Read this Female Athlete News article about Gretta!
 
PHILADELPHIA – When the University of Pennsylvania field hockey team takes the field against Yale on Friday afternoon, the goal will be simple: Dream Crazy.
 
Dream Crazy. That was the way Margaretha "Gretta" Ehret lived her life and told those around her to live theirs. A former Penn player and coach, she passed away in June following a six-year battle with metastatic breast cancer. Gretta was just 38.
 
She was a wife. A mother. A daughter. A sister. A coach. A mentor. A friend.
 
Oh, and she was a fighter. Man, was she a fighter. No wonder she loved that Nike ad that told women to "Dream Crazier."
 
Gretta's connection to Penn field hockey began as a player. Following a high school career at Penn Charter that ultimately saw her inducted into that school's Athletic Honor Society (in 2018), Ehret was a three-year letter winner and co-captain of Penn's 2008 squad. She earned second-team All-Ivy as a junior and senior and was the program's Academic All-Ivy recipient as a senior, when she led the Quakers in assists while racking up 19 points from her midfield position.
 
"It is impossible to put the life of such a force of nature into words," said Meredith Moran C'09, one of Gretta's teammates at Penn. "If you had the privilege of knowing Gretta then you know exactly what I mean when I say that. She has always been magical, one of a kind. The void she leaves is pretty impossible to comprehend, but her impact—specifically the joy and passion and love she spread during her time here—is as legendary as her life and will remain a force for generations to come."
 
A Philadelphia native, Gretta graduated from Penn but never really left—the school and especially not the sport. During Colleen Fink's tenure as Penn's head coach, Gretta—who enjoyed a brief but highly successful stint as head coach at Merion Mercy Academy—was a regular at games, coached every camp and clinic that she could, and ultimately spent the 2021 season as a volunteer assistant coach with the program (while already well into her cancer battle). In addition to her tenure at Merion Mercy, Gretta was director of operations for the Main Line Mayhem club program and ran her own company, FIT Hockey Academy.
 
"Gretta left such a lasting impact on the field hockey community," said Fink, who helmed the Quakers from 2010-24 and recently helped spearhead the formation of the Gretta Ehret Dream Crazy Foundation. "Her legacy of bravery and courage, partnered with the drive to live everyday to the fullest, was the most incredible gift that she offered to all those she touched. Gretta never let just one thing define her. She was so much to so many people. Gretta is missed and the void is impossible to fill."
 
"Gretta had such a profound impact on me, our team, and everyone who was lucky enough to know her," said Meghan McGinley C'25. "Being able to know her is one of my greatest blessings in life. She's a huge reason I chose to go to Penn, and I wouldn't be the person or player I am without her guidance and love. She was endlessly positive and always put others before herself, even while facing the unthinkable. Watching her with her daughter, Rosie, showed what an incredible mother she was — so full of love and joy. In moments of weakness, I pray to her for strength, and I know her legacy will live on in all of us."
 
The goal of the Dream Crazy Foundation is to offer youth access to the game in areas where field hockey is not played and give existing field hockey athletes a chance to give back to underserved communities. No surprise, given Gretta's passion for working with the underprivileged—Teach for America was one of her passions, for example, because it gave her the opportunity to educate, support, and nurture low-income students.
 
"[Gretta] loved exposing kids to field hockey" her younger sister, Emilee, recently told Female Athlete News. "I think this foundation is really going to mend the two things we are both passionate about—teaching youth and getting the word out there about field hockey. And, making it really fun. She always made everything really fun. Colleen and I are going to do our best to make it happen."
 
The field hockey community is a small one, and because of that it is tight. Penn's game Friday with Yale is one of many "Dream Crazy" games going on around the country this fall. The foundation is still in its infancy but has quickly gained momentum, especially at the collegiate level.
 
"Gretta hated having breast cancer," Fink told Female Athlete News. "She didn't want the foundation to be all about that. The foundation we're putting together—it's for fighters and survivors. Gretta never wanted anyone to have a terminal diagnosis. We want her legacy to be around access to sports.
 
"She was undergoing very difficult treatment all five years," Fink said. "Her mantra became 'dream crazy.' Her journey with breast cancer…she wasn't going to let it define her. She wasn't going to let this hold her back. She adopted her daughter Rosie, she kept working, she kept coaching, she kept living her life. For me, that is one of the biggest takeaways that she has left on me."