Women of
the Halls of Fame
Leslie Lyness
Female Field Hockey Player
Born: August 7,1968
Birthplace: Paoli, Pennsylvania
Position: Midfielder
Year Inducted: 2004
Leslie Lyness was born in Paoli, Pennsylvania on August 7, 1968. She attended The Baldwin School, followed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she played midfield for the school’s field hockey team. During her career at the University of North Carolina, Lyness was selected as the ACC player of the year (1989), was the Honda Award recipient (1990), and was chosen as an All-American twice. She was selected to play on the USA Olympic field hockey team in both 1990 and 1996. Her team did not place in 1990, but came in fifth in the 1996 games.
Lyness also participated in the Pan American Games in both 1991 and 1995. In 1991, Lyness’ team won a silver medal and in 1995, her team won the bronze. She also took part in the World Hockey Cup in 1994, where her team earned a bronze medal. Lyness helped her team earn their spot in the World Cup semifinals by scoring the only goal of the game and securing the USA’s win over China. In addition, Lyness won the Champions Trophy in 1995.
She retired from field hockey in 1996, at the conclusion of the Olympic Games, having played a total of 92 international games. Lyness was inducted into the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame on June 12, 2004.