The field hockey community is mourning the reported death of Lauren Burke Smith, a longtime coach, administrator and mentor whose career connected her with Penn State, Rutgers, Sacred Heart, the University of Vermont and USA Field Hockey. A report published September 29 said Smith died September, 2026 with her family by her side, and described an outpouring of remembrance from people across the sport. While a separate search did not locate a death notice on Penn State’s current official website, the report attributes the remembrance to USA Field Hockey and Smith’s family fundraising campaign.
Smith built a career around field hockey that extended well beyond one program. Penn State announced in 2019 that she had been named Director of Operations for Nittany Lion field hockey, bringing more than a decade of Division I playing and coaching experience as well as extensive involvement with USA Field Hockey. Before arriving at Penn State, she worked at Robert Morris, Sacred Heart and Rutgers, while her USA Field Hockey roles included high-performance coach, Futures head coach, Futures assistant coach and regional selector.
Her own playing career began at the University of Vermont, where she competed from 2005 through 2008 and graduated in 2009 with a degree in physical education and exercise and movement sciences. She later earned a master’s degree from Robert Morris University in business sport management and instructional leadership. Penn State described her as bringing an outgoing personality, strong relationships throughout the field hockey community and a genuine passion for the sport and for developing connections among athletes, coaches and alumni.
Beyond the titles attached to her career, Smith was remembered for the personal relationships she formed through years spent around athletes and fellow coaches. A fundraising campaign reported by The Union Star identifies her as a devoted wife to Stu, mother to Burke, and a loved daughter, sister and friend. The campaign also says she had privately lived with cancer for several years and that her family was with her when she died, adding a deeply personal dimension to the loss now being felt by those who knew her.
Lauren Burke Smith leaves behind a lasting connection to the field hockey community through the athletes she coached, the programs she supported and the colleagues and friends she gathered throughout her career. Her path from Vermont student-athlete to collegiate coach, USA Field Hockey contributor and Penn State administrator reflected a lifelong commitment to a sport that remained central to her life. As family, friends and members of the field hockey community remember her, the emphasis has been on the warmth, dedication and relationships she brought to the people around her.
