SYDNEY, Australia - The Mount Holyoke field hockey team is in the midst of a 12-day long journey to Sydney and Canberra, Australia for the 2018 preseason. The Lyons, who left on August 19, will visit a number of famous destinations in the country as well as play several matches against local teams.
Mount Holyoke will play matches against teams from both Sydney and Canberra, the first of which will occur on Thursday, August 23 against the UTS Field Hockey Team. That contest will be held at the Sydney Olympic Hockey Stadium. In addition to their training and matches, the Lyons will visit a number of different spots during their stay including Harbour Bridge, The Rocks District, Royal Botanical Gardens, Pitt Street Mall, Bondi Beach, the Australian Institute of Sport and a guided tour of the iconic Sydney Opera House.
The Lyons will also visit the Blue Mountains, the Australian War Memorial & Museum, as well as take in a National Rugby League game between the Sydney Roosters and the Brisbane Broncos.
Team members on the trip include senior captains Colby Newsham and Mirjam Keochakian, along with classmates Kristina Ramsden and Liz Delorme. Juniors Sophia Cote, Lia Messersmith, Micaela Pierce and Morgan Turner, as well as sophomores Maggie Anderson, Chelsea Braz, Mirei Golding-Powers, Julia Klein, Christina Lively, Maddie Miller and Gianna Molinari. Additionally, all 11 of the Lyons' newest team members are on the trip, along with recent alums Sarah Watkins '15, Ally Tessier '17, Liz DiCesare '17, Sophie Perekslis '18 and Isabella Olgaard '18.
Also traveling with the team are Head Coach Andy Whitcomb, Assistant Coaches Sherry Webb and Kirsti Wiemokly '12, team manager Emet Marwell, head athletic trainer Ellen Perrella and Mount Holyoke Athletic Director Lori Hendricks.
The squad is taking full advantage of social media channels to bring fans all the different adventures they embark upon in Australia. Each day during the trip, various team members will take over the team's story feed on Instagram, so log on to @mhcfieldhockey for more. All Mount Holyoke Athletics channels (@mhclyons) will also feature highlights throughout the journey on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
The Athletic Communications Office will do its best to get out timely updates for fans, but please remember that the team is 14-hours ahead of us, so some updates can get delayed due to time difference.
