Records are made to be broken, and Katie Redding G’25 of The University of Scranton field hockey team has taken that to heart in her career with Scranton Athletics. Despite experiencing immense hardship during her time at Scranton, Redding has made a lasting impact on the program.
Redding is the first player in Landmark Conference history to win three consecutive Offensive Player of the Year awards and the first player in Scranton field hockey program history to be a multitime All-American. She has been an All-Landmark Conference First Team selection four straight years, and Redding finishes her career at Scranton as the program’s all-time leader with 70 goals, 34 assists and 174 points.
Redding has experienced incredible individual success at Scranton, and has led her team to success, as well. Under Redding’s leadership, Scranton has posted a strong 63-15 record during the last four seasons. The Royals have made three Landmark Title Games, and the team won the Landmark Championship and recorded an NCAA Tournament win in 2021.
“I’ve had the pleasure to play with so many talented teammates who have left an impression on the program, and with girls whose bright futures I now get to watch. I will forever cherish my time as a Scranton field hockey player,” Redding said.
Drawing on Reserves of Strength
Family has always been a crucial part of Redding’s athletic success, from her youth to the college level. She recognizes the sacrifices that her parents have made and credits her brother with helping to shape her into the person and player she is today.
“My parents paid a lot of money for me to play field hockey. Every opportunity to have a field hockey stick in my hand was because of them,” Redding said. “And my brother wasn’t easy on me growing up and he made me tough.”
During her sophomore year, Redding needed to channel that strength off the field, when on Dec. 20, 2021, her father, Sergeant Kevin Redding, passed due to complications of COVID-19.
Three years later, as a graduate student, Redding broke the Land Conference record for career-points in a game against Goucher College when she recorded one goal and two assists.
“My emotions are more heightened. I think about my dad a lot – he was very involved in my field hockey career. I know that he was with me and by my side the whole time. I can just feel how proud and happy he would be, and that makes me happy,” Redding said.
Throughout her career, Redding has inspired those around her. As a standout player, she carried the weight of elevated expectations with grace, consistently rising to the occasion. Her coach, Colleen Moyer, said working with a player of Redding’s’ caliber was a privilege.
“Coaching a player of Katie’s talent is an honor and very inspiring as a coach. It opens so many possibilities on the field for your team to work toward and push for. She played with a lot of pressure on her shoulders, and I will always be immensely proud of how she continuously played at such a high level, year after year,” Moyer said.
Redding has made her mark on the program and will forever be part of the record books at Scranton. She hopes that what she has done on and off the field will motivate other young players, the way she was inspired when she joined the team in 2021.
“It’s a surreal feeling to be able to leave a lasting impression on something that has been such a big part of my life. I hope that a first-year athlete can walk in and think ‘OK, that’s going to be my name there’,” Redding said.
As a first-year athlete, Redding was mentored by another Landmark Offensive Player of the Year winner, then-senior Allie Benadon. “Katie is the most talented player that I have had the pleasure of sharing the field with, but what impresses me more than her accolades are her intangibles. She is always positive and picks up her teammates when they’re down, and her work ethic is unmatched,” Benadon said. “She is the epitome of what it means to be a leader. As both a former teammate and a friend, I couldn’t be prouder and happier for her.”
Redding’s biggest takeaway is the lifelong friendships and memories she has created. She appreciates the players and friends she has shared the field with over her career.
“I came in with goals that I wanted to achieve, and I did that, but I didn’t do it alone. I have a whole roster of girls who have guided and supported me. I’m not me without them,” Redding said. “I got to do the thing I love with the people I love…. it’s not just the goals, hardware, and games; I get to walk away with people who will be in my life forever."
