Episcopal Academy graduate Ashley Sessa has her sights set on the Olympics

Episcopal Academy graduate Ashley Sessa has envisioned herself becoming an Olympian with the U.S. women’s national field hockey team since she was 14 years old. That’s the first time she made the junior national team.

Now, she’s working toward making that dream a reality with the 2024 Paris Olympics on the horizon.

Sessa spent last year at North Carolina, where she helped the Tar Heels to an undefeated season and their 10th NCAA field hockey championship. She has a waiver from school this semester to train with the national team as it starts preparing for Olympic qualifiers.

“I could have not taken the waiver and done school,” Sessa told The Inquirer, “then watch the team either qualify or not and try out for the Olympic team. But I don’t want to just come for the good parts. I want to be there if we qualify or not. I want to put in the effort every day in practice.

“I want to be with the team, train with them, and be with them through the good and bad. That’s what makes me feel accomplished.”

There’s a limited number of waivers given out by the national team each year. National team head coach David Passmore approached Sessa last fall about the waiver.

“It’s up to you,” she recounted him telling her. “It’s your education. You’re taking a year off, so no hard feelings if you don’t want to take it.”

It was a no-brainer, Sessa said, to take the opportunity. She also decided to enter her name into the transfer portal to have a fresh start when she rejoins a college program. So far, she has visited Maryland, Iowa, Michigan, and Penn State, all of which finished in the top 10 in the NCAA’s RPI rankings last season.

» READ MORE: Penn field hockey opened its season against two top-10 teams and learned a lot from the experience

“I committed my freshman year of high school [to UNC],” Sessa said. “I definitely grew as a player. I know what I want now. I think getting more of a family vibe with my next school and finding a place where I feel like I belong. It was a hard decision at first. But I realized I grew as a person, and that place wasn’t for me.”

Sessa, a 5-foot-3 forward/midfielder, started every game in her freshman year at UNC and finished third in scoring with nine goals. When the season ended, she turned her focus to the FIH Pro League.

This past June, she traveled to Ireland and Belgium for league play. Team USA finished last among the nine countries competing.

However, facing countries like the Netherlands and Australia, which already have qualified for the 2024 Olympics, was eye-opening, Sessa said. She realized there’s much more room for growth, which motivated her to continue training.

» READ MORE: Young Olympic-level athletes are heading back to school. Here’s how they balance homework, sports, and life.

“Learning new tricks mentally, whether it’s how to handle the refs, how to handle a tight game, or, if you’re playing someone not as good, how to not have your game level drop,” Sessa said. “I think getting that experience against the best players in the world, that’s how I’ve grown.

“Then growing as a person, maturing, and having to travel a bunch. Figuring out how I live on my own at such a young age, that’s something that I’ve learned.”

Sessa had a few weeks in July to spend time with her family and hold a few field hockey clinics near her hometown, Schwenksville. She then moved to live with a host family in Charlotte, N.C., where the national team will train until October.

From Oct. 20-Nov. 5, the national team will be in Santiago, Chile, for the 2023 Pan American Games. A win would secure a spot in Paris. A top-three finish would grant the U.S. a berth in an Olympic qualifying tournament, which will be in Spain and China.

The training has been demanding, with 6 a.m. wake-ups, lifting, and watching film, but the best part, Sessa said, is growing with her teammates.

“I’ve grown up playing against or with these girls, so I’ve known them for a long time,” she said. “Getting to see people grow with skills, personality, maturity, I think is a spectacular thing to witness. I have a lot of trust and support with this team, and I’m excited to see where we go from here.”

It’s not an easy feat to qualify for the Olympics — the U.S. women last made the Games in 2016, finishing fifth, and their only medal, a bronze, came in 1984. Sessa, however, is committed to the process of getting there, whether it’s in 2024 or 2028, when the Olympics will be held in Los Angeles. The 2028 Games will be the first time the Summer Olympics are in the U.S. since 1996.

“I don’t just want to be there, I want to play a major role in it,” Sessa said of qualifying the Olympics. “I want to help the team win and grow as a player. I want to make a difference with the score line, but also I don’t want to be selfish. I want to make other people look good.”