NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Rising junior midfielder/back Gigi Caldero (New Canaan, Conn.) of the Yale field hockey team has been chosen to compete at USA Field Hockey's 2026 Senior Nexus Championship. She is part of a group of 140 selections announced on June 17. The Senior Nexus Championship will take place at USA Field Hockey's Regional Training Center in Virginia Beach, Va.  Athletes will be divided into teams for games that take place July 17-19. 

Caldero will not be the only Bulldog student-athlete at the Nexus Championships. Three incoming first-years – back Sophie Buchowski (St. Louis, Mo.), midfielder/forward Angelina Che (Sudbury, Mass.) and goalkeeper Lucy Pigg (Charlotte, N.C.) – were chosen to compete at the Junior Nexus Championship July 17-19. They are part of a group of 107 invitees at the U-21 level. Those selections were announced earlier this month. Junior Nexus (formerly just Nexus) is for athletes who are 11 years old and older who are not yet enrolled in college. 

This is the fourth 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. 

Senior Nexus (formerly High Performance Centers) is for athletes who have enrolled in college or older. It serves as a selection opportunity for the 2026-27 U.S. U-21 Women's National Team Selection Camps, Junior USWNT Selection Camps, U.S. Women's National Development Squad and U.S. Women's National Team.

Gigi Caldero

Caldero has appeared in seven games for Yale, including two this past season as the Bulldogs made history by earning spots in the Ivy League Tournament and the NCAA Tournament for the first time. 

Caldero has been selected for the Nexus program every year since 2021. She won silver at the Nexus Championship and bronze at the U16 Junior Olympics in 2021.
 
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
  • Junior Nexus
    • Emma Ramsey
  • Senior Nexus
    • Lily Ramsey
• 2024
  • Junior Nexus
    • Gigi Caldero
    • Kaitlyn Chang
  • Senior Nexus
    • Emma Ramsey
• 2025
  • Junior Nexus
    • Emma Mueller
    • Ella Ou
  • Senior Nexus
    • Gigi Caldero
    • Emma Ramsey
• 2026
  • Junior Nexus
    • Sophie Buchowski
    • Angelina Che
    • Lucy Pigg
  • Senior Nexus
    • Gigi Caldero