Anna Castaldo knows Drexel field hockey can ‘be great.’ Here’s how she’s leading the charge

After a four-year career at Maryland, Castaldo learned what it took to be a part of a national championship-caliber program. Now, she's bringing that to the Dragons in her final year

With a team high in goals and an infusion of leadership, Anna Castaldo has been a key piece for Drexel field hockey this season.Read moreDrexel Athletics

by Paulie Loscalzo

Published Oct. 1, 2024, 10:31 a.m. ET

When a new player comes into a program and immediately asserts themselves as a key part of the team, they can make themselves impossible to ignore. For Drexel graduate transfer Anna Castaldo, that statement couldn’t be more true.

Castaldo, a Maine, N.Y., native, spent her childhood continuing her family’s legacy: being an elite athlete. Her dad, Gregg, played in the Baltimore Orioles’ minor league system, and her mom, Mary, played field hockey at Lock Haven. They pushed her to pursue a variety of sports growing up, but Castaldo consistently found herself flourishing in field hockey.

By the time she was a freshman at Maine-Endwell Senior High School, Castaldo had committed to her “dream school,” Maryland. The Terrapins seemed to have a crystal ball, as, by her senior year, after winning two state championships, Castaldo had been named the New York State Player of the Year by MAX Field Hockey.

While the pandemic complicated the beginning of her collegiate career, Castaldo looks back on her four years at Maryland as formative and rewarding.

“I had a great four years there,” Castaldo said. “I love the school a lot. I loved the people I was around. I loved everything about it. I came in at a rough time with COVID, but I grew a lot there. The person that I was when I got there was very different [from] how I ended my time there. I love different things about the game that I didn’t love before.”

During her time as a Terrapin, Castaldo learned what it took to be a part of a national championship-caliber program. Over her four years, Maryland appeared in two Final Fours and one Elite Eight.

“I love the whole process of everything,” Castaldo said. “I loved practice, loved lifting, I loved everything about being with my team. I loved the level at which we played and how competitive it was. There’s nothing like being able to go to the Final Four and compete and know that you worked so hard to be there.”

After completing her undergraduate studies at Maryland, Castaldo was ready to move on to a new program. This time through her recruitment process, she knew exactly what she was seeking.

“I just wanted to find that same love for the team and find great people who have similar values to mine,” she said. “I wanted to know that I was going to play in a program that had a ton of potential and I wanted to help make the program better in any way that I could,” Castaldo said. “I think that my decision as to where I was going at first out of high school, it was more about going to a really high-level program, but I think I changed it to [looking for] the kind of values and characteristics of a program that I want to be a part of because I think that means everything in terms of success and growth.”

In Drexel, Castaldo found that program with which to spend her final two seasons of eligibility. Through 10 games, she has done well to make a good first impression in West Philadelphia. She leads the Dragons with five goals, two of which came in a thrilling comeback win against Villanova. She was named the Coastal Athletic Association’s Offensive Player of the Week and the Drexel Dragon of the Week for her efforts.

“I’ve been really excited to contribute a lot on the field,” Castaldo said. “Coming into any place, my mindset was that nothing would ever be set in stone or just be given to me because that is not what I would’ve wanted in a place, so I knew I wanted to earn whatever I was getting.”

The Dragons (7-3, 3-0 CAA) have received positive individual contributions from various players this season and boast a five-game winning streak — and Castaldo is a big reason why.

“I think we are doing a good job right now,” Castaldo said. “We had a tough loss [against Albany], but I think we know exactly what we have to do to get better. We play great against better teams, so I feel like it’s just about focusing more on ourselves to set the tone and the standard that we want to be training at and playing games at and not waiting for the other teams to do that first. We are extremely capable of being great, and we know that and we are on the right track.”