University of Pennsylvania Athletics

Sydney Rhodes James wrapped up her fourth season with the field hockey program in 2024, working primarily with goalkeepers.

In 2023, she guided Frederique Wollaert to First Team All-Ivy honors. Wollaert finished second in the Ivy in save percentage (.744) and third in saves (93). She also sported a career-best 1.83 goals-against average.

Rhodes returned two keepers in 2022, including Frederique Wollaert who totaled three shutouts in 14 games in the cage. 
 
In her first year, she coached the goalkeeper group to four shutouts, the second most in the Ivy League in 2021, while finishing fifth in saves per game (5.12). Sophomore Sabien Paumen finished second in the league in shutouts per game (.235) finishing with five for the year, and landed third in the conference in saves with 76. 
 
Rhodes spent her collegiate career with the University of Delaware field hockey program, where she helped the Blue Hens to four CAA conference championships and hoisting the program's first-ever NCAA national title in 2016. A two-time first-team All-CAA performer, she finished her career ranked third all-time with a 1.44 career goals-allowed average, seventh with 25 wins, tied for eighth with 9.7 shutouts, and 16th with 135 career saves.
 
In her final season with the CAA in 2019, she led the conference in win percentage (78.9), goals-against average (1.15), save percentage (71.6), and shutouts (6), guiding her to the team's most valuable player award and the NFHCA Division I Senior game.
 
Prior to her time at Delaware, she spent her club days playing for Harford Hockey Organization from 2008-14. Once she joined the collegiate ranks, she shifted to the coaching scene with Harford, taking on head coaching and head goalkeeper coaching duties for the U10-U19 programs, a role she continues to hold today. In December 2019, she furthered her career with the organization, taking on administrative work that involved developing coaches' handbooks, holding monthly staff meetings, creating registration for each age group, controlling all social media platforms, and more.
 
Additionally, in August 2020, she became a sports performance coach for The Arena Club in Bel Air, Maryland where she is responsible for planning, organizing and executing the field hockey Grind program.

Sydney married Luke James in the summer of 2022.