Emma Russell’s college hockey road trip with Syracuse University

It's been a quirky sporting journey for Emma Russell. As a child growing up in Enniskerry, soccer was her unrivalled passion, playing on the local boys' teams from under-eight up to 14 before joining the famed St Joseph's in Sallynoggin and getting called up to the Ireland under-15 squad. If her sporting achievements were ever going to earn her a meeting with the President in his home, then it'd be a trip, surely, to Áras an Uachtaráin after a football triumph?

Not so. Russell is off to the White House after captaining Syracuse University's hockey team to the United States National Championship for the first time in their history.

“The tradition is that every national championship team gets to go, it would be really cool but I don’t know when it will happen – with the election going on it might be a bit delayed, but hopefully it will happen in the next year.”

President Obama or President Trump?

“Ooooh, I think Obama.”

Before she went to Holy Child Killiney, the prospect of her ever being feted for her hockey seemed a touch unlikely – Russell hadn’t even played the sport until then. She took to it quickly, though, and soon enough found herself called up to Irish underage panels. “So by the time I was 16 I had to choose between the two of them. I still miss soccer, it was definitely my first love.”

Big decision

She played her club hockey with Hermes and then Old Alexandra, and come the end of secondary school the big decision was whether to remain at home or head for America where she had been offered a scholarship at Syracuse to combine her hockey with studying economics. She had been born in California, where her father had worked, but had lived in Ireland since she was five, and wasn’t sure she could handle the homesickness.

“It was the first time I’d been away from home for a significant amount of time, so it was really difficult, but I just felt it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.

“Now I would say it was the best decision I’ve ever made, the best experience of my life, I would recommend it to anyone. The last four years have been unbelievable, I never thought I would love it this much.”

There was plenty to adjust to, not least the professionalism of Syracuse’s sporting set-up. “The facilities were a shock, I was just amazed by it – and I still am to this day. The money put in to college sport is absolutely insane, our coaches are full-time, that’s what they’re here to do. It feels like you’re a professional in terms of the support you have. You have a full-time physiotherapist, you have everything you could need, so many people working behind the scenes. We even flew to Michigan for the Final Four (the Championship play-offs) by chartered plane, they literally do everything to make our lives easier.”

And they got their rewards, Syracuse beating North Carolina 4-2 in the national final, Russell opening the scoring and Ulster's Zoe Wilson getting their third. Come full-time, the players had become the first Syracuse women's team to be crowned national champions in any sport.

“I just started bawling crying. Being together with the same people every day, all working towards the same thing, you become so close to them and the coaches as well, so there was a lot of emotion. And we’d worked towards this for four years, training four hours every day, so the team really became family.”

Russell's contribution to the success? In the words of the college paper, the Daily Orange, she is "possibly the greatest field hockey player in Syracuse history".

She is the university’s all-time leading goal-scorer and points winner (points are awarded for goals scored and assists made). She was named Syracuse ‘Athlete of the Year’ and was selected for the ‘All-America’ team of the year.

Final exams

One of her goals was even featured on ESPN

Sports Center

’s ‘Top 10 Plays’, squeezed between moments of magic from basketball and American football mega stars. “I thought they were kidding when they told me, it was amazing, and so great for hockey to get some recognition.”

But now her time at Syracuse is almost up, just final exams at Christmas and in May before she decides on her next move.

“I was so focussed on winning I decided I wasn’t going to think about it at all until the season was over. I definitely want to keep playing hockey, so that’s a factor on whether I stay in the States or not.

“There are a few options, I kind of want to go and play in another country, but I don’t know, it’s a bit up in the air.

“For now I’m looking forward to getting home and playing with Alex (Old Alexandra) and my younger sister Abbie, which will be exciting.”

And in January, Russell should finally make her senior debut for Ireland when she travels with the squad to Valencia for a training camp and a five match series against Spain, her availability welcome news for coach Graham Shaw.

Beyond that, she’ll wait to see what opportunities arise, while keeping a day free for that visit to the White House.