Caitlin Van Sickle

Caitlin Van Sickle (born January 26, 1990) is an American field hockey coach and former player. From Wilmington, Delaware, she was a standout athlete at Tower Hill School where she was the state's athlete of the year in both field hockey and lacrosse. She played field hockey at the collegiate level for the North Carolina Tar Heels from 2009 to 2012, receiving numerous honors including being a three-time All-American and a three-time Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Defender of the Year. She won a national championship with the Tar Heels in 2009 and helped them make appearances at three further.

Van Sickle joined the United States women's national field hockey team in 2013. Among her highlights with the national team were an appearance at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and a bronze medal at the 2019 Pan American Games. She retired in 2019, having totaled 148 appearances with the national team and nine goals. She then became a coach.

Early life Van Sickle was born on January 26, 1990, in Wilmington, Delaware. She played golf at an early age, with her mother, Lori, being the head professional and an instructor at DuPont Country Club. At age six, she tried out soccer, and in fourth grade, she was introduced to field hockey. She attended Tower Hill School and was a standout athlete, excelling at field hockey, basketball and lacrosse.

With the field hockey team, Van Sickle made the varsity squad as a high school freshman. She won a state championship with the team as a sophomore in 2005, one of three consecutive she played an important role in leading the team to. As a junior in 2006, Van Sickle, a midfielder, recorded 10 goals and four assists, which included an assist for the first score of the team's 2–0 state championship victory over William Penn High School. As a senior, she helped Tower Hill compile an undefeated record of 20–0 while winning their third-straight title; Van Sickle was again chosen first-team all-state and the state player of the year. In the 2008 lacrosse state championship game, against St. Andrew's School, she scored two goals and two assists in the win. She also earned second-team all-state honors as a basketball player as a senior.

In her senior year, Van Sickle was teammates on the lacrosse team with her younger sister, Taylor. She joined three fellow Delaware natives with the Tar Heels. After her redshirt year, she became an immediate starter in 2009, starting all 22 games for the team while helping them win the national championship, with Van Sickle recording an assist on the game-winning goal in the title game.

As a sophomore, Van Sickle remained a starter, appearing in every game while scoring 12 goals and six assists, and helping the team to a 22–3 record and an appearance in the NCAA championship.

In 2011, Van Sickle helped North Carolina go 23–2, winning the ACC championship while reaching another national championship; she was named All-ACC, first-team All-American, the ACC Defender of the Year, and All-ACC Tournament again, while also being named to the All-NCAA Tournament squad. As a senior in 2012, she helped them reach their fourth-straight NCAA championship, while also winning the ACC crown, and was named the ACC Defender of the Year, All-ACC Tournament, All-ACC, the ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player, and first-team All-American. She received three first-team All-American, three All-ACC Tournament, three All-ACC, and three ACC Defender of the Year honors while also receiving one ACC Tournament MVP selection in her four years as a starter, with four NCAA championship game appearances. She competed at the National Futures Championship and participated in several Junior National Camps. Two years later, she was an alternate for the national team at the 2015 Pan American Games. One of her national team teammates, Katelyn Falgowski, was also her roommate and teammate at UNC. She helped the U.S. to a fifth-place finish. " with the national team. She also served as a coach at the 2023 Pan American Cup and at the 2024 FIH World Cup.