BALTIMORE, MD – Johns Hopkins field hockey coach Jane Wells and her 2023 team officially welcomed the newest member of the Blue Jay family, Mackenzie Opdyke, at a special ceremony on Friday, August 25. Opdyke's signing if the first for the Johns Hopkins field hockey program through its partnership with Team IMPACT.
 
"We are so thrilled for Kenzie to join our team," said Wells. "It's been so great getting to know her and her family over the last few months. Kenzie is such an inspiration to all of us and we are so lucky to have her as a part of our Hopkins Field Hockey family."
 
Opdyke, a fifth grader from Bel Air, MD, plays both field hockey and lacrosse for Fallston Rec. She was diagnosed with a midline glioma in July 2022. This form of brain cancer, while rare, can be particularly aggressive. She has undergone multiple surgeries as well as radiation and chemo infusions since her diagnosis just over a year ago.
 
Opdyke was matched with the Johns Hopkins field hockey team in February 2023. Since then, she has been a fixture at Homewood, joining the team for team activities and practices. She was joined at her official signing by her mother, Alejandra, father, Ken, and sister, Addy, and the Johns Hopkins field hockey team.
 
About Team IMPACT
Team IMPACT is the only U.S. nonprofit that tackles the emotional trauma and social isolation experienced by children facing serious and chronic illnesses by matching them with a college athletic team. The two-year therapeutic program complements a child's medical treatments, allowing the child to develop relationships and skills that help them complete the full circle of healing.
 
Through participation in Team IMPACT's clinically informed program, children experience a true sense of belonging, resulting in increased empowerment, normalization, health promotion, and resilience. Families feel connected and supported as their child achieves individualized goals, while experiencing the joy of team camaraderie and inclusion; and student athletes gain perspective and inspiration, as well as lessons in adversity and resilience.
 
Founded in 2011, Team IMPACT has matched more than 2,100 children with 700+ colleges and universities in 49 states, impacting more than 60,000 student athletes.
 
Learn more at: www.teamimpact.org.