Amanda Magadan’s recent selection to the United States Women’s Field Hockey Team and her stint on the under 21 US team has allowed her to see the world. She has competed in the junior Pam Am Championships in Trinidad and Tobago, the World Cup in Chile, and in individual matches in Holland. Amanda has also played against teams from Great Britain, Canada, Japan,India and Chile.
She will be spending the spring semester traveling between Lafayette and the US training center in Lancaster, Pa. After graduation she will move full time to Lancaster preparing for games in South Africa and Pan Am games in Lancaster this summer.
Amanda has also traveled with her Lafayette team to Barcelona, Spain and acted as everyone’s interpreter since she is fluent in Spanish. Her coach, Jennifer Stone who does not give praise unearned, called Amanda perhaps the best field hockey player ever to wear the Lafayette uniform.
Amanda is the first Lafayette player to earn a spot on the national team signifying her as one of the best players in the country. ” After I ascertained that I would be offered a spot on the USWNT, I was filled with a mix emotions. It was both overwhelming and unexpected, yet exciting and rewarding. I am looking forward to playing and learning from such experience and elite athletes. I am honored to get this unique opportunity of a lifetime,” wrote Amanda.
Coach Stone said of Amanda,” Amanda is determined, a competitor, and has a contagious enthusiasm to relentlessly improve. Those are the reasons why I encouraged Amanda to start her path down the USA pipeline.”
But it is not only on the field that Amanda excels, she is a regular on the all academic patriot league teams and a dean’s list student as an economics and psychology major. She has taken every opportunity to learn about the world from her studies and athletic career. She just returned from a Lafayette sponsored interim course in Tanzania. Amanda described it as a “blast!” ” We were fortunate to have a face to face encounter with a male lion and his pride, observe mass amounts of wildlife roam, learn about the national and tribal cultures, visit various world heritage sites, and evaluate Tanzania’s suitability and conservation approaches through lectures and class discussions. Honestly, it was probably the most memorable trip of my international travels. We visited Arusha, Dar es Salam, Bagamoyo, and Zanzibar ( also known as Spice Island) all within a three week span. The educational component of the trip enhanced our experience by allowing us investigate the culture, economic status, and political structure of the country which made the trip enlightening and indelible. Our trip was complemented by one of kind safaris , shopping, spice tours, and snorkeling. It was the perfect way to start off the new year!”
Amanda Magadan a Leopard and citizen of the world!! Pride of Leopard Land!!
Lafayette College Field Hockey 