UNC field hockey stars cleared to return after eligibility fight: reports
All three have been supporting the young UNC field hockey team from the sidelines, according to reports.
When the eligibility fight began this summer, three of North Carolina field hockey’s biggest names were stuck on the sideline.
On Wednesday, a Monroe County, Indiana, judge granted Ryleigh Heck, Dani Mendez and Sietske Brüning a preliminary injunction, clearing them to suit up for the Tar Heels during the 2026 season while their challenge to NCAA rules continues.
The trio is part of a 97-athlete challenge to the NCAA’s age-based eligibility model in Daley v. NCAA. The Daily Tar Heel previously reported that Heck, Mendez and Brüning joined the Indiana case Sept. 14 alongside UNC football kicker Rece Verhoff.
Heck took the stand at a Sept. 14 hearing in Bloomington as Judge Kara Krothe heard more than five hours of testimony from athletes, coaches and operations staff. After reviewing final submissions from both sides, Krothe issued the injunction and put the three Tar Heels back in play.
Their route back to the turf has been anything but direct.
A July injunction in Wisne v. NCAA briefly granted eligibility to members of the 2022 high school graduating class nationwide, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit stayed that order.
Wednesday’s decision reopened the door for the UNC standouts.
The timing could be crucial for North Carolina.
The unranked Tar Heels — a first ever in program history — have stumbled to a 3-4 start and now regain a proven finisher in Heck, who scored 65 goals over four seasons — seventh in program history.
Her résumé includes the Honda Award, ACC Freshman of the Year honors and multiple first-team All-America selections.
Mendez brings another postseason-tested presence.
After transferring from Virginia before the 2025 season, she started all 23 games for UNC, powered her way to ACC Tournament MVP honors and collected second-team All-ACC and second-team All-America recognition.
Brüning gives head coach Erin Matson another battle-tested option.
She started all 63 games in her first three seasons at UNC, added 17 starts through injuries as a senior and earned multiple All-ACC and All-America selections.
With all three cleared, the Tar Heels suddenly have more firepower, experience and lineup flexibility for the stretch ahead.
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