com with a tip or story idea. Follow us on our social media pages for the latest news.