Cardinal Perspectives with Rachel Palumbo, Women’s Field Hockey Coach

Neil Donahue
Welcome to this episode of Cardinal Perspectives, a series featuring in-depth conversations with alumni, students, faculty, staff, and the extended family and community of The Catholic University of America.

Rachel Palumbo, field hockey head coach at Catholic University joins James Higgins, assistant Director of Leadership Annual Giving for athletics to discuss women's sports at Catholic University and how field hockey alumni can give back to today's student athletes. Rachel came to Catholic University after two seasons as an assistant coach at Middlebury University, where she won back-to-back national division III Championships in 2018 and 2019 after just two seasons at Catholic University.

She had already accumulated three postseason wins making appearances in the conference championship contest in two of the three seasons. In 2022, the program made its first appearance in the NCAA tournament in seven seasons. In 2024, the Cardinals won seven of their nine Landmark Conference contests placing second in the conference.

In the regular season before falling in the semifinals, two players earned All Landmark First Team honors for Catholic University, while three others were honored by the league. The team also had 12 athletes maintain a 3.5 GPA or better and make the National Field Hockey Coaches Association's National Academic Squad. Last season, Rachel had amazing success at Catholic University and we are excited for you to share this conversation.

James Higgins
Hello, my name's James Higgins. I'm here with Head Field Hockey coach Rachel Palumbo. Rachel as you're heading into your fifth year here at Catholic University as the head coach of the Field Hockey program is there a particular moment that stands out to you from your time here in this, in over these last five seasons?

Rachel Palumbo
First of all, thanks for having me. Some particular moments that have really stood out to me number one would be the 2022 season. That team is really something special. Being able to see the word “Catholic" pop up on an NCAA bracket, knowing that it's the program that I was able to work with that season to get to know and watch their growth as the season went on was really special.

In addition to that, just meeting the team for the first time was really special. Back in 2020, we met largely virtually, and even through the computer screen, I was able to really feel their energy, their excitement. Honestly, they were just a very welcoming group. Big moments for me were meeting the team, getting to know the people here at Catholic —it’s a really special place—and seeing the team on the bracket in 2022.

James Higgins
That's awesome. What was it like starting during COVID? That's definitely an unusual environment to come into, especially with coaching a sports team when seasons were getting canceled. And second, what was the most rewarding part of that 2022 team?

Winning the Landmark Conference, playing in an NCAA tournament game— you have so many different special things that happened over the course of that season, but is there anything in particular that stands out to you?

Rachel Palumbo
Just their energy, their never-say-die attitude, and the resilience to a variety of adversities that come up.

And every team has adversity throughout the season. There are highs, lows, losses, the unexpected– there's a lot of fun too. So that team, the way they moved through everything, was almost flow-like. So in 2022, they put forth a lot of effort. They also put forth a lot of effort–not just in field hockey, but within their relationships.

So, I think that really paid off. We moved the ball very well, and that really was one of the most special teams. Quite a few really special leaders that I can think of from that time. Our current team is poised for similar success. Other things to note, we went up to Connecticut that year to play in the first round of the NCAA bracket and their willingness and their excitement to perform at that level was fun.

They said, Coach, I'm just so excited for another opportunity to play with this team, to play with my sisters. And that was truly one of the best experiences as a coach is to just watch them be excited and feel all the love and attention that the NCAA tournament brings.

James Higgins
That's great. And it's definitely an invaluable experience because I know this graduating class would've been freshmen, like last year's graduating class would've been freshmen then as well, so they could carry that with them all throughout their experience here.

And I guess, going off of that, you said they were looking forward to just playing one more time as a team. How do you envision the program changing or advancing during your tenure? And does that go back to culture, or can you point to something else that kind of leans into that?

Rachel Palumbo
The program has always been composed of many strong, capable, and competent women. They pursue so much, and not just field hockey, but during their experience here.

Academically, they pay very good attention in their classes, and they're really committed to what makes a Catholic University student special.

Those things include the field hockey experience in athletics, their academic experience, their relationships with others, and their interest in being among a really successful and friendly group.

I think that really creates a great culture, and it's something that we move from year to year, protecting and keeping close to the heart. Our program began in 1969, and every year from my understanding that feeling of togetherness, that feeling of family has been true. And it's really been wonderful to see that over the years.

So, our culture is one of connectedness. It's one of continued traditions of success, and one of continued success as far as academics and competition goes. The culture that we have is one that every year we have to have very pointed conversations about so that we can continue to move forward in a really successful way.

So that's very exciting.

James Higgins
With culture, what are your main values that you strive for? I know you talked about accountability. Is it, just mainly accountability? Is it the culture that you've built over the last five years? And how does that foster both athletic and personal growth for your players being in that field hockey culture that you've set here.

Rachel Palumbo
There are so many things that make our culture special. The first of which is foundational to my experience as a coach and to my desires for a team. And that's kindness. So everybody that's on our program is a kind young woman. That is the foundation for our success.

The second part of it is tried and true. They've got four main qualities and culture points that we maintain from year-to-year.

And that's to be respectful, be responsible, put the team first, and compete every day. Competition looks so many different ways. It looks like competing with yesterday's self or competing with a teammate at practice. Or competing with the competition.

So, really looking for competition and saying, yes, I want that never shying away. 
Those four are really strong and foundational for us. And they make our culture what it is.

James Higgins
It seems to foster both academic and personal growth, both on and off the field, that you've been able to develop the relationship with your recruiting classes that you've now been able to have all throughout your time here.
 

Rachel Palumbo 
Yes. During the years we're able to establish really what works.  Really it's been a lot of fun going out on the recruiting trail, meeting young people, talking to them about what their needs and desires are for a university and for their next step.  Then being able to say, yes, Catholic has that. 'Cause we have it. We really do. We've got a wonderful location, we've got wonderful academic programs and the athletic experience here is really wonderful as well.

James Higgins
That's excellent. Switching gears a little bit, I know you talked about winning in 2022. Looking ahead to this year's team, what does that team have to do to get back to the success that you guys ultimately had in 2022, going to the NCAA tournament and winning the conference and that you've had the last few years making the postseason?

What are the strengths of this year's team? What are you most looking forward to and how can you get back to that mountain top?

Rachel Palumbo
Oh man. One step at a time, right? But I'm really looking forward to that first day together.

We can talk about it all summer long. We can talk about what is required of our team to be successful, but the first day when they're out on the field together how they mesh, how they move, how they communicate is there laughter? Is there fun? Is there interest? Is there focus? There's so much that makes a team run and run well.

So I'm very excited for day one. Now there are some very specific tactical and technical pieces. If you're interested in them, we can talk about it.

So for us, over the years, we really focus on a couple key things. And those key things really involve moving the ball well. And that's our possession play.

In addition to that our backfield has to be strong and sturdy. Defensive stability is always tried and true for us. And it's stalwart, truly. And it's something that we don't sacrifice.

Everybody's recovering to get the ball back for our team. And if the ball does inevitably go into our defensive end, we feel confident to get the ball out. Now the key thing though, moving into the season, we need to have somebody that's gonna put that ball in the back of the goal cage.

We have many capable sophomores, many capable juniors and a strong and capable crew of seniors that are interested in scoring a lot of goals. So, that's gonna look good for us.

James Higgins
It sounds like you have a bit of an older team this year, which is always great to lean on that experience.

How would you evaluate the experience of the team? And what's the recruiting class like coming in? What do you expect out of them?

Rachel Palumbo: Oh, they're funny. As personality goes, they're the best. They're a lot of fun. They bring the joy to the game that you need. So important to have joy out on the field. But they're also major competitors. They come from a variety of locations.

There's diversity among the group as far as the way they play the game, but also their life experiences too. And, that makes a team really unique. I look forward to the differences and their ability to join our team and really put their best efforts in this season is gonna be essential for our success.

They're gonna be a big chunk. We've got nine of 'em coming in. And, that is very purposeful. Because each of them have strengths that will make us better, so we've got defenders, we've got midfielders, we've got strong attackers that are gonna put that ball on the back of the cage.

We also have a very strong goalkeeper. So they can make a team on their own which I find very fun and exciting. Really first and foremost, personality wise, culture wise, kindness wise, they're where it's at.

They'll fit right in.

James Higgins
We talk a lot about the culture and community, not just at Catholic here in the athletic department, but as Catholic university as a whole. It's a very special place. I think you take that with you, not only while you're here, but afterwards as an alumna. 
Is there a story or a couple particular stories or former alum that you can share about them helping a current student athlete or the team as a whole that you'd like to talk about?

Rachel Palumbo
There are so many alumni. Oh man, I think about them all the time. And I'm, I gotta tell you, when they come back to campus, it feels good. Feels good to have them back. I love talking to them about updates to the athletic department about the team, about how we operate and maybe some fun things that we've had going on.

But as far as particulars go, there's a couple that come to mind. So I could never possibly answer with just one.

One that sticks out to me is Dorothy Dupree Pagliaro. She graduated in 1986 and has stayed connected since then. Her experience here was one that she talks about and I wanna get to know that group from the eighties to really make sure that we're establishing continued connections with that group. But she has come back to games. She has supported us greatly. And her interest in what we're doing is really fun. And I find it to be really genuine and kind, so I'm really thankful to Dorothy.

Other alums that I think about. I think about the Shallow family. The Shallow family has three siblings and three Catholic University field hockey players in their lineup. Carrie graduated before me. Meg, I was able to coach her. And then Emma Shallow, I was able to coach her for four years.

And the Shallow family really did the experience to its fullest here at Catholic University. They were invested heavily in field hockey. They were invested in being the best athletes they could be, the best teammates they could be as far as leadership goes. All three of them were big leaders. And then they also were incredible nurses.

They went through the Conway School of Nursing and they have since advanced into the real world. I truly think about them all the time. I know that how they're operating among their unit or their floor or their hospital, is how they operated on the field. In some senses. Because, that's the culture. And it, really comes back to teamwork and, what you carry from being an athlete.

Other alums Katie Cusumano comes to mind. She was a leader for me as well. She didn't graduate too long ago. I believe 2022 was her senior year. She comes back and she stays connected with the team. One moment in which stands out to me, she hopped on the bus and gave quite the speech to the team. I know it was emotional. I know it was heartfelt and I know the team responded really well to it. She's always a welcome presence on the sideline and she's cheering on her little sister too.

Her little sister's gonna be a sophomore on our team this year. So Anna Cusumano is carrying on that legacy as well. She creates one of her own. She's gonna be one of those goal scores I was mentioning.

And then a final one worth mentioning Gracie Burford she has been around the program for quite a while and she's known among the athletic department. She is joining our program as an assistant coach. So not only being a five year player here with her COVID year.  But also coming back and devoting her valuable time back to the team and she will be part of our defensive framework. She will be part of that voice that's gonna be guiding us from the sideline this fall.

So very exciting.

James Higgins
Awesome. I think that goes back to the culture, but also the closeness of community and people wanting to come back and carry on that legacy. Anna obviously carried on her own legacy, but also Katie with her sister and then Dorothy's daughter obviously had been your manager the last four years too.

It just goes to show the closeness of the community and people wanting to stay involved with the field hockey program.

Rachel Palumbo
Yeah, absolutely. It's, one of the biggest compliments I've ever received to have a young woman go home. She must be saying something good because her sister ends up joining the program and we love to see it.

We've had many sisters as part of our program. Lots of family. It feels warm. Now you don't have to be a sister to come here, but  we do get a lot of it.

It's really fun to see that, and I can think of quite a few others in addition to those that we listed that have made really, impactful.

Really impactful relationships. And, really impactful moments on the field that have carried us forward. It's been a pleasure and quite frankly it's an honor to be able to coach a family, not just the student. So having that whole family experience is really a special thing for me.

It doesn't fall lightly on my shoulders. I know full well that the experience here should be one that is full. In all ways. So giving them a really good experience is my goal.

James Higgins 
What do you think is the most rewarding part of being a student athlete and competing at the collegiate level?

Rachel Palumbo
Being a student athlete competing at this at the highest level and being part of a community such as Catholic is rewarding in so many ways. I think about the relationships and leadership that is built.

By being a student athlete, I think it creates somebody that is really good at time management as well. And of course when you're in your jobs, when you're in your family life, when you're in your future after college, you have these foundational pieces to your being that, that you're able to practice every day being on a team.

There's adversity in sport. You get really good at managing adversity. So when something comes up in your life, you're able to say “No sweat, I can deal with it”.

I think sports really, they create a resilient leader. Somebody that truly is the person you want in your cohort.

Whether that's in life, whether that's in your family unit or whether that's in your workplace. The student athlete is, in my opinion, the best hire.

That's why I devote a lot of my time to leadership development and communication skills. And continual follow up 'cause I like to hear when they do things well in life.

James Higgins
I guess lastly, I know that you guys have done a lot of team bonding throughout the years. Sure. Is there any specific moment or moments that kind of stand out to you as your favorite or any funny stories there?

Rachel Palumbo
By far this one has been on my mind and in my heart. Early on in my experience here, we actually linked up with our rowing team. Katie O’Driscoll, our rowing coach, took our team out on the Anacostia. So we put my team in boats and we went out and rowed.

And I think about that often as one of the most fun, silly, exciting and sometimes scary moments. Are my players gonna end up in the river?

James Higgins
Yeah. Talk about getting out of your comfort zone. That's it right there.

Rachel Palumbo
They have learned quite a bit about teamwork that day. Being able to row a boat, not tip it. Yeah, that was a lot of fun.

Then, in addition, what a great way to have an experience that your fellow athletes are having every day. Catholic field hockey knows a little bit about what the rowing team does. And what a neat connection.

So I'm super grateful to Katie to coach. Coach O’Driscoll her staff for bringing us out on the water that day, letting us use their boats, and she led us through teamwork exercises. So our team learned a lot, and they were incredibly uncomfortable.

But I think they'll remember it, I certainly will.  I know it comes up in conversation quite a bit. So it's one of the things I think of when I think of team bonding for sure.

James Higgins
Yeah. That's quite fun.

And I know I said lastly, but one last question here. How can alumni continue to stay involved with the program? I know you have a lot of stuff planned throughout the season, but what's one big way or a couple big ways that they can continue to stay involved and support the program.

Rachel Palumbo
Man, every time I hear from an alum it is like a pat on the back or a high five, it gives energy. So just being connected in whatever way possible that an alum feels as if they can be. Coming back to campus is really number one. I love seeing them here.

I also love seeing them on the road. Hey, can you come to one of our road games?

We've got a lot of games on the road. About half of them are on the road. So having them in the stands at an away game is really special. In addition to that, just reaching out, sending us an email, sending us a note. I would be more than happy to field some messages from some alums to just continue establishing that connectedness.

Now, there are so many opportunities that we try to distribute to our alumni, whether that's coming back for an alumni game in the spring or coming back for any of our variety of Catholic U events.

Having them back here is really important. Our team really thrives with seeing their leadership and just their presence on the sideline makes the whole thing feel like a full circle.

For me, if there's an alum that wants to come back and share a story about their experience, I wanna hear it. I wanna know what made them happy while they were here.

I wanna know what stuck out in their mind as a foundational experience and what stuck out in their mind as one of the things that they carry with them in their lives. As far as being part of a team goes and I just love having leaders for our current team to look up to. They can see themselves in them. And that's really quite special.

If they ever wanna come back, they ever wanna reach out; I'm always thrilled to hear from our alumni. So I want them to come back.

James Higgins
Your first game is Saturday, August 30th. Full season through October and hopefully into November with postseason play.

Got a lot of exciting things to look forward to. Anyway, that the alum wanna stay involved, please let Rachel know and we look forward to seeing you at some games this year.

Thanks for joining us today.

Rachel Palumbo
Thanks, James.

James Higgins
That is great!!! Go-Cards!