Lancaster, Penn. is home to rolling hills, patchwork farms, dusty, bustling flea markets, and a slew of Amish women wearing bonnets and monochromatic dresses. Pam Neiss, a field hockey assistant and Yale's hottest female coach, is from Lancaster. She's not Amish, but she'd look mighty good in anything—even one of those little white bonnets.

MELISSA GARREN/YH

In 1988, Neiss left for Old Dominion, spurning Penn State in favor of the Norfolk, Va. field hockey powerhouse. After an All-American undergraduate career, she took a job as an assistant at James Madison University and continued to train. From 1990 to 1998, she was on the U.S. national field hockey team. She carried her stick all over the world and settled in Holland from 1996 to 1997. "Holland was a great place," she said. "There, sports are so two-dimensional. You go out and play with the same level of intensity as you do in the U.S., but after the game you go out and have a beer with the other team and the refs."

During her last year in Holland, she received a call from then-Yale Head Coach Marisa Didio asking her to be her second assistant. She accepted the job, much to the delight of her players. "She is one of the most kind-hearted people that you will ever meet, but of course, how could anyone not be distracted by her good looks?" defender Brigid Boland, MC '03, said. "She is probably entirely unaware; she is one of the least pretentious individuals. I think that she usually travels without her stylists and the entourage."

Neiss's affair with field hockey can only be described as intense, physical, and passionate. Unfortunately, this single-minded drive sometimes causes her to miss men's naked butts. "My teammates always say that during a game I don't know what's going on. One time when we were playing in Australia and a streaker ran across the field, I didn't even see it."

But off the field, she's like everyone else. "I sometimes get harassed when I'm out for a run, but everyone does," she said.

Unfortunately for guys, Neiss isn't going to be having a beer with us in Amsterdam anytime soon. She's engaged to Yale baseball Head Coach John Stuper, and the couple just bought a house. Following their Sat., Jun. 16 wedding, they will honeymoon in Tahiti. Despite Neiss's travels to exotic locales, she still gets back to Lancaster four to six times a year. "I always have to remember to watch out for the horse-and-buggies," she said. And I'm sure the guys in the buggies remember to watch out for her.

Jedediah, keep your eyes on the road!

See:

• Call me Dr. J, By Julia Paolitto

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