Two Rutgers field hockey standouts are spending this week on the international stage, with Emily Nicholls suiting up for the United States and Anna Cogdell representing England in the 4 Nations Tournament.
The event runs July 8 to 15 at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre in Lilleshall, England, and includes Belgium and India along with England and the United States. It marks another chance for both Scarlet Knights to compete with their national U-21 teams.
For Nicholls, this is her second national-team selection of the year. She was previously picked for the Junior Pan American Championship in Chile. Cogdell also arrives with recent international experience after competing in a 3-test series against Scotland.
Nicholls put together a strong redshirt freshman season for Rutgers. The Haddon Heights, N.J., goalkeeper earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team after finishing with a 1.61 goals-against-average, a 78.8% save percentage and 108 saves.
The Camden Catholic product ranked second in the Big Ten with 6.0 saves per game, placed third in the conference and sixth nationally in save percentage, and recorded the most saves in a season by any Rutgers goalkeeper under head coach Meredith Civico. Her 108 stops were also the most by a Rutgers keeper since Rosalyn Wentko had 127 in 2006.
Cogdell has been just as steady in her two seasons at Rutgers. The Badingham, England, native started all 35 games since arriving on campus and has totaled three goals, six assists and 12 collegiate points through her sophomore year.
She was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team in 2024 and entered last season as both a Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch and an NFHCA Collegiate Watch List selection. Off the field, Cogdell has earned Academic All-Big Ten honors and has been named twice to the NFHCA National Academic Squad.
Team USA opened the tournament Wednesday against India and is scheduled to face India again Saturday, Belgium on Sunday, and England on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
England started play Thursday against India and will also meet Belgium on Saturday, India on Sunday, and then the United States twice to close out the tournament.
In Other News...
ESPN Just Gave Rutgers Fans Another Reason To Feel Overlooked
ESPNs latest College Football Power Index did not do Rutgers any favors, slotting the Scarlet Knights at 67th nationally with a -0.2 rating and making them one of the lowest-rated teams in the Big Ten. The metric leans on past performance, returning starters, recruiting and coaching continuity, and now even transfer portal movement, so it is built to reflect both what a team has been and what it might become.
For Rutgers, that makes the number feel especially static at a time when the roster has changed in important ways. The defense struggled badly a year ago, but the staff has been reworked and transfers have been added, while the offense kept key pieces in place and still has a quarterback battle to sort through. In other words, the FPI is looking backward just as Rutgers is trying to prove it can look different this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Kaden Powers Could Be Holding The Key To Rutgers' Backcourt Ceiling
Kaden Powers spent his freshman season giving Rutgers a useful glimpse of what he could become, averaging 6.1 points and 1.8 rebounds while making 15 starts before his role shifted later in the year. Now, after an offseason focused on getting stronger, the guard has drawn notice in practice for looking more confident and carrying himself with a veteran-like presence, the kind of development that matters for a team trying to raise its backcourt floor.
Powers growth is especially important because Rutgers needs dependable guard play to support its ceiling in Big Ten play, and coach Steve Pikiell has seen enough in summer workouts to believe the sophomore is ready for a bigger responsibility. Whether he opens the season in the starting five or becomes one of the first options off the bench, Powers appears positioned to be a central part of how Rutgers sorts out its backcourt minutes. [Read more 🡒]