May 14, 2018

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia field hockey assistant coach Ole Keusgen has been selected to lead the U.S. U-19 Women’s National Team in 2018-19, as announced by USA Field Hockey.

Keusgen has been named as the head coach of the upcoming year’s U-19 USWNT after co-leading the junior national team last season alongside Tamara Durante in competitions that included a tour of Ireland to play in a series of friendlies. The US U-19 squad has four incoming Cavalier freshmen on its roster: Greer Gill (Virginia Beach, Va.), Annie McDonough (Kennett Square, Pa.) Peyton Tollaksen (Chesapeake, Va.) and Grace Wallis (Blue Bell, Pa.). Keusgen will begin his fourth season as Virginia’s assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in the fall in addition to his work with the junior national team.

“I’m very grateful and honored to work with the U.S. U-19 Women’s National Team again,” said Keusgen. “We made great progress within this team over the last two years and I’m excited to see their next steps. In order to prepare them as good as possible for the next level, we try to improve skills, game understanding and game pace. The U-19 program is a great opportunity to work on those things and to compete and practice on a very high and even international level. I’m looking forward to work with the team and assistant coaches Tamara Durante and Ralph Boersma.”

Keusgen has been playing field hockey since the age of six, including professionally in Germany with one of the most successful field hockey clubs in European history, Uhlenhorst Mülheim. He also competed with the German National Team, winning a bronze medal at the 2013 World University Games in Kazan. In addition to playing, Keusgen spent the last 10 years coaching the sport in both the men’s and women’s first teams of Oberhausener THC.