Sydney Rhodes-James - Field Hockey Coach - University of Delaware Athletics

Sydney Rhodes-James

Title:
Volunteer Assistant Coach
Email:
sydfhock@udel.edu

Sydney Rhodes-James joins the Delaware field hockey staff for her first season as a volunteer assistant coach ahead of the 2025 campaign, head coach Tara Zollinger announced on July 10, 2025.

Rhodes-James returns to Newark after graduating in 2019 and making multiple coaching stops along the way.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sydney back to the University of Delaware as a volunteer assistant coach," Zollinger said. "As a member of the 2016 national championship team, Sydney embodies the dedication, resilience, and excellence that defines our Blue Hen field hockey program. Our current student-athletes will undoubtedly benefit from her insights and be inspired by her championship experience."

The Delaware alum was a five-year goalie for the Blue Hens, who made 50 appearances, including nine during the Hen's run to capturing the 2016 NCAA Division I Championship. She graduated in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in health behavior science from Delaware's College of Health Sciences.

"I am extremely grateful and excited to be able to come back to the University of Delaware," Rhodes-James said. "I'm looking forward to working with Tara, as she has had tremendous success in her field hockey career. My five seasons as a Blue Hen, including winning the national championship, were truly special. I want to share both that joy and success with the program and its current players."

Rhodes-James started her coaching experience working with Harford Hockey Organization (H20) in Harford County, Md., in 2014, a position she held through 2021.

Her collegiate coaching experience includes time as an assistant coach with the University of Pennsylvania, where she spent four seasons from 2021-24 with a specialized focus in coaching the goalkeepers and organizing team logistics.

During that time, Penn was able to have a goalie earn First Team All-Ivy League under Rhodes-James' tutelage.

After leaving Philadelphia, Rhodes-James reconnected with H20 in January 2025, becoming the program's co-director, head coach, and head goalkeepers coach for players aged 10-19.