Intercollegiate Athletics

Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics launches 'Teammates for Life' initiative

Initiative created to celebrate, elevate and engage past, present and future women athletes at Penn State

Penn State Athletics announced the introduction of Teammates For Life, a women’s athletics initiative created to celebrate, elevate and engage past, present and future women athletes at Penn State. The initiative will be led by recently-retired Penn State Field Hockey Coach Char Morett Curtiss. Credit: Penn State Athletics. All Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Athletics announced the introduction of Teammates For Life, a women’s athletics initiative created to celebrate, elevate and engage past, present and future women athletes at Penn State. The first-of-its-kind effort will be led by recently retired Penn State Field Hockey Coach Char Morett Curtiss.

According to Morett Curtiss, Teammates For Life will prioritize the importance of relationships, with a commitment toward building life-long bonds across generations of successful Penn State women.

“I came to Penn State as a student-athlete in 1975; then returned in 1987 as head coach, and never left,” said Morett Curtiss. “All of the opportunities and achievements I’ve enjoyed in my career can be traced back to my Penn State roots and the women who supported me. I believe strongly in helping to build those connections for today’s and tomorrow’s student-athletes.”

Teammates For Life will:

  • Encourage wide-ranging support of all 14 Penn State women’s athletics teams through attendance of home and away contests
  • Provide programming to help female student-athletes successfully balance academics and athletics
  • Connect female student-athletes and alumni for mentorship, job coaching, and networking opportunities

“Penn State female alums are everywhere and everything — they are coaches, doctors, nurses, lawyers, actors, community leaders, athletes, teachers, professors, politicians, writers, broadcasters, executives, scientists and more,” said Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Patrick Kraft. “With Char’s leadership, this women’s athletics initiative will harness that power, and share it with our female student-athletes. We want to leverage it all to connect our student-athletes with alumni in strong and meaningful ways to truly create teammates for life.”

Among the first connection points will be alumni networking events scheduled throughout the fall in State College, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York City and Washington, D.C. Additionally, Teammates For Life will sponsor on-campus, student-athlete career fairs; professional development programming; and high-profile speaking engagements throughout the fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters.  

“Penn State is fully committed to supporting our student-athletes on and off the field, and Teammates For Life will reinforce the lifelong success of our female athletes by harnessing the incredible power of the University’s global alumni network and the critical importance of community, mentorship and women supporting women,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “Throughout my own career, I have benefited from the support and mentorship of my fellow women, and I am excited for this new initiative that will support our women student-athletes to help them find success throughout their academic, athletic and professional careers.”

With 14 active women’s athletics programs, Penn State boasts a total of 21 national championship titles and a lengthy track record of supporting women’s athletics. The University initiated its women’s athletics program in 1964-65, sanctioning women’s collegiate varsity level competition eight years ahead of the 1972 passage of Title IX. Today, Penn State offers women’s teams in: basketball, cross country, field hockey, fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. 

“Through Teammates For Life, we are committed to delivering the best student-athlete experience in the country. We aim to position Penn State as home to the most prominent, supportive and successful collegiate women’s athletics programs,” said Morett Curtiss. “I have no doubt that this initiative will become a difference-maker in recruiting, mentoring, job placement and fundraising, ultimately translating into big wins for Penn State on and off the field.”

Morett Curtiss is supported by a Teammates For Life Advisory Board comprised of: E. Lee Beard, Susan Robinson-Fruchtl, Tara Hohenshelt, Elizabeth King, Maura Pilewicz, Maribeth Roman Schmidt and Brandi Stewart.

To learn more about Teammates For Life and how to support Penn State’s female student-athletes, email pennstateteammatesforlife@gmail.com and follow the initiative on social media:

Last Updated September 5, 2023

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