In a collaboration between Penn State Athletics and former Penn State field hockey coach Char Morett-Curtiss, the pair is launching “Teammates For Life,” a Penn State women’s athletic initiative.

The initiative will aim to garner support for each of Penn State’s 14 athletic teams, assist female athletes through their academics and athletics, and set up female athletes with networking and mentorship opportunities.

“Through Teammates For Life, we are committed to delivering the best student-athlete experience in the country,” Morett-Curtiss said in a release. “We aim to position Penn State as home to THE most prominent, supportive and successful collegiate women’s athletics programs. I have no doubt that this Initiative will become a difference-maker in recruiting, mentoring, job placement and fundraising, ultimately translating into big wins for Penn State on and off the field.”

Morett-Curtiss was a three-time All-American at Penn State before returning to her alma mater to lead the Nittany Lions to eight Big Ten regular-season titles, two Atlantic 10 regular-season titles, six Big Ten Tournament championships, and 30 NCAA Tournaments.

In her final season at the helm of Penn State field hockey, Morett-Curtiss closed her final season with a 17-4 record, a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, and a trip to the NCAA Final Four. Her career concluded with seven Big Ten Coach of the Year awards, eight National Field Hockey Coaches Association Region Coach of the Year honors, and a 575-239-16 overall record.

“Penn State female alums are everywhere AND everything – they are coaches, doctors, nurses, lawyers, actors, community leaders, athletes, teachers, professors, politicians, writers, broadcasters, executives, scientists and more,” Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft said. “With Char’s leadership, this Women’s Athletics Initiative will harness that power, and share it with our female student-athletes. We want to leverage it all to connect our student-athletes with alumni in strong and meaningful ways to truly create teammates for life.”

To kick off its programming, Teammates For Life will host and send female student-athletes to networking events, professional development programming, and career fairs in a handful of cities throughout the remainder of the school year.

The advisory board for Teammates For Life includes Penn State Hershey Medical Development committee member E. Lee Beard, former Lady Lion Susan Robinson-Fruchtl, former Penn State women’s lacrosse captain and assistant coach Tara Hohenshelt, former Starbucks Vice President of Human Resources Elizabeth King, former Penn State cheerleader Maura Pilewicz, former CEO of Vault Communications Maribeth Roman Schmidt, and Florida State softball All-American and Penn State Deputy Athletic Director for Administration Brandi Stuart.