PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania's head field hockey coach, Colleen Fink, has announced the addition of six young women to the program. Maya Geller, Sydney Huang, Olivia Kenny, Jaya Krishnan, Elita van Staden, and Meghan Ward will all join the team in the fall of 2019 as freshmen.

The Quakers played one of the most difficult schedules in the country last year, competing against eight nationally ranked programs, three of the 2018 NCAA Championship semifinalists, and the 2018 national champion, North Carolina. Penn finished 9-8 overall with a 5-2 Ivy League record, its best conference finish since 2015.

Penn will look to build on last season's success as the Quakers return 18 letter winners, including first-team All-Ivy selection Alexa Schneck as well as honorable mentions Erin Kelly and Ava Rosati.
 
MAYA GELLER
Pennsbury | Philadelphia, Pa.
High School: Lettered four years in field hockey (2015-18) … Two-year captain … Suburban One League champion (2017) … Six-time National Indoor Tournament winner (2014-19) … U16 and U19 Festival pool winner … U19 JPOL Region 5 champion … Four-time PIAA District Playoffs (2015-18) … Led team in scoring (2018) … Philadelphia Senior All-Star Team selection (2018) … First-team all-league (2017, 18) … First-team Courier Times Golden Team (2017-18) … Two-time all-state selection (2016, 18) … President of the Red Cross Club … National Honor Society member … Honor roll all four years … Volunteer at the Fox Chase Cancer Center and Pancreatic Cancer Action Network … Young Engineers Club and Interact Club member … Competed for the Mystx Field Hockey Club … Coached the Pennsbury middle and high school indoor field hockey teams.

Personal: Daughter of Dalit and David Geller … Plans to enroll in the College of Nursing.

Coach Fink: "Maya is hard-working and consistent. From a defensive standpoint, she is one of those players who is never fully out of the play because she works tirelessly to get involved. She has great possession and ball-protection skills that will be utilized throughout the midfield. We are excited to see Maya's game continue to develop."

MEET MAYA…
Favorite Quote: "It's not about the size of the dog in the fight, it's about the size of the fight in the dog."  - Mark Twain
Proudest Athletic Moment: Being the first team to go undefeated and win the Suburban One League
Pump Up Song: "The Champion" by Carrie Underwood
Favorite TV Show/Movie: The Parent Trap
Favorite Athlete: Michael Jordan
Why Penn? "Penn is the perfect place for me to explore both my academic and athletic paths. I immediately felt at home when I stepped on campus, surrounded by the beautiful buildings. I am beyond excited to join the field hockey team and be a part of the amazing Nursing program."
 
SYDNEY HUANG
Lake Highlands | Dallas, Texas
High School: USAFH Region 6 Club champion (2016) … Greater Middlesex All-Conference selection (2015) … Named most valuable offensive player (2015) … AAU Junior Olympics selection (2017) … Lettered three years in track & field … National Honor Society member … Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society … National Latin Exam Cum Laude Certificate … Academic Excellence Award … Dartmouth Alumni Club Book Award … Mock Trial Club … Girls Service League community service … Christian ministry leadership training … Church Bible fellowship … Member of 4-H from kindergarten to high school.

Personal: Daughter of Diana and King Huang … Older sister, Rachel, played field hockey at Penn from 2014-17 … Plans to enroll in the Wharton School of Business.

Coach Fink: "Sydney is a natural athlete with great speed and strength. She is dynamic, hard-working and loves the game. Sydney has some raw natural talent and will develop greatly playing alongside her talented and driven Penn Field Hockey teammates."

MEET SYDNEY…
Favorite Quote: "If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward." - Martin Luther King Jr.
Proudest Athletic Moment: Scored the game-winning goal in overtime on senior night. The feeling of having your whole team rush down the field toward you is something everyone should experience.
Pump Up Song: "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey
Favorite TV Show/Movie: Remember the Titans
Favorite Athlete: Jesse Owens
Why Penn? "The University of Pennsylvania offers so many diverse academic opportunities that speak to my passions and innovative imagination. I am so genuinely excited to be attending a school where I can play the sport I love, and experience college life the Quaker Way!"
 
OLIVIA KENNY
Notre Dame Prep | Towson, Md.
High School: Lettered four years in field hockey (2015-18) … Team captain … Three-time National Indoor champion (2016-18) … Two-time Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) A conference champion (2017-18) … First-team all-state attacker (2018) … Second-team all-state defender (2017) … First-team Baltimore Sun All-Metro (2018) … Second-team Baltimore Sun All-Metro (2017) … IAAM all-conference selection (2017) … NFHCA National Academic Squad selection (2017) … Max Field Hockey Mid-Atlantic second-team selection (2018) … Honor roll sophomore and junior year … Co-founder of Chinese Club at Notre Dame Prep.

Personal: Daughter of Krista and Steve Kenny … Plans to enroll in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Coach Fink: "Olivia comes from highly successful high school and club programs. She has great versatility and can contribute in any area of the field. Olivia has great game sense and understanding of the field. As a senior, she had one of her most successful seasons. We hope to build off her senior successes and continue to build her game so she can contribute at the highest level."

MEET OLIVIA…
Favorite Quote: "Never say never because limits, like fears, are often just illusions." - Michael Jordan
Proudest Athletic Moment: My junior year, my school won the IAAM A Conference Championship for the first time in school history.
Pump Up Song: "Bust a Move" by Young MC
Favorite TV Show/Movie: Good Will Hunting
Favorite Athlete: Justin Tucker
Why Penn? "When I stepped on Penn's campus I immediately fell in love with its beautiful, historic, and urban campus. It is the full package academically and athletically, and there are countless opportunities and resources that I look forward to utilizing. The Penn community has so much school spirit and I am so excited to be a part of it!"
 
JAYA KRISHNAN
St. John's | Houston, Texas
High School: Lettered three years in field hockey (2016-18) … Team captain … Two-time Southern Preparatory Conference champions (2016, 2018) … Houston City champions (2015) … Recipient of the Brenda Mercado Award for Bravery, Grit, Integrity, and Resiliency (2018) … Lettered one year in tennis (2016) … Recipient of the Most Improved Player for tennis (2016) … Qualified for National Futures Championship (2016-18) … Qualified for National Indoor Tournament (2015-16) … Recipient of the President's Volunteer Service Award (2018) … Elected to the Student Affairs Council (2018) … Peer Leader (2018-19) … St. John's Honor Roll (2017-18) … Runner-up in the New York Times "Making Connections" competition (2018).

Personal: Daughter of Lee Ann Grossberg and Ramesh Krishnan … Plans to enroll in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Coach Fink: "Jaya is a standout defender. She makes smart decisions in her tackling, outletting and ball distribution. Jaya is committed to excellence in her game and is dedicated to the sport and team. She will make a great teammate and collegiate player."

MEET JAYA…
Favorite Quote: "The man who says he can and the man who says he cannot are both correct."
- Confucius
Proudest Athletic Moment: Overcoming two ACL surgeries
Pump Up Song: "Power" by Kanye West
Favorite TV Show/Movie: Game of Thrones
Favorite Athlete: Roger Federer
Why Penn? "Penn had everything I wanted in a school – Amazing academics and athletics, a close team, in a city, the list goes on. When my mother asked me this same question I told her I just felt it in my gut. I cannot wait to be a part of this amazing community."
 
ELITA VAN STADEN
Die Hoërskool Menlopark | Pretoria, South Africa
High School: Four-year team captain (2014-16, 2018) … Two-time South African National Champions (2016 & 2018) … Five-time league champions, regional champions, and Northern Provincial champions (2014-18) … Member of the South Africa Junior National Women's U-16 and U-18 teams … Top 12 Tournament champion (2018) … Five-year letter winner in track & field (2014-18) … Five-time National relay (4x100m) champion (2014-18) … Regional champion in 400m hurdles (2015) …  Representative of Student Body Council (2014-18) … Student Body Vice President (2017-18) … Representative Student on Governing Body (2017-18) … Seventh place at National Debate (2015) … Fourth place at Provincial Debate (2016) … Sixth place at Provincial Debate (2017).

Personal: Daughter of Maleni and Kobus van Staden … Father played professional rugby for the Vodacom Bulls … Mother was a five-time Northern Provincial champion in field hockey … Plans to enroll in the Wharton School of Business.

Coach Fink: "We are excited to welcome Elita into the Penn Field Hockey family. Elita is a rock-solid defender with great field presence and strong game sense. She is strong on the ball in possession and from an outletting standpoint. She has great utility skills on the corner and will bring a new style and dynamic to the team."

MEET ELITA…
Favorite Quote: "Quietly, I will endure. Silently, I will suffer. Patiently, I will wait. For I am a warrior and I will survive."
Proudest Athletic Moment: When I was chosen for the Junior South African women's team and winning the test series against Australia – the team's first time since 2002.
Pump Up Song: "Gasolina" by Daddy Yankee
Favorite TV Series/Movie: Suits/Game of Thrones/This Is Us/Pride & Prejudice
Favorite Athlete: Roger Federer
Why Penn?: "When you know, you know. I knew the second I set foot on Penn's snow-covered campus that it was the place where I wanted to study. The people, the city, the cheesesteaks, the buildings, and the overall feeling I got completely exceeded all my expectations. It is a university with the perfect balance between athletics and academics. Penn is a place I can call my home away from home."
 
MEGHAN WARD
Phillips Andover | Boston, Mass.
High School: Lettered four years in field hockey (2015-18) … Three-time New England Class A champion (2015, 16, 18) … New England Class A finalist (2017) … Two-time New England Prep School Division 1 First-Team All-New England selection (2017-18) … Max Field Hockey First-Team all-region selection (2018) … USA Futures U19 New England selection (2018) … Finished fourth with Boston Field Hockey Club at USA Field Hockey Nationals (2016) … Lettered four years in ice hockey (2015-18) … Ice Hockey National Development Camp selection (2015) … U14 USA Ice Hockey National Champions (2015) … Abbot Academy Field Hockey Award (2018) … Massachusetts All-Region team (2018) … Richard J. Phelps Scholarship for Student-Athletes recipient … Blue Key Head.

Personal: Daughter of Leslie and Dan Ward … Father played ice hockey at Trinity College … Plans to enroll in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Coach Fink: "Meghan has sound fundamentals and has progressed through her high school career to really make an impact. She works tirelessly off the ball, sees the field, and reads the lines very well. Meghan is versatile and can play on each line of the field. Meghan is just the right balance of finesse and grit and will mold nicely in the Penn Field Hockey style of play."

MEET MEGHAN WARD…
Favorite Quote: "When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful."
- Eric Thomas
Proudest Athletic Moment: Winning the 2018 New England Class A Field Hockey championship my senior year with an undefeated 20-0-0 record
Pump Up Song: "What's the Difference" by Dr. Dre
Favorite TV Show/Movie: Grey's Anatomy
Favorite Athlete: Julian Edelman
Why Penn? "The second I stepped on campus, I knew Penn was the place for me. I love how Penn is both in the city but also has a campus feel. I'm super excited to go to a school in a new city!"