From Oley to Newark to the Netherlands: A Field Hockey Family Legacy

NEWARK, Del. - From July 22 through August 16, over 400 field hockey teams will be traveling to the Netherlands and Belgium to take part in the 2026 World Masters Hockey (WMH) World Cup.

The Fightin' Blue Hens are well represented on multiple Team USA squads headed to the Netherlands. There are eight team alumni between the age groups, with seven taking the field and one leading the charge as a head coach. All Delaware alumnae will be competing between July 22 and August 1.

On the over-35 roster, Erin Tarburton (Marihugh) '10 and Missy Arenz (Woodie) '11 will be coached by Michelle Finegan (Reilly) '84. For the International Masters' Cup squad in the over-35 age bracket, Sarah Broehl (Mills) was selected as an alternate for Team USA. Lindsey Heppner (Piester) '07 will be the lone representative on the over-40 roster. Both teams will compete in Schiedam, Netherlands.

Delaware Athletics Hall of Famer Kelly Williamson (Cawley) '99 and current UD Senior Associate AD, Talent Management & Organizational Development Jenn Judy (Fotiou) '02 will suit up for the over-45 squad.

Patti Webb (Fichter) '94 rounds out the Blue & Gold representation on the over-50 unit in Rotterdam, Netherlands, alongside the over-45 group.

Along with the growth of the game and expanding masters field hockey to a high level with the large number of teams taking part in the event, there is an even more unique bond forming between two families involving the tournament, as Judy's daughter Kate is enrolling at Delaware in a few short weeks.

"I'm so excited to play close to home on a turf that I love playing on," Kate Judy said. "My support system is truly unbelievable, and knowing that I'm going to have the chance to see so many familiar faces in the stands makes me feel so lucky and appreciative that I get to have an experience like this."

It is not uncommon for most universities, Delaware included, to have familial legacies and connections flow through its various athletic programs. But senior Tetje Williamson's mother, Kelly Williamson (Cawley), is also a Delaware field hockey alum and athletics hall of famer who played with Judy for the Blue Hens, with that duo taking the field again together in Rotterdam.

The connection between the two families goes further back than that, remarked Judy, as Williamson, then Kelly Cawley, was a mentor and coach at field hockey camps in Oley, Pa., where the two grew up about 60 miles from Newark, with the duo then both playing for Oley Valley High School in 1994.

Tetje Williamson will be joining her mother as she plays in the Netherlands this upcoming week. The senior is named after her great-grandmother, who was from the country that the teams are traveling to and still has family within.

This season, Tetje Williamson, a senior, will play alongside Kate Judy, a freshman. Which looks just a bit similar to the 1998 Delaware field hockey roster, where Kelly Cawley, then a senior, played with Jenn Fotiou, a freshman.

Jenn Judy expressed admiration for Kate choosing her own path, while it was still an identical choice to her mother's in playing field hockey for Delaware. "I think with kids who have parents that work in sport, it can turn them off or light a fire," Judy said. "It's something that both of my kids have naturally gravitated towards and what's fun for me is to see her fall in love with the same game and fall in love with the same school that we (Jenn and her husband Jesse) fell in love with."

Williamson was a captain on the 1998 squad when Judy enrolled, where they cut the ribbon together on Fred P. Rullo Field in its inaugural season. The duo played to a 15-6 record together in their only overlapping season, including 10-1 at home.

Both Williamson and Judy were introduced to the US Masters' community by Drexel head coach Denise Zelenak at a spring alumni tournament that took place at Delaware.

"It's a lot of like-minded women who've been in the sport for many years as well," Williamson said. "Through the years, finding those women that you've played with, played against, and then again with now, and getting to know even some of the older masters' women has been fabulous. Some of those women I would play against in club (hockey) years ago, so it's really like a big community."

Judy and Williamson both expanded on the experiences given to them through the Masters program about previous travels.

"When we were in Argentina, there was a party after one of the nights with Argentinian music and food, and it was just all about the culture," Williamson said. "It was so neat to be around something different, and I had someone from Argentina originally on my team. So, she took us on some tours to just show us and experience some of the things that we might not have done without her."

One of Judy's best memories from the 2022 England Masters Hockey World Cup was after a game against Ghana, when she was gifted earrings from an opposing player after sharing a pregame compliment about them, sharing the sentiment of uniting together through sport, building on the unique opportunity. "We often exchange pins and jerseys and little gifts," Judy said. "She came over and handed me her earrings just because I said I liked them. It's kind of these fun little moments where you're interacting with people where you don't necessarily speak the same language or live the same lifestyle, but you're able to find common ground through the sport."

Both alumnae feel immensely proud to be able to represent their nation alongside being able to still compete at a high level in their sport.

Despite not being able to practice often, with the team traveling from all over the United States, the experience has never withered. "Our trips that we've had have been wonderful experiences as well," Williamson said. "I think when you're traveling with a group of women, that trust, you know, on and off the field, and getting to do different things has been really neat."

"It's a community of other women (Masters' Field Hockey) who love to compete, who've continued training and staying healthy," Judy said. "They love the game. Not for the wins and losses, but they love the game because it's what gave them the most from sport, you know, all their lives and again, we get to sort of relive our glory days with USA across our chest."

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From Oley to Newark to the Netherlands: A Field Hockey Family Legacy

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