As a player, Allie Mikelson was a textbook example of the talent that exists in the Lehigh Valley field hockey community. After playing four years at Emmaus High School, complete with a PIAA 3A State Championship in 2010, she went onto the University of Delaware where she won three Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championships, was named the CAA’s Most Outstanding Performer in 2014, and was a two-time Team MVP and co-captain before graduating in 2016.
[Mikelson as a player at Emmaus High School. Contributed by Mikelson.]
[Mikelson as a player at the University of Delaware. Contributed by Mikelson.]
[Mikelson as a player at the University of Delaware. Contributed by Mikelson.]
No big deal, right?
While Mikelson may not be the only field hockey player from the Lehigh Valley to have had an exceptional playing career at the Division I level (recall that seven Lehigh Valley natives appear on the rosters of the top ten Division I teams according to the 2024 NFHCA Preseason Poll) what makes her story unique is what came next.
Mikelson began officiating indoor field hockey at her home club, the Firestyx (where most Emmaus players play club hockey), in 2014 while in college. By luck, Mikelson ended up paired with Fran Corl, a veteran umpire who has a strong presence in USA Field Hockey, her first time umpiring.
“[Corl] was like, ‘If you like it, you should keep doing it and I’ll help you get your way through USA Hockey and get some umpiring opportunities’,” said Mikelson.
“I don’t know if I would be here, necessarily, if I wasn’t working with Fran that first time I was ever umpiring.”
[Mikelson and fellow umpires. Contributed by Mikelson.]
Mikelson continued umpiring field hockey competitions throughout her time as an undergraduate student at University of Delaware and then during her time in graduate school where she was studying to become an Occupational Therapist (OT). She had her first NCCA appearance as an umpire in 2019 and received her first appointment to officiate an international competition in 2022 for the Junior Pan American Games and Hockey5 Pan American Cups.
Today, Mikelson umpires NCAA field hockey (primarily at the Division I level) and International Hockey Federal (IFH) Hockey competitions (which is the organization that operates the majority of the major international hockey competitions). She travels the world umpiring games between both men’s and women’s teams—notably all in addition to her day job as an OT and her role as a volunteer coach on the Emmaus field hockey coaching staff.
[Mikelson and the Emmaus High School field hockey coaching staff. Contributed by Mikelson.]
“In my head, I have my full-time job, which is being an OT. That comes first, and then umpiring. I do all the international stuff I can do, but you do kind of have to set boundaries for yourself and some other things may have to give because you just never know when an international opportunity is going to come up,” said Mikelson.
Mikelson has made the most of her opportunities on the international stage, having umpired the Pan American (Pan Am) Cup men’s indoor hockey final between Trinidad & Tobago and Argentina this past March in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
[Mikelson as an umpire. Contributed by Mikelson.]
On the domestic side, she was chosen to officiate the Ivy League tournament before umpiring the semi-final for the NCAA Division I tournament in 2023 between Duke and Northwestern. Mikelson was the reserve umpire for the championship game as well.
If her appointments to officiate games of such significant magnitude don’t show just how exceptional an umpire Mikelson is, her umpiring resumes does: In 2023, Mikelson was named the winner of the USA Field Hockey National Umpire Award.
It’s not about the big awards, selections, or appointments to Mikelson, though. She’s most proud of having the opportunity to represent the U.S. internationally.
“Just the work I put in over quite a few years to develop myself in order for the U.S. to trust me with representing us as an official outside of the country,” Mikelson shared when asked of which of her accomplishments she is the most proud.
“There’s a lot that goes into it. There’s a lot of time. There’s a lot of self-growth that you have to go through. Umpiring is a lot of dedication if you want to do the international stuff—and even the NCAA stuff. There’s sacrifices you make.”
Mikelson’s goal is to continue to represent the U.S. on the international stage—with hopes of potentially one day officiating an Olympic or World Cup hockey competition.
“I got into umpiring because I enjoy the game a lot,” she shared.
“As long as it continues to be fun, I think that’s the goal. I want to enjoy the journey to get there every step of the way.”
[Mikelson as an umpire. Contributed by Mikelson.]
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