February 4, 1999

College Park, Md.-The University of Maryland field hockey team has received a national letter of intent from two-time high school All-America forward Carissa Messimer (Mountaintop, Pa.) to play field hockey beginning in the fall of the 1999-2000 academic year.

Messimer capped a standout career at Crestwood High School by scoring 49 goals her senior season and leading her team to the state semifinals. Her 49 goals set a Pennsylvania state high school single-season scoring record and her 145 career goals set the Pennsylvania state high school career scoring record. Her 145 career goals is also the third-highest total ever recorded by a U.S. high school player. In addition, Messimer has earned first-team high school All-America honors the past two years

For the past three years, Messimer has been on one of the U.S. national field hockey teams. Last month, she was selected to the 1999 U.S. Under-20 team. In 1998, Messimer was a member of the U.S. Under-19 team and in 1997, she was on the U.S. Under-16 team.

At Maryland, Messimer will join a Terrapin squad that captured the 1998 ACC championship with the youngest team in the conference. The Terps finished last season 16-6 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

"Carissa is an elite impact player who fits in very well with our style of play," said Maryland's head field hockey coach Missy Meharg. "She has an aggressive mentality in front of the goal cage. We are honored to have her at Maryland."