Celebrating trailblazing women is at the heart of why we started Abigail Collins and we’re thrilled to shine a light on one of Penn State’s very best: Charlene Morett-Curtiss
A two-time Olympian with a bronze medal 1975-1979 at Penn State, legendary coach, and lifelong champion of women in sport, Charlene is a pillar of the Penn State community. We're honored to introduce, or reintroduce, you to this extraordinary alumna who continues to uplift and unite others through her latest passion project: Teammates for Life.
This spring, Teammates for Life will celebrate its 2nd Anniversary in State College, and we’re thrilled to share that Abigail Collins will be unveiling our Spring Collection at the event in support of this powerful and growing network of Penn State women.
Now, meet the remarkable woman behind it all.
Charlene Morett-Curtiss is one of the most iconic figures in Penn State Athletics history. A standout student-athlete from 1975-1978, she helped elevate Penn State field hockey to national prominence and later became a three-time U.S. Olympian. She returned to her alma mater as head coach in 1987 and went on to lead the Nittany Lions for 29 seasons, earning more than 500 career victories, eight Big Ten titles, and three NCAA Final Four appearances.
Known for her leadership, passion, and deep commitment to empowering women in sports, Charlene is now the founder of Teammates for Life, a nonprofit focused on reconnecting and supporting Penn State female athletes throughout all stages of life. Whether on the field or beyond it, Charlene has always believed in the lifelong power of team.
I sat down with Charlene to learn more about her journey and the inspiration behind Teammates for Life.
What inspired you to create Teammates for Life? Was there a specific experience or moment that sparked the idea?
I have always had a strong bond with my former teammates in both field hockey and lacrosse. Attending Penn State in the seventies as a student athlete was really a much different experience than today. All teams ate training table together at the same time every day in season, so we really got to know the other athletes and supported them in their respective competitions. We formed friendships that are still very meaningful and ongoing today.
However, the idea to create a Penn State athletic initiative came about during COVID when I started to hear about other universities forming these platforms for their women athletes. A year later I gathered 4-5 women who I thought could help me craft a supportive model for Penn State at home to start the discussion. It wasn’t until I started contemplating retiring from coaching that I knew I would now have the time to begin a new passion and opportunity to give back to Penn State.
How did your years at Penn State - both as a player and a coach - shape your view of what female athletes need on the field and beyond?
Penn State was a leader in supporting women’s athletics and offering scholarships back in the mid-seventies. We had amazing women administrators in Della Durant, Marty Adams and Ellen Perry who were pioneers with a vision and a voice to champion support for our women athletes. This philosophy continued to thrive at Penn State as male athletic directors and coaches Joe Paterno, Jim Tarman and Tim Curley knew it was the right thing to do. In the late seventies and early eighties women’s lacrosse, gymnastics, field hockey and bowling were winning National Championships! We were always supported fairly and equally to our male counterparts. Our university was proud of our women’s teams and boasted about their success while continuing increase scholarships and facilities. Later women’s volleyball would go on to win 8 National Championships under Russ Rose and Katie Schumacher Cawley.
What has been the most meaningful part of building this community so far?
By far the most meaningful part of this initiative has been meeting incredibly successful women in all facets of professions, sports and their love for Penn State. I began this initiative with developing relationship at the forefront. I thought it was most important to begin with our leaders on campus and in our community. The women who embrace Teammates For Life do so with enthusiasm, commitment to our current student-athletes and a willingness to be involved with women supporting women. Every week I meet new women who are so excited to be a part of our growing team!
Teammates for Life is such a powerful name. What does it mean to you personally - and what do you hope it means to those who join?
We all know that team members have a special, strong and long-lasting bond. Teammates show up for each other, are committed to the team values and goals as well as simply celebrating each other’s successes and being there in the challenges times as well. I think it is totally a rallying of like-minded women who want to help each other in so many different ways of support.
How can fellow Penn Staters, athletes, or alumni support the mission and get involved?
We really need to do a better job of spreading the word and driving people to our website, events, and athletic competitions. We need to get our coaches, athletes and alums more visibility through various social media platforms and events. When you see and hear Neeli, coaches and student-athletes on a video or in person speaking about how their lives are impacted by our engagement with each other it is very inspiring. I believe there are a lot of people who have heard about Teammates For Life but are unaware of our mission and vision to engage, elevate and celebrate the decades of success of our women’s athletic teams.
When you think back to your time as a student-athlete at Penn State, what’s one memory that still makes you smile?
I loved the friendships I made and had at Penn State with men and women from all different teams. Going into training table at the HUB after a few hard hours of practice and feeling the buzz of chatter and laughter with friends, that I still have today, validates what a special place Penn State is, and how they value women’s sports makes me very proud and extremely grateful. I say all the time, I can’t imagine what my life would be had Penn State not offered me
The opportunity to get an amazing education and athletic experience. We would tell recruits, “it’s not a four year experience, it’s a life time journey.” And now they can truly be Teammates For Life.
To learn more about Teammates for Life and how to get involved, visit gopsusports.com/teammatesforlife.