Catherine Caro announces retirement from USA hockey team

USA women hockey team midfielder Catherine Caro has announced her retirement from the team on Thursday.

The 24-year-old competed in 15 international matches and has been one of the most recognisable athletes in the Olympic Development Pathway over the past several years.

Caro first picked up the game in middle school under the influence of her older sister, Maria, who she always looked up to.

"I had played soccer since I was about three or four and was convinced I would continue to play in high school. But once I picked up a stick I immediately fell in love with the game and have been playing ever since," Caro said in an official statement.

"I loved the camaraderie, commitment and sportsmanship the game provided and I really wanted it to be a part of my college experience," she added.

Caro moved on to play at Princeton University from 2013 to 2016, accumulating honours that include Second-Team All-Ivy League (2014, 2015) and First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region (2015, 2016).

She served as team captain for two years and in her senior season, Caro was named to the Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches' Association Division I All-America First Team, NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team, First-Team All-Ivy League and Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year.

Helping the team to three-consecutive Ivy League titles and an appearance in the NCAA Final Four are among her favorite memories.

Her journey through the Olympic Development Pathway began in 2011 when she was named to the US U-17 women's team.

In 2016, she played a key role in helping USA claim the silver medal at the women's Junior Pan American Games in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as an eighth-place finish at the women's hockey junior World Cup in Santiago, Chile.

In December 2017, Caro was named to the senior women's team and earned her first international cap one month later against the Netherlands.