2025 USA Field Hockey Humanitarian Award Winner: Margaretha “Gretta” Ehret

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following the announcement of all winners, USA Field Hockey is individually highlighting each recipient of USA Field Hockey’s 2025 Annual Awards. This week, USA Field Hockey is honored to feature the 2025 Humanitarian winner, Margaretha “Gretta” Ehret (posthumously).

A beloved sister, wife, mother, educator, and coach, Gretta is being honored for her extraordinary impact on the sport and her unwavering commitment to serving others. Her life was defined by passion, resilience, and generosity, and her legacy continues to inspire countless athletes, students, and community members through her courageous battle and the foundation created to carry her mission forward.

Gretta was a natural leader from the very beginning. Born in Philadelphia, Pa., she attended the William Penn Charter School, where she distinguished herself as an exceptional three-sport varsity athlete in field hockey, swimming, and lacrosse. She earned a varsity starting position as an eighth grader and went on to captain multiple teams to Inter-Ac League championships. She became known not only for her athletic ability, but for her infectious enthusiasm, humility, and leadership.

Gretta finished her Penn Charter career as the school’s all-time leading goal scorer. In recognition of her achievements and lasting impact, she was inducted into the William Penn Charter Athletic Honor Society in 2019.

Gretta began her collegiate athletic career at the University of Virginia before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania, where she majored in Urban Studies and graduated cum laude in 2009. As a member and captain of the Penn field hockey team, she earned All-Ivy honors and left a lasting mark as both a competitor and a teammate.

Following her college graduation, Gretta joined Teach for America, channeling her deep passion for education into teaching in under-resourced schools. She brought creativity, compassion, and relentless positivity into her classroom, making a profound impact on her students’ lives. She continued teaching in Philadelphia-area public and charter schools for more than a decade, during which time she also served as a teacher leader and Assistant Principal of Instruction.

Her love for teaching and mentorship naturally extended to coaching. Gretta coached high school field hockey at Merion Mercy Academy for six seasons, Penn Charter for two seasons, and most recently at Radnor High School, inspiring young women both on and off the field. She returned to Penn as a coach in 2021, where the coaching staff and team members established the Margaretha Ehret Dream Crazy Award in 2023. Presented annually to this day, the award honors the player who best exemplifies a fearless, selfless commitment to her team and dares to “Dream Crazy” in pursuit of shared goals. She also devoted more than a decade to coaching at Main Line Mayhem Field Hockey Club, working with athletes of all ages.

In 2019, Gretta co-founded FIT Hockey Academy with her sister, Emilee Ehret, a fellow Teach for America alumna, former Penn State field hockey player, and coach with Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and Mainline Mayhem. FIT Hockey provided a new avenue for both sisters to pursue their shared passion for mentoring young athletes. Together, they coached youth across Philadelphia, creating greater access to the sport Gretta loved so deeply and inspiring countless young athletes along the way.

Gretta’s coaching style went far beyond X’s and O’s. She taught perseverance, teamwork, confidence, and the courage to believe in oneself—lessons that extended far beyond the field. She also fiercely advocated for her players, not only as athletes, but as students and young people navigating life.

Penn Field Hockey alumna Meghan McGinley, who was coached by Gretta through the Mainline Mayhem Field Hockey Club and later at the University of Pennsylvania, reflected on Gretta’s lasting influence:

“Gretta had such a profound impact on me, our team, and everyone who was lucky enough to know her. Being able to know her is one of my greatest blessings in life. She’s a huge reason I chose to go to Penn, and I wouldn’t be the person or player I am without her guidance and love. She was endlessly positive and always put others before herself, even while facing the unthinkable. Watching her with her daughter, Rosie, showed what an incredible mother she was—so full of love and joy. In moments of weakness, I pray to her for strength, and I know her legacy will live on in all of us.”

In 2019, Gretta was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. True to her spirit, she met this life-altering news with remarkable strength, optimism, and resolve. Her mantra, “Dream Crazy,” became a powerful message she shared with everyone around her, an invitation to live big, love deeply, and pursue crazy dreams in the face of any obstacle. The phrase resonated deeply with Gretta after hearing it in a Nike commercial featuring her favorite athlete, Serena Williams, who reminded the world that a dream is only considered “crazy” until it is achieved.

Throughout her illness, Gretta continued to support her athletes, students, and community, demonstrating extraordinary resilience and grace. She never allowed her diagnosis to define her, choosing instead to inspire others through her courage, unwavering positivity, and determination as she navigated surgeries, radiation, treatments, and care plans—always keeping her focus on giving back and lifting others up.

When asked to describe her coaching philosophy to Mainline Mayhem, Gretta shared:

“My coaching philosophy is to instill the love of the sport I grew up playing into the kids I coach. Through this love, they will learn what it means to be dedicated, passionate, and a good teammate and friend. I take a very hands-on approach to help players understand technique, structure, and principles of the game. I hope to be a positive influence on all the players I coach and teach them to DREAM CRAZY.”

On July 8, 2022, Gretta and her husband, Pat, received the life-changing call that their beautiful daughter had been born. They rushed to Maryland to meet Rosie in the hospital, and in that moment, Gretta proudly stepped into one of the most meaningful roles of her life, mother. What many had once told her was impossible became one of Gretta’s greatest dreams realized.

The family of three soon settled into their Philadelphia home, where it was immediately clear that Gretta was a natural in this role, pouring boundless love, joy, and intention into every moment of motherhood.

Now three years old, Rosie carries so much of Gretta within her—her infectious spirit, endless energy, genuine curiosity, deep compassion for others, and a radiant zest for life and love.

After her diagnosis, Gretta’s determination to give back only deepened. She founded Team Dream Crazy, inspiring local teams and organizations to host “Dream Crazy” games in her honor to raise funds for METAvivor, an organization solely dedicated to funding research for stage IV breast cancer. Gretta frequently spoke to local teams and shared her message at FIT Hockey clinics, encouraging athletes to believe in themselves and remain committed to their goals. She lived by the philosophy that with self-belief and hard work, dreams can become reality—as she often said, “maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day, you will find what you are searching for.” To hear one of Gretta’s powerful speeches to a team, check out this link here. Even during chemotherapy and treatment, she continued coaching and motivating athletes to believe in themselves, compete fearlessly, and chase goals others might consider impossible.

Following Gretta’s passing, Emilee Ehret stepped forward to lead the newly established Gretta Ehret Dream Crazy Foundation alongside family, friends, and loved ones, working together to carry forward Gretta’s vision and legacy. Guided by the leadership of those who loved Gretta most, the foundation is dedicated to empowering young athletes through sport by creating access, opportunity, and community—while also continuing the fight against stage IV breast cancer.

In just a short time, schools across the country have rallied behind the Dream Crazy mission. Universities and high schools are signing up to host Dream Crazy games, transforming them into meaningful annual traditions that unite athletics with purpose. This past fall, field hockey teams from institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, Syracuse University, Boston College, Fairfield University, Drexel University, Penn State University, Longwood University, Gettysburg College, Temple University, College of the Holy Cross, and more hosted Dream Crazy events—supporting both METAvivor’s critical research efforts and the foundation’s mission to expand opportunities for under-resourced communities through youth sports.

The impact of these games is felt most deeply by the athletes themselves. Riley O’Donnell, a current Penn State field hockey member who also participated in Dream Crazy games at her high school, Springside Chestnut Hill, described the experience as unforgettable. “The energy on the field was unmatched. Everyone knew what we were fighting for. No matter what was going on that day, you leave it all on the field and just fight for Gretta.”

Today, the Gretta Ehret Dream Crazy Foundation is beginning to grow its impact through meaningful initiatives in the Philadelphia area, where Gretta taught for more than a decade. Upcoming efforts include free field hockey clinics for Philadelphia public high school girls, with additional programming planned to honor the many sports and communities Gretta cared for so deeply. Looking ahead, the foundation’s goal is to expand beyond Philadelphia and offer opportunities in a variety of sports, continuing Gretta’s mission to empower young athletes everywhere, regardless of background or resources.

Through the ongoing work of the Gretta Ehret Dream Crazy Foundation, Gretta’s legacy continues to shine. Her message challenges us to lead with kindness, give back generously, and believe boldly in what is possible. Though Gretta is no longer with us, her spirit lives on in the countless lives she touched—students she coached, teammates she mentored, colleagues she inspired, and even those who never had the chance to meet her but have been moved by her story and the impact of her foundation. Her influence transcends the sport itself, reminding us to carry the core values of field hockey—teamwork, fierceness, determination, and leadership—beyond the field and into our daily lives. As we honor her with the USA Field Hockey Humanitarian Award, may we all continue to Dream Crazy and uplift one another in her memory.

For more information about the Gretta Ehret Dream Crazy Foundation, visit the website to learn how to get involved, follow the instagram, and sign up for the newsletter to stay updated on upcoming events.

Congratulations once again to Margaretha “Gretta” Ehret åfor winning the 2025 Humanitarian Award.