Terp Siblings Share Smith and Paris Olympics Experience

Sisters Brooke DeBerdine ’21 and Emma DeBerdine ’23, MiM ’25, have shared a lot of formative experiences over the years—attending Smith, playing on the Terps field hockey team, and representing their country on the Women’s USA Field Hockey squad in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“Sharing the Olympic experience with my sister made it 100 times more special,” says Emma. “I would not have made it to the Olympics if it wasn’t for how much she challenged me, competed with me and supported me.”

They weren’t the only Terps on the Paris 2024 field hockey roster. Leah Crouse and fellow Smith grad Kellee Lepage ’20 were also on the squad.

“I think it comes down to the field hockey program in general and just how uber challenged we were—and how we were challenged academically, as well,” Brooke says, marveling at the number of Terps on the team. 

The sisters had impressive athletic careers, both two-time All-American midfielders who played together from 2019-21 and helped lead the team to Big Ten titles and NCAA championship games. They also excelled off the field. Both received the prestigious Big Ten Medal of Honor—Brooke in 2021 and Emma in 2025. It is awarded each year to one female and one male student-athlete per university for outstanding athletic and academic achievements. Brooke says it is the achievement she is most proud of. 

“The parallels of what I learned from the Smith School and what I learned from my time playing field hockey at Maryland have really made me into the person I am,” Brooke says. 

While the sisters were at Smith, Brooke played for the Terps from 2017–21 and studied supply chain management. She was the first Terrapin to start 100 career games. Emma played from 2019–22 and studied marketing. She returned for the 2024 season while earning her master’s in management studies from the Smith School.

“I was supported by my professors to be the best athlete I could be, and I was supported by my coaching staff to be the best student I could be,” Emma says. As an athlete, she says she learned teamwork, effective communication and how to perform in high-pressure situations—skills that proved valuable in her marketing studies, too. 

“I knew I wanted to be in business because there are so many opportunities in the business world—many of which align with being an athlete,” Emma says. “I chose Smith because it has such a strong reputation and they do so much to set their students up for long-term success. This was the perfect place for me to excel both on and off the field.”

Emma plays full-time with the Women’s USA Field Hockey squad, currently preparing for the 2025 Pan Am Games to begin the qualification process for the 2026 World Cup before the 2028 Olympic Games. Brooke retired from professional field hockey in December 2024 and now works with her family’s heating oil and propane supply business.