It might be several hundred miles from upstate New York and from central North Carolina to Lehighton, Pennsylvania, but for Jordyn Homyak and Abby Frey, it's just a few short tugs of their heartstrings and they are back home.

Homyak, a graduate of the University at Albany, and Frey, degreed from the University of North Carolina, bring their accomplished field hockey resumes to assist head coach Karen Hall's Lehighton Indians this season. Both girls were key contributors to the Lady Tribe's 2009 state championship team."Some of the players reached out to me to come back and help their team," says Frey."Parents contacted us too," says Homyak. "They wanted us to help bring back the winning tradition of Lehighton field hockey. They remember what we had in 2009."At their colleges, Homyak and Frey experienced the kind of success that makes them highly qualified to impart their knowledge of the game to the high school team. At Albany, Homyak's 2014 team stormed into the NCAA final four before dropping a close decision to UConn, while Frey's UNC Tar Heels got to the championship game in 2014 before losing to Princeton."It was such a great experience," says Frey, a former captain at Lehighton and Times News Player of the Year. "Although college field hockey is a much faster game, the necessary skills to succeed are the same and I would love to help this team focus on what it takes to win."During her sophomore year at Albany, Frey also was a head coach at Carrboro High School, where she learned some of the off-the-field issues that every coach has to know."As a head coach, you have to answer all the questions parents will ask," she says. "Many are concerned about the amount of playing time their daughters get. When I played one girl at goalie over another because I thought it was best for the team, the other goalie's mother obviously had a different opinion about that."Homyak, whose cousin, Allie Rossino plays for Lehighton, loved the idea that she and Frey could coach together."We think we can contribute what we know about field hockey to this team," she says. "At first I thought they were a work in progress, but they are already exceeding our expectations by beating two teams they lost to last year."Homyak and Frey believe that focusing on fundamental details will improve the team's play game by game, and both feel that the team needs to build a family type relationship because teamwork rather than selfish play is most important to achieve success."It's really cool to see a team become a family," says Frey. "Good relationships mean the girls will play for each other. Teams, not individuals, win games."First year Indian head coach Karen Hall is "thrilled" that the girls came back to help coach the team."They bring with them the Lehighton tradition of what it takes to win at the highest level," says Hall. "They are inspiring our girls and you can see results already in the early season because we have been very competitive and we are off to a great start."When asked about personal reasons to come back home to Lehighton, Frey and Homyak became a bit nostalgic."I have family here," says Homyak. "And people are close to each other here. Albany was nice, but it's a big city with a lot of traffic. Besides. I also like having a backyard. You don't get that in the city.""I love coming back to my roots and giving back to my high school," says Frey, who holds aspirations to land a college coaching position. "North Carolina is nice, but I missed having all four seasons, especially when it snows."Homyak and Frey both have degrees in criminal justice and will be hitting the job trail soon, but for now, they will enjoy the opportunity to show their hometown field hockey team what it takes to be a champion.