Blue Stripe Field Hockey Club
Club Founders
Sharon Herlocher
A former Penn State University student-athlete team captain with an accomplished career as a NCAA All-American and named to the All-Big Ten team selection. Sharon played in three Final Four championships as a player (1990, 1991, 1993) and had many NCAA appearances as a coach. Sharon has a long resume of coaching experience, including ten years as the volunteer coach at Penn State, four years as the assistant coach at Boston University, and 15-plus seasons coaching club field hockey.
She co-owns Herlocher Foods and Ottis Properties and is the Chair of the Board of the Downtown State College Improvement District. She is a Lower Dauphin High School graduate and, while at Penn State, earned a B.S. in Exercise and Sports Science with a minor in Business. Sharon's husband, Neil, is a lifelong rugby player and coach. She is the mother of Charlie, Phebe, and Lanie.
Chelle Tambroni
A former student-athlete at Penn State University, Tambroni was a U-21 National Team Alternate, 1st Team NCAA All-American (1990), the Atlantic 10 (A-10) Player of the Year (1990), and led Penn State to their first-ever NCAA Final Four appearance (1990).
Chelle's high school coaching career started after leading two NCAA Division 1 collegiate programs, directing three club programs across two sports, and worked as a regional and coaching director for the USA Field Hockey Futures program for seven years. Chelle spent ten years as the head coach at Cornell, three years as the head coach at Towson University, and three years as the assistant at Yale University. After becoming a mother to three girls, she began directing club lacrosse and field hockey programs, first in Ithaca, NY, then in State College, PA. Chelle has a B.S. in Exercise and Sport Science (Penn State), is a co-owner of MeMi Designs, the wife of PSU Men's Lacrosse Coach Jeff Tambroni, daughter of legendary Vermont Scholastic Coach Yvonne Frates, and mother of Carissa, Maddie, and Ella
Coaches
Sarah Pergine, Coach
Sarah has an impressive coaching resume that includes one year as a volunteer assistant at Temple University, five seasons coaching club field hockey (FSC, Philly Hockey Club, Cleveland Hockey Club), and one season of volunteer coaching with The Ohio State University club program.
As a captain of a strong University of Iowa team she led her team to two Big-Ten Tournament Championships (2007 and 2008) and one Final Four appearance (2008). She was a two-time Midwest Region Team player and participated in the USA High-Performance Tournament.
She has an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership (Temple University), a B.A. in Communication Studies and Sociology (University of Iowa), and is a graduate of Perkiomen Valley H.S. She is an Associate Director for Student-Athlete Programming, Academic Counselor at Penn State University's Morgan Academic Center.
Lucas Shaha, Coach
Lucas (Luke), a sports enthusiast. Currently a sophomore at Penn State, he is in his second third year as a volunteer coach for a local high school after becoming manager in 2021. His school spirit and love for sports shine brightly.
Mary Nell Smith, Coach
Mary Nell is returning as the Blue Stripe u16 indoor Coach. Mary Nell is a local Middle School Coach, a PIAA Field Hockey Official and helps run a State College youth field hockey program every fall. She is a 2019 graduate of Penn State, named two-time All-Big-Ten Distinguished Scholar Athlete, four-time Division 1 National Academic Squad member, and named four-time Academic All-Big Ten. She is a graduate of Central Dauphin H.S., holds a B.A. in Public Relations with Honors (Penn State), and an M. Ed from Penn State University’s Educational Leadership program. When not involved in field hockey, Mary Nell advises collegiate student-athletes as an Academic Counselor at Penn State University’s Morgan Academic Center for Student-Athletes.
Jill Gambino, Coach
Former Boston College field hockey assistant coach. Jill is now helping with the Youth program in State College, and has a very experienced knowledge about field hockey. She played field hockey at Northwestern, and played a big role on that team.
Julie Martelli, Coach
Julie Martelli has experience coaching field hockey at all levels, including Divison I and II schools and within several clubs. Julie is in the Hall of Fame at Towson University, where she spent four years as a student-athlete.
Megan Lay- Goalie Coach
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