PARIS (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Pien Dicke, a former University of Virginia field hockey standout, earned a gold medal with the Netherlands field hockey team on Friday, August 9, at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium in Paris, France.

Dicke played a crucial role in the Netherlands’ victory over China in the Olympic final. China took an early lead, scoring six minutes into the match, and maintained that advantage for most of the game. However, the Netherlands leveled the score with less than nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The match ended in a 1-1 tie, leading to a decisive shootout, where the Netherlands triumphed 3-1.

Dicke was added to the active roster for the final after serving as a reserve throughout the tournament. She stepped in following an injury to teammate Joosje Burg, who suffered a broken nose in the semifinal win against Argentina.

At UVA, Dicke made an immediate impact, being named the 2017 ACC Freshman of the Year and earning First-Team All-American honors during her lone season with the Cavaliers. She returned to the Netherlands after her freshman year to join the national team program.

With this victory, Dicke becomes the first Olympic medalist in the history of Virginia’s field hockey program. She joins fellow UVA Olympians Michelle Vittese (Team USA, London 2012 and Rio 2016) and Paige Selenski (Team USA, London 2012) in making history for the Cavaliers.

Virginia athletes in Paris have now accumulated 13 medals in total: six gold, five silver, and two bronze. Olympic competition wraps up on Saturday, August 10, with two Cavaliers still competing for medals: Emily Sonnett with the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team and Andrenette Knight with the Jamaican 4x400m Relay Team.