From the time they picked up their first hooked sticks, sisters Mercedes and Paige Hamilton have made a clear path on the pitch.

Now that path is taking them to Ohio State University.

The Coquitlam twins officially committed to the Columbus campus on Wednesday, on the first signing day for college programs.

Needless to say, the 17-year-old twins were thrilled to be Buckeyes.

"It's pretty exciting, this is a perfect situation," noted Mercedes.

"We were kind of looking at all those offers but we knew what we wanted," added Paige. "Ohio was the first one to offer us both a scholarship, so that was perfect."

That 'us' element was critical for the Heritage Woods Secondary students. Making the transition to a new place and new life will only be easier side-by-side, said Paige.

"My family keeps us motivated, and we push each other. My sister and I stick together, although we have our moments. It sounds a little cheesy, but she is definitely my best friend."

The Hamilton girls have demonstrated their flare at field hockey since signing up as six year olds with the Tri-City Eagles Club, with their father Geoff often pacing the sidelines as their coach.

Their development into provincial team players involved serious dedication, beginning with the under-12 B.C. regional program.

"Seeing them go from mini-hockey to where they could barely handle a stick and ball to such a high level has been interesting," said Geoff. "As they progressed through the regional and provincial ranks, they just kept getting better and better."

Both patrol different areas of the pitch - with Paige a scrappy, no-yards-given defender/sweeper, and Mercedes a quick-attack forward. It has meant that they have developed at different elements of the game.

"They are completely different players," noted their father. "Mercedes is a smoother player who has very good stick skills, she's very calm and relaxed.

"Paige is on the other end of the scale, intense on defence and possessing a strong stick. She's always going hard."

Although usually on the same team, the duo were on separate rosters two years ago at the 2010 nationals. It was one instance where both saw exactly what their opponent faces on a regular basis.

"There was definitely a sibling rivalry going then, we both played our hearts out," recalled Mercedes.

Paige was a member of Canada's national u-17 women's team that faced off against the U.S. last spring. They both were part of the elite squad the Polar Bears who competed at the U.S. women's national festival in Palm Beach, Fl., last November.

Both opportunities exposed them to elite play and a lot of scouts.

"It was pretty intimidating knowing there were so many NCAA scouts watching. We kind of fed off that and played pretty well," said Mercedes of the festival.

Going through the scholarship process has prepared them for the next step athletically and academically.

"The most important thing for me is family first ," said Paige. "We always tried to keep family, school and everything in perspective."