2024 NFHCA Junior Hockey Award Recipients Announced
Pictured left to right: Shelley Pieklik, Brandy Michael and Jaime Pollock.
MANAHAWKIN, N.J. – The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) is pleased to announce that Shelley Pieklik, president of the Mt. Lebanon Field Hockey Association, and Jaime Pollock & Brandy Michael, co-directors of Lower Dauphin Youth Field Hockey, and co-founders of the PA Revolution Field Hockey Club, are the recipients of the 2024 NFHCA Junior Hockey Award. They will officially receive the honor at the organization’s annual Coaches Appreciation Luncheon, sponsored by FieldTurf® USA, Inc.
Shelley Pieklik
“Shelley volunteers and devotes an enormous amount of her time towards making sure the young girls in our community have the opportunity to learn how to play a great sport and at the same time puts them in a great position to be confident about themselves on and off the field. Her impact on field hockey in the Western Pennsylvania area has been amazing. Shelley makes sure that our Mt. Lebanon program is growing and improving but also helps to grow and improve the sport as a region so that everyone improves,” remarked Brian Kattan, whom nominated Shelley.
“I am honored to be this year’s recipient of the NFHCA Junior Hockey Award. My love of the game and for the Mt. Lebanon Field Hockey program date back to my own youth. Having the opportunity to help further grow that program into a positive, supportive field hockey community working with players (including my own daughters), parents, coaches, volunteers, and alongside other local field hockey programs is truly one of the joys of my life,” Pieklik added.
According to Pieklik, the Mt. Lebanon Field Hockey Association plays a crucial role in the community, supporting field hockey players through various initiatives. Its youth program, serving around 150 players annually from grades three to eight, offers clinics, summer camps, and a fall season. Additionally, the organization provides vital support to the local high school as a booster organization. Mt. Lebanon’s focus is on fostering a positive, supportive community involving players, parents, coaches, and volunteers at all levels. Integration is its to our approach, with high school players volunteering as coaches and umpires for its youth program, ensuring a cohesive field hockey community.
Jaime Pollock & Brandy Michael
“The mission of the Lower Dauphin youth program is to introduce young players to the sport of field hockey – to teach the basic fundamental skills while developing a passion for the game and building relationships, responsibility, leadership and character. The program has grown to be be able to provide excellent competition and learning opportunities for the players who are more advanced. Jaime and Brandy have built a wonderful program for the young athletes as well as for the athletes in the surrounding youth programs. They both hold true to their mission statement. I coached both Jaime and Brandy in high school and I couldn’t be more proud of them – they share my love and passion for field hockey. They both are extremely energetic, good communicators, organized and positive role models,” noted NFHCA Hall of Fame and retired coach Linda Kreiser.
Pollock and Michael are the co-directors of the Lower Dauphin Youth Program. This is their 14th year heading the program. They have 150 athletes each season that participate in our youth program and approximately 45 local teams that also play in their fall league. According to them, it is a learning league and they strive to teach the fundamentals with an emphasis on fun. Meanwhile, their PA Revs Field Hockey Club has athletes from U8 to U19. They both coach at many of the age levels and have enjoyed watching their athletes grow both on and off the field. We have watched our athletes move on to play in college, some have played internationally and most have given back to the sport by volunteering in either a youth program or their adaptive PA Revs All Starz program as well.
“It is such an honor to receive this award on behalf of our league – we are beyond grateful for the opportunity to give back. We have been blessed with amazing mentors in our lives and paying it forward to the next generation is part of our mission,” Pollock and Michael commented.
The Award
The NFHCA Junior Hockey Award was created to recognize individuals who have made a significant contribution to the development of a junior field hockey program that involves athletes under the age of 13.
Pieklik; Pollock & Michael will be presented with the Junior Hockey Award at the Coaches Appreciation Luncheon sponsored by FieldTurf® USA, Inc as part of the 2025 NFHCA Annual Convention. They are the 13th and 14th recipients of the NFHCA’s Junior Hockey Award.
The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) is a nonprofit organization serving field hockey coaches and supporters of the game from across the United States. The mission of the organization is to champion, strengthen, and celebrate field hockey coaches and the game. The NFHCA strives to cultivate and recognize the professional contributions of its membership and to foster and promote the growth of the sport. The NFHCA is responsible for providing a recognizable presence and voice in regard to legislation affecting the sport as well as interscholastic and intercollegiate programs.