Reinprecht Sister Announce Their Retirement

“Katie will have left an impression on many hockey followers both at home and abroad,” said Craig Parnham, former USWNT Head Coach.“Her unassuming manner perhaps disguised her qualities as a leader. Katie was about actions and leading by example, though when she spoke we all listened, Katie inspired the team and I’m sure many others outside it.”

While with the team, winning the 2011 Pan American Games and qualifying for the London 2012 Olympics as well as playing in the semifinal at the World Cup are all highlight pitch performances.

Keeping it on the lighter side, K. Reinprecht recalls a particular odd yet chuckle-worthy moment while competing.

“Another memory that stands out was when a person dressed in a panda costume ran across the field during our game against Argentina at the World Cup,” said K. Reinprecht. “At the time, it felt like a hallucination, but this, in fact, did happen.”

As many treasured on-field moments K. Reinprecht has, there are just as many moments she holds closely outside of the pitch.

“We have a hilarious and often ridiculous bunch, so there’s no shortage of great memories,” said K. Reinprecht. “A seemingly dull moment can become quite eventful whenever I’m with my teammates. Besides the comedic moments with teammates, there were other highlights that standout, including zip lining in New Zealand, visiting Christ the Redeemer in Rio, walking around the historic streets of Europe and enjoying the beautiful beaches of Australia. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to see and experience so many parts of the world as a result of being on the national team.”

K. Reinprecht joined the senior national team in 2009 with a skillful stick and experience that included contributing to the Junior Pan American Championship in Mexico City, Mexico to secure a first-place finish. As a Princeton University Tiger, she was selected as the Ivy League Player of the Year, named a second-team All-America by the NFHCA, a first-team All-Ivy and first-team all-region and ranked No. 9 in the nation for points per game.

“Katie has been a key player for the U.S. Women’s National Team during the past 7 years and as a two-time Olympian has reached the pinnacle of our sport,” said Simon Hoskins, USA Field Hockey’s Executive Director. “She continues to be a wonderful role model and ambassador for field hockey.”

K. Reinprechts is still up in the air as for their next career move, but is leaning toward a career in the medical field.

“Julia was a very intelligent player, she took the time to study and understand the game and her part in it,” said Parnham. “In many ways she was a coach’s dream player. She had the ability to play in a number of positions across and through lines, her versatility was a great strength.”

J. Reinprecht’s determination has led her to many milestones in her career including the 2011 victory against Argentina at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics and winning a bronze medal at the 2016 Champion’s Trophy.

Although admittedly these moments may seem like obvious “top of the list” memories, some of her favourite on-field memories are from practice.

“We were a group that liked to have fun,” said J. Reinprecht. “We did drills and mini-competitions and at times, we would break out in uncontrollable laughter (mostly out of exhaustion). These random moments after conditioning or on a random Saturday training will always stand out as some of my best on-field memories with Team USA.'”

What made her national experience extra special was these on-field and off-field memories included one of her closest friends and sisters. Now looking back, J. Reinprecht realizes more and more just how influential K. Reinprecht was in her field hockey career in general.

“She pushed me as a player, not in a competitive way, but more in that she set the bar for what an elite athlete is,” said J. Reinprecht. “She also is my best friend. We didn’t go to college together or live together in San Diego and Lancaster by chance. At times, we have been each other’s nurses through injuries and sicknesses, and she was always there to provide me with some laughter when I needed it. The Olympic Games experience is another extraordinary moment that we were able to share. We stood next to each other in the anthem lineup, so we always got to give each other’s hand an extra squeeze before we took the field. It was just a little bit a comfort knowing she had my back each and every game.”

Starting off on the USWNT Developmental Squad in 2009, J. Reinprecht worked tirelessly as a member of the U.S. U-21 Women’s National Team and earned a spot on the senior team a year later. That same year at Princeton University she was named unanimous first-team All-Ivy, first-team All-region and second-team All-American.

“Julia has been an integral player for the U.S. Women’s National Team and a key leader on the team for since 2009,” said Hoskins. “Throughout 2016 Julia played at an incredibly high level, with outstanding performances in the Champions Trophy and Olympic Games.”

J. Reinprecht will be the Social Media Strategist at Boll & Branch. Boll & Branch is a home textiles company with an amazing mission, all the right values, and an incredible team.