Wilson’s Erika Culp takes the dream of an international field hockey to UConn | High school sports

Erika Culp has enjoyed a busy summer and hopes to increase her ambition to play field hockey internationally.

Culp, Wilson’s rising junior, was selected to play at the AAU Junior Olympics starting Monday in Houston. He was also selected to participate in the U.S. Field Hockey U-16 Rise Selection Camp, which helps groom players in international competitions.

“It’s really exciting because I want to play internationally,” Culp said. “It helps me get to the next level by playing with girls who are at that level.”

Culp took another big step in his goal to play international field hockey by committing to continue his sports and academic career at the University of Connecticut. The Huskies have won five NCAA championships and been in the Final Four 15 times.

“I thought if I wanted to play internationally, they would help me get to that level,” Culp said. “The coaches really believe in me and my sticky.”

Culp said he chose UConn over North Carolina, Louisville and Michigan. He will join UClon with his former teammate and 2021 Wilson grad Madi Herb in two years.

Berks Catholic rising senior Julia Bressler is also committed to playing field hockey at UConn.

“I love Madia, she’s an awesome player,” Culp said. “He really helped me hype up UConn.”

After playing his freshman season in the Twin Valley, Culp joined Herb and Wilson last season. He scored 14 goals at the team level and made 10 assists and leveled the Herb team lead by 38 points.

“I think they accepted me right away,” Culp said. “It wasn’t that hard to adjust properly.”

Because of his stickp skills, Culp played Wilson midfielder last season and is scheduled to play there again this year.

When he gets into college, Culp said he hopes to use his speed to move forward. Culp is also a sprinter on the Wilson track, which runs a 400-meter line.

“At my speed, I get to the ball pretty quickly,” Culp said.