The Northwestern Lehigh field hockey team made it to the quarterfinals of the PIAA tournament this past season, putting together a 19-5 overall record.

Their success was highlighted recently when four Tiger players were named to the Pennsylvania High School Field Hockey Coaches Association All-State team, with senior Lauren Schellhamer being named to the first team. Seniors Charlotte Horn and Greenleigh McGehee were both named to the second team, while classmate Ali Lister was awarded with an honorable mention.

The selections are determined not only based on the athletes’ play on the field, but also by considering a student-athlete’s participation in activities outside of school such as community involvement and participation in clubs and athletics and considering their academic achievements.

Going into the process of choosing players for the All-State Team, Northwestern head coach Lissa Opolsky thought that Schellhamer had a shot at defending her place on the first-team roster.

“I knew that as the team had more and more success and as Lauren had more success on the field that it would go a long way toward getting her on the state team,” said Opolsky. “Lauren checks off all the boxes and the other three girls also had a tremendous resume going into the process.”

Schellhamer started playing in her freshman season and went to work on improving her skills to adjust to playing at the varsity level. Before long, she was gaining more and more respect from her teammates and over the past couple of seasons has been a go-to player for the younger players needing to gain a better grasp of the game.

Schellhamer embraced the role as a team leader and passed on what she had learned on the field and what you need to work on in the offseason to succeed.

“She has always been willing to help anyone who needed it,” said Opolsky. “As time went on, she found her voice as a leader and showed what it takes to succeed through her work in practice and in games.”

The team’s annual banquet was held last weekend and Opolsky used the occasion to announce the four players that had been named to the all-state team.

“All of the players and their parents were there and the coach announced it there, so it was nice to get to share in getting the news with my teammates,” said Schellhamer, who is going to continue her field hockey and academic careers at the University of Vermont, where she will major in biology.

“I really liked the campus and the girls on the team were really nice and it felt comfortable. Plus, they have my major, so it seemed like the right choice,” Schellhamer said.

Opolsky was excited to have the other three players included on the all-state team because of how hard they had worked during their careers at Northwestern.

Horn and Lister made the team for the first time while McGehee moved up from an honorable mention last season to being named to the second-team this year.

“Charlotte and Greenleigh both had to work really hard to get to where they’re at and I’m really proud of them because they didn’t come in with the raw talent and the ability to see the field like Lauren did,” said Opolsky. “The key though is that they worked so hard and learned so much that they developed into the type of players who can make an all-state team and that’s really impressive.”

Lister’s inclusion is impressive because field hockey isn’t even her best sport. The senior is a basketball player first, but was able to put together an impressive career in field hockey as well. A three-sport athlete, Lister also plays lacrosse for Northwestern.

“She’s just a great athlete and one of the most humble people you’ve ever met,” said Opolsky. “She knows the game very well and can read a player’s body language and out think her opponent.”

In a season with COVID interruptions, Opolsky was happy with the success that her team had this season and is proud of the fact that they had four players chosen for the all-state team.

“Each of the players we had chosen for the team were very deserving,” said Opolsky. “They all worked very hard not just during the season, but during the offseason as well. They all had different things that they needed to work on when they were younger, but they all put in the work and they also were leaders for the younger players who looked up to them.”