Ball State University Athletics
Field Hockey Welcomes Six Commitments For 2021 Season
December 01, 2020 | Field Hockey
MUNCIE, Ind. – Six student-athletes sign for the 2021 season. The announcement was made today by third-year head coach Stephanie Bernthal.
The newest members of the Cardinals family include Nadia Briddell (Baltimore, MD/Maryvale Preparatory School), Christina Clymer (Bethlehem, PA/Easton Area High School), Agostina Giudice (Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina/Colegio San Bartolomé de Rosario), Maya Guinn (Crestwood, KY/South Oldham High School), Taylor Sullivan (San Diego, CA/University City High School) and Jenna Wyckoff (Oxford, NJ/Warren Hills High School).
Nadia Briddell hails from Baltimore, MD and was an impact player for Maryvale Preparatory School. Briddell, a defensive threat, earned four varsity letters for the Lions. Briddell was the Lions' team captain her junior and senior seasons. In 2017, she helped the Lions to a runner-up finish at the IAAM (Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland) B-Conference championships. Briddell was a two-sport athlete at Maryvale Preparatory, competing for the track and field team.
Briddell, was also a member of the Warhawks Field Hockey Club for seven years and averaged 4.5 defensive saves per game. One of Briddell's biggest accomplishments was becoming a member of the 2020 Puerto Rican National Field Hockey Team. She continues to train and will look to compete in the 2021 PanAm games.
Off the field, Briddell has excelled academically during her time at Maryvale Preparatory School. Briddell has been named to the honor roll, as well as earning the scholar-athlete award as a freshman and junior. Specifically, Briddell earned the Exemplary Achievement Award for Algebra II.
Bernthal on Briddell:
"Nadia is a fierce defender and an incredibly dedicated teammate. She carries natural leadership on the field and has that poised demeanor you love in a back. We look forward to her tackling abilities and long distribution from the backfield. We are thrilled she felt an instant click with our Cardinal family and are excited to have Maryland represented again on our roster!"
Christina Clymer, a three-year varsity letter-winner, comes to Ball State from Easton Area High School. She earned the 2017 Junior Varsity Rookie of the Year and was tabbed the 2018 Varsity Rookie of the Year. In 2019, Clymer helped guide the Red Rover's to their first PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) State Playoff game win in over 30 years. Clymer has been part of three PIAA state qualifying teams and three District 11 runner-ups. The senior captain has so far scored seven goals for her career with the Red Rover's and has helped Easton Area High School to a 72-18 overall record. In the spring, Clymer is a three-year letterwinner in softball and starts for the Red Rovers' at the first base position.
Clymer is also highly successful in the classroom, as she was named to the All-State Academic Team as a junior and senior. She holds a 4.0 grade point average and has been on the Easton Area High School's honor roll and National Honor Society all four years.
Bernthal On Clymer:
"Christina is a very mature and natural leader. She brings great competitive drive and desire to grow her game, both things that we love having in our culture. She is another talented back—it's really hard to receive the ball anywhere around Christina. She anticipates and intercepts well and is not afraid to turn that into a counterattack. Can't wait to see this in action for us at Briner Sports Complex."
Agostina Giudice will be joining the Ball State program from Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. Giudice attended Colegio San Bartolomé de Rosario and will graduate December 2020. Giudice has been an impact player for her club team, Club Gimnasia y Esgrima de Rosario. Throughout her three years she has totaled 39 goals in her career with Club Gimnasia y Esgrima de Rosario; 16 goals (2019), 14 goals (2018), 9 goals (2017). In 2019, Giudice was the highest goal-scorer for her region and received the Sporting Merit award in 2017 and 2018. Giudice has also represented her region and in 2019, Rosario finished in 1st place of the Regional Tournament. Agostina is extremely talented on the attacking side of the ball and will be a huge asset in years to come.
Bernthal on Guidice:
Agostina Giudice: "Agostina is an amazing fit with this 2021 group. She has incredible work rate, speed, and shooting ability. She is a player that loves a 1v1 challenge and has great hands and creativity. It is also clear that Agostina is a fit with the things our team values: family, mental toughness, and hard work. We are thrilled the Cardinal culture resonated with Tini and that she is joining this very talented group."
Maya Guinn comes to Ball State after being a five-year varsity letter-winner for South Oldham High School in Kentucky. Guinn earned the spot of captain her senior season for the Dragons. As a skilled midfielder, Guinn was ranked in the top 25 in the state for assists; ninth in her sophomore year and 23rd in her junior year. Guinn has been an asset to her high school's ability to attack and in her sophomore year was 11th overall in the state in scoring.
Guinn was very successful for her club team IFHCK where she played six years. She was captain of the National Indoor Tournament as a sophomore and junior and in her junior year she helped IFHCK to a 10th national ranking at the National Club Championship.
Academically, Guinn was a three-year honor roll member at South Oldham. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club. Guinn becomes the sixth player on the current Cardinals' roster from Louisville.
Bernthal on Guinn:
"Maya is such a kind teammate and solid force within this class. Early on in our time at Ball State, Maya started coming to clinics. She has great work ethic in the midfield and is one of those players who acts as glue for her team. She makes great simple decisions but can put the team on her back if needed as well. Looking forward to adding her presence to our talented midfield at Ball State. She will be refined and add lots of value there. Of course, we are thrilled to continue our Louisville, Kentucky pipeline, too!"
Taylor Sullivan will join the Cardinals from California. An offensive threat for the University City High School, Taylor Sullivan was tabbed best offensive player her junior year while also earning First Team All-Eastern Conference honors. The two-time captain has so far tallied 18 goals and 14 assists for her career. California will resume play this December for Taylor's senior season. Sullivan has helped lead the Centurions' to three-straight Eastern Conference championship titles (2017, 2018, & 2019). Sullivan has also competed with the San Diego Hot Stix/Myto field hockey club team for the last four years. She is also a two-year letter-winner for the Centurions in track and field.
Academically, Sullivan excels in the classroom and has a 4.1 weighted GPA. As a sophomore, Sullivan was named to the CIF All-Academic team and in her junior year earned a spot on the San Diego Union Tribune All-Academic team.
Bernthal on Sullivan:
"Taylor has this insatiable desire for hard work. She absolutely LOVES field hockey. Through her own hard work and determination, she's added some awesome elite skills to her attacking skill set. That is one of those hard-to-find intangibles that will serve her really well at Ball State and within our system. We look forward to watching her blossom and bring her speed to our midfield or forward line."
Jenna Wyckoff joins the roster from Oxford, New Jersey. Wyckoff, a three-year letter winner from Warren Hills High School, earned All-Skyland Conference Honorable Mention as a sophomore and junior. Wyckoff helped the Blue Streaks to back-to-back sectional championship titles and state runner-up her sophomore and junior seasons. She was awarded the NJ.com Player of the Week twice (2017 & 2018) along with an NJ.com Honorable Mention Player of the Week honor (2018). For her career, Wyckoff has tallied 25 goals and 22 assists with her best performance coming as a senior with 11 goals. In three years, she has helped Warren Hills High School to a 52-8-1 overall record. Wyckoff is also a member of the Blue Streaks Lacrosse Team. Wyckoff has played five years with her club team Jersey Intensity. Wyckoff will be the third from New Jersey to join the Cardinals family.
Bernthal on Wyckoff:
"Jenna has that fierce and feisty New Jersey mentality that we love. She has great eliminating ability, but also has a unique ability to set up teammates with her passing. We love her nose for finding the goal and how well she balances that with setting others up for goal scoring opportunities. Looking forward to seeing her find chemistry with some of our other speedsters on the forward line. It should be really fun to watch."
Bernthal on the 2021 Class:
"We are so fortunate that these wonderful student-athletes were immediately struck by the combination of a great education at Ball State, along with the ability to bring championships back to the field hockey program. This is a group who will carry on the values of being family first and mentally tough in all that they do. They have each faced great adversity in this past year, but as we always talk about within our program, there is value in walking through challenges, and doing so TOGETHER. They will bring leadership, poise, passion, and love to the Cardinal Field Hockey Family. We look forward to the day they arrive on campus and we begin their chapter as Cardinals."
The newest members of the Cardinals family include Nadia Briddell (Baltimore, MD/Maryvale Preparatory School), Christina Clymer (Bethlehem, PA/Easton Area High School), Agostina Giudice (Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina/Colegio San Bartolomé de Rosario), Maya Guinn (Crestwood, KY/South Oldham High School), Taylor Sullivan (San Diego, CA/University City High School) and Jenna Wyckoff (Oxford, NJ/Warren Hills High School).
Nadia Briddell hails from Baltimore, MD and was an impact player for Maryvale Preparatory School. Briddell, a defensive threat, earned four varsity letters for the Lions. Briddell was the Lions' team captain her junior and senior seasons. In 2017, she helped the Lions to a runner-up finish at the IAAM (Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland) B-Conference championships. Briddell was a two-sport athlete at Maryvale Preparatory, competing for the track and field team.
Briddell, was also a member of the Warhawks Field Hockey Club for seven years and averaged 4.5 defensive saves per game. One of Briddell's biggest accomplishments was becoming a member of the 2020 Puerto Rican National Field Hockey Team. She continues to train and will look to compete in the 2021 PanAm games.
Off the field, Briddell has excelled academically during her time at Maryvale Preparatory School. Briddell has been named to the honor roll, as well as earning the scholar-athlete award as a freshman and junior. Specifically, Briddell earned the Exemplary Achievement Award for Algebra II.
Bernthal on Briddell:
"Nadia is a fierce defender and an incredibly dedicated teammate. She carries natural leadership on the field and has that poised demeanor you love in a back. We look forward to her tackling abilities and long distribution from the backfield. We are thrilled she felt an instant click with our Cardinal family and are excited to have Maryland represented again on our roster!"
Christina Clymer, a three-year varsity letter-winner, comes to Ball State from Easton Area High School. She earned the 2017 Junior Varsity Rookie of the Year and was tabbed the 2018 Varsity Rookie of the Year. In 2019, Clymer helped guide the Red Rover's to their first PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) State Playoff game win in over 30 years. Clymer has been part of three PIAA state qualifying teams and three District 11 runner-ups. The senior captain has so far scored seven goals for her career with the Red Rover's and has helped Easton Area High School to a 72-18 overall record. In the spring, Clymer is a three-year letterwinner in softball and starts for the Red Rovers' at the first base position.
Clymer is also highly successful in the classroom, as she was named to the All-State Academic Team as a junior and senior. She holds a 4.0 grade point average and has been on the Easton Area High School's honor roll and National Honor Society all four years.
Bernthal On Clymer:
"Christina is a very mature and natural leader. She brings great competitive drive and desire to grow her game, both things that we love having in our culture. She is another talented back—it's really hard to receive the ball anywhere around Christina. She anticipates and intercepts well and is not afraid to turn that into a counterattack. Can't wait to see this in action for us at Briner Sports Complex."
Agostina Giudice will be joining the Ball State program from Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. Giudice attended Colegio San Bartolomé de Rosario and will graduate December 2020. Giudice has been an impact player for her club team, Club Gimnasia y Esgrima de Rosario. Throughout her three years she has totaled 39 goals in her career with Club Gimnasia y Esgrima de Rosario; 16 goals (2019), 14 goals (2018), 9 goals (2017). In 2019, Giudice was the highest goal-scorer for her region and received the Sporting Merit award in 2017 and 2018. Giudice has also represented her region and in 2019, Rosario finished in 1st place of the Regional Tournament. Agostina is extremely talented on the attacking side of the ball and will be a huge asset in years to come.
Bernthal on Guidice:
Agostina Giudice: "Agostina is an amazing fit with this 2021 group. She has incredible work rate, speed, and shooting ability. She is a player that loves a 1v1 challenge and has great hands and creativity. It is also clear that Agostina is a fit with the things our team values: family, mental toughness, and hard work. We are thrilled the Cardinal culture resonated with Tini and that she is joining this very talented group."
Maya Guinn comes to Ball State after being a five-year varsity letter-winner for South Oldham High School in Kentucky. Guinn earned the spot of captain her senior season for the Dragons. As a skilled midfielder, Guinn was ranked in the top 25 in the state for assists; ninth in her sophomore year and 23rd in her junior year. Guinn has been an asset to her high school's ability to attack and in her sophomore year was 11th overall in the state in scoring.
Guinn was very successful for her club team IFHCK where she played six years. She was captain of the National Indoor Tournament as a sophomore and junior and in her junior year she helped IFHCK to a 10th national ranking at the National Club Championship.
Academically, Guinn was a three-year honor roll member at South Oldham. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club. Guinn becomes the sixth player on the current Cardinals' roster from Louisville.
Bernthal on Guinn:
"Maya is such a kind teammate and solid force within this class. Early on in our time at Ball State, Maya started coming to clinics. She has great work ethic in the midfield and is one of those players who acts as glue for her team. She makes great simple decisions but can put the team on her back if needed as well. Looking forward to adding her presence to our talented midfield at Ball State. She will be refined and add lots of value there. Of course, we are thrilled to continue our Louisville, Kentucky pipeline, too!"
Taylor Sullivan will join the Cardinals from California. An offensive threat for the University City High School, Taylor Sullivan was tabbed best offensive player her junior year while also earning First Team All-Eastern Conference honors. The two-time captain has so far tallied 18 goals and 14 assists for her career. California will resume play this December for Taylor's senior season. Sullivan has helped lead the Centurions' to three-straight Eastern Conference championship titles (2017, 2018, & 2019). Sullivan has also competed with the San Diego Hot Stix/Myto field hockey club team for the last four years. She is also a two-year letter-winner for the Centurions in track and field.
Academically, Sullivan excels in the classroom and has a 4.1 weighted GPA. As a sophomore, Sullivan was named to the CIF All-Academic team and in her junior year earned a spot on the San Diego Union Tribune All-Academic team.
Bernthal on Sullivan:
"Taylor has this insatiable desire for hard work. She absolutely LOVES field hockey. Through her own hard work and determination, she's added some awesome elite skills to her attacking skill set. That is one of those hard-to-find intangibles that will serve her really well at Ball State and within our system. We look forward to watching her blossom and bring her speed to our midfield or forward line."
Jenna Wyckoff joins the roster from Oxford, New Jersey. Wyckoff, a three-year letter winner from Warren Hills High School, earned All-Skyland Conference Honorable Mention as a sophomore and junior. Wyckoff helped the Blue Streaks to back-to-back sectional championship titles and state runner-up her sophomore and junior seasons. She was awarded the NJ.com Player of the Week twice (2017 & 2018) along with an NJ.com Honorable Mention Player of the Week honor (2018). For her career, Wyckoff has tallied 25 goals and 22 assists with her best performance coming as a senior with 11 goals. In three years, she has helped Warren Hills High School to a 52-8-1 overall record. Wyckoff is also a member of the Blue Streaks Lacrosse Team. Wyckoff has played five years with her club team Jersey Intensity. Wyckoff will be the third from New Jersey to join the Cardinals family.
Bernthal on Wyckoff:
"Jenna has that fierce and feisty New Jersey mentality that we love. She has great eliminating ability, but also has a unique ability to set up teammates with her passing. We love her nose for finding the goal and how well she balances that with setting others up for goal scoring opportunities. Looking forward to seeing her find chemistry with some of our other speedsters on the forward line. It should be really fun to watch."
Bernthal on the 2021 Class:
"We are so fortunate that these wonderful student-athletes were immediately struck by the combination of a great education at Ball State, along with the ability to bring championships back to the field hockey program. This is a group who will carry on the values of being family first and mentally tough in all that they do. They have each faced great adversity in this past year, but as we always talk about within our program, there is value in walking through challenges, and doing so TOGETHER. They will bring leadership, poise, passion, and love to the Cardinal Field Hockey Family. We look forward to the day they arrive on campus and we begin their chapter as Cardinals."
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