When the month of August began, Karlie Kisha was where she had always hoped to be. A late surge by USA Field Hockey in qualifying had earned the Americans a coveted spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics. At 28, Kisha – who also serves as part of Joanie Milhous' Villanova Field Hockey coaching staff – was soaking up everything the international celebration of sport had to offer.
 
            It was an aspiration she had first verbalized as a fourth grader listing her hopes on a vision board before embarking on a decorated playing career that ultimately helped her become an All-American at UConn.
 
            Did the childhood dream match the experience?
 
            "So many people ask me that," Kisha said on a recent August afternoon inside an office in Jake Nevin Field House. "It was all of that, but it was also so much more. There are just so many different things you don't know until you are there."
 
            In the original vision, Kisha wasn't playing field hockey. She began her athletic career as a swimmer and a soccer player. But the destination of the international stage was identical to that long ago goal. And it more than met what was on that board many years ago.
 
            Team USA opened the competition on the same pitch where Field Hockey had been played in the 1924 Olympics (Yves-du-Manoir Stadium) and site of the Opening Ceremonies, retrofitted with the modern turf that the sport is now played on.
 
            "To have that be where we played our first game, with that history, was really cool," Kisha stated. "To stand there singing the national anthem with my teammates with our fans there is something I still get choked up about."
 
            And that was just for openers. Being housed in the enormous Olympic Village offered its own set of delights. A large dining hall featured the flags of every competing nation. There was a bakery located next door to Team USA and the aroma of the treats being created floated directly up to the balcony.  
 
            "It was so awesome," said Kisha.
 
            USA athletes often gathered in a courtyard to watch on a giant video board their country men and women compete in a host of other sports. At one point, Kisha found herself standing alongside Katie Ledecky cheering on the USA Women's Basketball team.
 
            "The team atmosphere and camaraderie, cheering on your fellow Americans, either at the venue or in the Village, was amazing," Kisha stated.
 
            The view wasn't bad either. Located on the ninth floor of the USA building, Kisha and her mates had a clear view of the Eiffel Tower. Each night at 10 p.m., the Olympic rings would display a light show of sorts.
 
            It's made her quite the sought-out coach since returning to the Proving Grounds, where the Wildcats practice daily in advance of Friday's regular season opener at James Madison.
 
            "So many questions," Kisha stated with a chuckle. "They want to know about the famous people I saw, what it was like in the Village, and a few other topics that went viral on social media – the beds, the muffins. The beds were fine, the AC was good. Not much drama on our end.
 
            "Mostly, though, it's about what it was like to be there. My answer is that it was awesome."
 
            Alas, it was a dream that almost never came to pass due to a thunderclap moment of adversity that pushed athletic competition into the background of daily priorities.
 
            As part of the run-up to the Olympics, Kisha was in India for seven weeks of qualifying (the US knocked off the host nation and Japan as part of its unlikely run to an Olympic berth). When she returned from that trip, she noted that she had dropped 10 pounds in that span.
 
            "My thought was, 'we qualified, so whatever," she said.
 
            A routine examination by an Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists led to a May 6 diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer. Kisha had experienced no symptoms prior to the results of testing revealed a lump on her thyroid.
 
            "It was pretty tough," said Kisha.
 
            After a pause, she corrects herself: "It was really tough."
 
            "Looking back on it now," she added, "I was very lucky to have the medical staff and doctors that I had. Plus, the incredible support of my husband and family."
 
            Husband Josh and Karlie first met when they were 12 and were "high school sweethearts." Her sister and parents also provided what she described as "endless support" as they grappled with the devastating news.
 
            Surgery was scheduled quickly in the hopes that this setback would somehow not derail the Olympic dream she was on the doorstep of realizing. Her medical team viewed the 82-day lead time to the start of competition in Paris as, at best ambitious, and, at worst, unrealistic.
 
            "The doctors were a little skeptical," Kisha said, "and the coaches were a little concerned, but the surgeon did a great job."
 
            There was also a radioactive iodine treatment that had to be completed. That procedure requires a strict diet in advance that is largely incompatible with Olympic caliber training. So that had to be fast-tracked too lest there be a seven-week wait.
 
            "I didn't get cleared to compete until five days before we left for Paris," noted Kisha.
 
            And this was only part of her family's life in 2024. While Karlie Kisha was with Team USA at the Pan American Games, Josh Kisha donated his liver to a two-year nephew.
 
            "We've had one heck of a year," said Kisha.
 
            Kisha's responsibilities with USA Field Hockey, beginning in 2020, forced a move to Charlotte, where the team is based. Through that time, she has remained as a volunteer assistant to Milhous, often contributing game video breakdown and other analysis via messaging and Face Time.
 
            "Our players have been so supportive through all of this," Kisha stated. "It's been so nice to renew some of the relationships in person since I've been back and meet some of the younger players whom I hadn't met before."
 
            The Wildcats aren't the only ones happy to have Kisha back on campus.
 
            "I'm thrilled to welcome Karlie back as a full-time assistant coach," said Milhous. "She was an integral part of our team for three years before relocating to Charlotte to train with the US Field Hockey Team. Her contributions were invaluable, and I was determined to keep her connected with our program, even from a distance. Karlie provided us with insightful post-game debriefs and valuable feedback for our players, and her enthusiasm for staying involved was greatly appreciated. 
 
            "With Karlie back as a full-time assistant, our coaching staff is more dynamic than ever. I genuinely believe we have the strongest coaching staff, combining experience, knowledge, passion, competitiveness, true care for our players and strong friendships. I couldn't be more excited for what's ahead!"
 
            After her tumultuous summer, Kisha now relishes the return to traditional coaching alongside Milhous and fellow assistant Corey Mayer.
 
            "It's been so much fun," she stated. "Joanie and Corey have been phenomenal in helping me get back into this. The girls are so welcoming. To be on the coaching side again, to see the excitement in their face when they understand a concept we are teaching, is so rewarding. You can almost see the light bulb click on."
 
            On Friday, the Wildcats open the 2024 regular season in Harrisonburg, Va., before opening the home portion of their schedule Sunday against Sacred Heart at the Proving Grounds (noon).
 
            "As coaches, we're all excited," Kisha stated. "We feel we have a lot of talent and can't wait to compete in the Big East."
 
            Kisha is unsure if she will continue to play field hockey in the years to come. For now, as August nears its conclusion, the chance to coach and mentor is more than enough.
 
            "I've had a lot to take in," she states with a smile. "I'm just enjoying being healthy and working with our team."