From standout saves to national recognition, Aby Deverka's rise is showing no signs of slowing down.
Following her sophomore season at Penn State, the Nittany Lions' star goalkeeper has been named to the 33-member 2026 United States U-21 Women's National Team, USA Field Hockey has announced.
The team, led by head coach Ange Bradley, was assembled by the Junior High Performance Staff following a three-day training camp in Charlotte, North Carolina from late January to early February.
Aby Deverka earns U-21 roster spot
Deverka is one of four goalkeepers, and one of just nine total repeat selections from 2025, to have been named to this year's roster, which includes 11 representatives from the Big Ten.
"I'm extremely honored to have the opportunity to compete on the international stage with the U-21 team," Deverka told FanSided's Victory Bell Rings. "It's always super exciting to get to represent the United States and Penn State. I can't wait for what's to come!"
Those selected to the team are now scheduled to train at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from Friday, March 6 to Sunday, March 8. The announcement of the final roster for the 2026 Junior Pan American Championship is set to follow this camp.
Top teams from this year's Junior Pan American Championship, which is scheduled to take place from Tuesday, April 7 to Saturday, April 18, are then set to advance to the FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup next year.
The United States, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay are all set to compete in the Junior Pan American Championship in an attempt to qualify for the 2027 FIH Hockey Women's Junior World Cup.
Another training camp is scheduled to take place from Friday, May 15 to Sunday, May 17, and members of the team selected from this camp are set to travel to England to compete in a 4 Nations Tournament from Tuesday, July 7 to Wednesday, July 15.
Those who do not travel to the United Kingdom are set to compete in the Senior Nexus Championship in Virginia Beach, Virginia from Thursday, July 9 to Sunday, July 19.
Deverka making an impact at Penn State
Deverka, who had also previously been a member of both the U-16 and U-18 national teams, emerged as arguably the most improved goalkeeper in the Big Ten, year over year, during her sophomore season at Penn State in 2025.
Her goals against average, per 60 minutes, dropped by nearly a full goal, and she started all 17 games after appearing in 12 of 17 games on the 2024 schedule as a freshman. Penn State was one of just three Big Ten schools to utilize only one goalkeeper for the entire season.
The Houston, Texas native's highlights from the 2025 season featured the first three shutouts of her career, including two against Big Ten competition, as well as a run of nine consecutive shutout quarters at one point toward the middle of the year.
Elite-level performance against top-tier competition
One of Deverka's two shutouts in conference play came late in the season against a high-powered Iowa offense that entered the evening averaging nearly four goals per game, and that contest was a 75-minute nailbiter which was not decided until a Penn State walk-off game winner in the second overtime period.
Deverka also recorded her season-high of 10 saves against the reigning – and now back-to-back – national champion Northwestern Wildcats.
On the road against the No. 1 team in the country, she improved her season-long save percentage, and her performance contributed to an impressive 78.9% overall save percentage against the conference's top two offenses of Northwestern and Iowa, the two teams that ended up squaring off in the Big Ten Tournament championship.
No Big Ten goalkeeper who faced both the Wildcats' offense and the Hawkeyes' offense during the 2025 season posted a save percentage higher than Deverka did against those two teams, and she did it by facing more total shots (19) and recording more saves (15) than anybody – and while enduring an extra 15 minutes of two overtime periods against Iowa's potent attack.
Deverka, Penn State primed for 2026 resurgence
Deverka has recorded three career games with double-digit saves, and she is a key member of Penn State's deep and talented nucleus of contributors set to return for the upcoming 2026 season.
The 2026 season is set to be Penn State's first under former Saint Joseph's head coach Hannah Prince following a rare offseason coaching staff overhaul.
After posting a 7-10 overall record in 2025, along with a 2-6 record in Big Ten play for the second consecutive year, the Nittany Lions have already begun to set their sights on their first Big Ten Tournament appearance since 2023 and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since their 2022 run to the national semifinals.
Penn State's spring field hockey schedule is set to begin on Tuesday, March 3 in State College against Bucknell, the school recently announced.