NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Two incoming first years for the Yale field hockey team, midfielder/forward
Emma Mueller (Barrington, R.I.) and forward
Ella Ou (Houston, Texas), have been chosen to compete at USA Field Hockey's 2025 Junior Nexus Championship. They are part of a group of 102 invitees at the U-21 level. They earned their spots following regional selection camp sessions earlier this year.
This is the third year in a row Yale has had players selected for the Nexus Championships.
Nexus
Nexus is USA Field Hockey's Olympic Development Pathway Program, and part of the tryout process for the Junior U.S. National Teams.
- Junior Nexus (formerly just Nexus) is for athletes who are 11 years old and older who are not yet enrolled in college.
- Senior Nexus (formerly High Performance Centers) is for athletes who have enrolled in college or older. Selections for the Senior Nexus Championship will be announced later this month.
The Junior Nexus U-21 Championship will take place July 19-20 at USA Field Hockey's Regional Training Center in Virginia Beach, Va.
At the conclusion of the Junior Nexus Championships, top performing athletes in qualifying age groups will be invited to additional Junior National Team camps and training opportunities.
In addition to players, Yale's coaching staff will be represented at the championships as well: assistant coach
Belle Bressler will coach at the U-18 Nexus Championship.
Emma Mueller
Mueller has been selected for the Nexus program for five years in a row. At Barrington High School, she was a three-time Rhode Island Player of the Year nominee and four-time all-state selection (first team three times, second team once). She led her team in goals each of the past two seasons. Her team was state semi-finalists all four years of her career.
Mueller also played for Northeast Elite Field Hockey. She was part of a ninth-place finish at the U19 National Club Championship in 2024 and an eighth-place finish at the U16 National Club Championship in 2023.
Ella Ou
Ou has been to the Nexus Championships for five years in a row now. She earned silver at the event in 2021 and 2023. A captain at The Kinkaid School, Ou was ranked one of the top 150 players in the Class of 2025 by MAX Field Hockey. She led her team in scoring with 20 goals and 10 assists last season, and she was named All-South Zone. Her team finished first in the Southern Preparatory Conference in 2021 and was runner-up in each of the past three seasons.
Ou also played for Texas Pride Field Hockey, which was ranked No. 1 in the country by USA Field Hockey in 2023. In 2024 the team took first place at the U19 Regional Club Championship and earned a silver medal at the National Club Championship. The team was second place at the U19 Regional Club Championship in 2025.
Yale Field Hockey Nexus Championships Selections Since 2021
USA Field Hockey's Junior Nexus Championship began in 2021 as a rebranding of the previously named National Futures Championship, which had been around since 1991.
The Senior Nexus Championship was established in 2022, replacing the Young Women's National Championship.
- 2023
- 2024
- 2025
- Emma Mueller (Junior Nexus Championship)
- Ella Ou (Junior Nexus Championship)
- Senior Nexus Championship selections TBD
