Jess Jecko

Jess Jecko, born on March 31, 1994, in Sauquoit, N.Y., embarked on her field hockey journey in 2007, initially drawn to goalkeeping due to her twin sister’s interest in soccer goalkeeping. Her collegiate career at Syracuse University spanned from 2012 to 2015, where she consistently demonstrated high-level performance as a goalkeeper. During her freshman year in 2012, Jecko made her initial appearances in several games, including a win at Georgetown on October 19. Her sophomore year in 2013 marked her establishment as a starter, playing in all 20 games and achieving 16 wins, a 1.66 goals-against average, and four shutouts, earning a Longstreth/NFHCA All-Mideast Region Second Team selection. She recorded a career-high eight saves in a 3-1 win against New Hampshire and shut out No. 3 North Carolina with three saves.

Jecko continued her strong performance in 2014, starting all 22 games and securing a 16-6 record. She maintained a 1.60 goals against average and made 85 saves, with a .702 save percentage, contributing to the Orange’s NCAA Runner-Up finish. Her senior year in 2015 was particularly successful, as she started all 22 games, achieved a .955 win percentage, and led the ACC in goals against average with 1.00. This season culminated in an NCAA Championship win, where she was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team and the All-ACC Second Team. Following her graduation in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Studies, Jecko joined the U.S. Women’s National Team, competing in the Field Hockey Pro League for two seasons and earning numerous international caps and Player of the Match honors.

Her coaching career began in 2013 as an assistant coach with USA Field Hockey Futures, a role she held until 2019. After becoming a member of the national team, she transitioned into collegiate coaching, serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Syracuse University in 2016-17. She further developed her coaching experience as a goalkeeper coach for organizations like WC Eagles and Spooky Nook, and also served as a volunteer assistant at Washington College. In May 2022, she joined Duke University as an assistant coach, building on a previous volunteer assistant role in 2020-21 and a season as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College in 2021. At Duke, she works closely with the goalkeeping squad, leveraging her extensive playing and coaching background.