On Aug. 27, junior Noora Qureshi verbally committed to play field hockey at the University of Pennsylvania through a social media post.
Qureshi started to play field hockey at a young age inspired by her mother, who played field hockey in college. She started attending practices at her club, Lonestar Field Hockey, in lower school.
By the end of her eighth-grade year, she honed in on field hockey and playing with her travel team.
“I chose to focus on field hockey rather than playing both club soccer and field hockey because I really loved the community and the sport itself,” said Qureshi.
Qureshi has played on the Greenhill field hockey team since her freshman year, earning All-SPC recognition the 2024-25 season.
She is also co-captain of the team this year alongside senior Samantha Herrmann. According to Herrmann, Qureshi leads the team with her skills on the field and her compassion for her teammates.
“Not only is she an incredibly skilled player, but she’s also a dedicated teammate and a co-captain that leads with kindness,” said Herrmann.
Qureshi says the recruiting process ramped up after June 15, the official contact date Division I schools could reach out to athletes entering their junior year.
Leading up to this date, she attended clinics at schools she was interested in and sent her schedules and highlights to prospective schools.
“When I couldn’t talk to coaches directly, I made sure to attend camps and clinics of the schools I liked, along with sending emails to coaches with stats, tournament schedules, and highlight reels,” said Qureshi.
Qureshi says she picked the University of Pennsylvania because she loved the culture of the field hockey team and could see herself attending college there.
“I knew that UPenn was my school because when I went on my visit and walked around campus, I was very comfortable and was easily able to envision myself being a student there,” said Qureshi.
Her goal is to study business at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
“I also chose UPenn because of its incredible academic opportunities, especially because I probably want to go into business and Wharton is renowned for business,” said Qureshi.
Outside of field hockey, Qureshi plays two other sports: soccer and golf. Her favorite class is English, and she is a part of Girl Scouts. Qureshi also mentors younger athletes at Saturday practices for her field hockey club.
According to Head Field Hockey Coach Brittany Hawkins, Qureshi is a standout on and off the field, not just as a player but also a captain, teammate, and person.
“[Noora] is deeply committed to growing the game of field hockey.” said Hawkins. “Over the years, she has not only developed her own skill but also her ability to share her knowledge, creating and spreading a love for the sport with others.”
