By Dave Johnson 
W&M Athletics 

Even if she hadn't gotten the good word, it still would have been a rewarding experience. But Pyper Friedman did get the good word: She made the first wave of the 2022 U.S. U-21 Women's National Team in field hockey. 

Friedman, who will be a sophomore next season at William & Mary, was one of 22 players announced last week to the national team following a four-day selection camp in Charlotte, N.C. She will join the team for training in Chula Vista, Calif., from Feb. 23-27.  

"They sent an email on Friday, and I was so happy I cried," said Friedman, a midfielder who started all 16 games as a freshman. "It just felt like all my hard work had finally paid off. All the people who helped me, like Tess (Ellis, the head coach), (assistant Hillary) Fitts and Ayla (Halus-Johnson, an assistant), I'm so grateful for them. 

"It was only four days, but I learned so much from that camp. And I realized how much I learned from being here and getting experience at the college level. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to play here because I've improved so much from the last time I was at a USA event." 

Ellis believes the four days in Charlotte, and what lies ahead, can only make a Friedman better player. 

"You just mature more and gain so much confidence when you go to these training camps competing against these other people," she said. "Suddenly, you're like, wow, I'm competing against players who were on the senior national team or people who were on top-five, top-ten teams in the country." 

Friedman was the only player from the Colonial Athletic Association to make the 22-member roster. Her sister, Nathalie, who plays at Wake Forest, was one of eight players to make the U.S. Women's National Development Team. 

At the training camp in California, Pyper Friedman has a chance of making the Junior Hockey World Cup roster. That will be a major challenge, however, because anyone 22 and under will be able to compete for a roster spot. 

"Over the summer, there will be strictly U-21 tournaments," she said. "That's probably what I have the best chance at being selected for." 

Freidman scored two goals as a freshman, her biggest of which clinched a 3-2 shootout win over Hofstra. She was third on the team in shots (19) and shots on goal (10) and made the CAA's All-Rookie team. 

"I was so grateful to be playing at all as a freshman," Friedman said. "Tess and all the coaches really believed in me, and I'm so grateful for that.  

"As a midfielder, I really had to learn a lot alongside a senior, Cara Menges, who taught me so much about the position. It was a lot of learning. We had a really tough schedule, and we learned a lot from the teams we played." 

Friedman is a field hockey legacy at William & Mary. Her mother, then known as Toni-Jean Lisa '87, and aunt, Chrissy Lisa '90, played field hockey and lacrosse for the Tribe.  

"I was destined to look here, but I didn't think I'd end up here," Friedman said. "But after seeing the campus and meeting the coaches, this is where I was supposed to be. The coaches were so welcoming, so supportive, and very honest about where I stood with them." 

The Tribe finished 3-13 last season but played one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Of its 10 non-conference games, six were against nationally ranked teams. That included Liberty, the national runner-up.  

Of W&M's top 11 players in terms of starts last season, only two were seniors. 

"Tess definitely knew what she was doing by giving us that schedule," Friedman said. "She knew coming into the season we didn't have a lot of experience after the COVID year. We really only had two seniors playing this year.  

"We definitely had to learn a lot, and I think it was to prepare us for the coming seasons. I think we'll be really prepared for next season."