Kelsey Kolojejchick ( ; born October 2, 1991) is an American field hockey player. In 2016, she was named to the United States Olympic field hockey team for 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Early life

Kolojejchick was on October 2, 1991, in Kingston, Pennsylvania. She grew up in

Larksville, Pennsylvania Larksville is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is west of Wilkes Barre on the Susquehanna River (along U.S. Route 11). The population was 4,216 as of the 2020 census. History Larksville was formed from a section of ...

. As a child, Kolojejchick played soccer and took up field hockey at the suggestion of a soccer teammate's parent. She attended Wyoming Seminary high school with future United States National Field Hockey teammate

Kathleen Sharkey Kathleen Sharkey (born April 30, 1990) is an American field hockey player. In 2016, she was named to the United States women's national field hockey team for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Early life Kathleen Sharkey was born on April 30, ...

. Throughout high school, Kolojejchick was a standout athlete, playing soccer, softball, gymnastics, track, swimming, and field hockey. While Kolojejchick was on the Wyoming Seminary field hockey team, the team won two Pennsylvania state championships and were undefeated for an entire season.

College field hockey player

Kolojejchick attended the University of North Carolina (UNC) where she was a midfielder on the school field hockey team. Kolojejchick's older brother, Matt Kolojejchick, transferred to play football at UNC after Kolojejchick helped get his highlight tape in the hands of head coach Butch Davis. The field hockey team reached the national championship finals each year of Kolojejckick's college career, winning the tournament her first year on the team. Kolojejchich was named First Team All-American all four years, a first for a UNC player. She finished her collegiate career in 2012 with 68 career goals and 43 assists.

United States national field hockey team

Kolojejchick was first named to the United States national field hockey team in 2012. On the way to a fourth-place finish for the U.S. team at the

2014 Women's Hockey World Cup The 2014 Women's Hockey World Cup was the 13th edition of the Women's Hockey World Cup field hockey tournament. It was held from 31 May to 14 June 2014 at the Kyocera Stadion in The Hague, Netherlands. simultaneously with the men's tournament. ...

, Kolojejchick scored five goals in the tournament. Prior to 2015, Kolojejchick was primarily a midfielder. Injuries on the U.S. national team prior to the

2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak alb ...

led to Kolojejchick rotating between forward and midfield positions. The U.S. won the tournament, clinching its place in the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics ( pt, Jogos Olímpicos de Verão de 2016), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad ( pt, Jogos da XXXI Olimpíada) and also known as Rio 2016, was an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 20 ...

. Kolojejchick scored seven goals for the team. On July 1, 2016, Kolojejcick was named to the United States team for the 2016 Olympics. Kolojejchick played a "key role" in the United States' fifth-place finish, its best in 20 years.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kolojejchick, Kelsey 1991 births Living people American female field hockey players Olympic field hockey players for the United States Field hockey players at the 2016 Summer Olympics North Carolina Tar Heels field hockey players Field hockey players at the 2015 Pan American Games Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in field hockey