Rizzo Added To U.S. National Field Hockey Team
8/18/2002 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Aug. 18, 2002
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Former Maryland All-American Dina Rizzo (Walpole, Mass./Maryland '02) was added to the U.S. National Field Hockey Team's roster and residency training program following open trials at the USFHA's National Training Center in Virginia Beach, Va.
The U.S., which travels to College Park on August 25 to face the Terrapins as part of its Collegiate Challenge match series, now includes four former Terrapins on its roster: Rizzo, Katie Kauffman-Beach (West Lawn, Pa./Maryland '97), Carla Tagliente (Cortland, N.Y./Maryland '01) and Keli Smith (Selinsgrove, Pa./Maryland '01). They will all be part of the homecoming next Sunday at 1 p.m. when the Terps take on the U.S. at Maryland's Artificial Turf Facility.
A 2001 first-team All-America selection at Maryland, Rizzo helped lead the Terrapins to the 1999 NCAA Championship and a runner-up finish in 2001. The Terps posted a 79-15 record while Rizzo was a member of the team, capturing ACC titles in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001 and reaching the NCAA semifinal round in three of her four years. She earned selection to the U.S. Under-18 team in 1997 and played as a member of the U.S. Under-21 teams at the 2000 Junior Pan American Championship (2nd place) and 2001 Junior World Cup (14th).
U.S. head coach Tracey Belbin also added Under-23 team members Abby Martin (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) and Abbey Woolley (Ocean City, N.J.) to the senior squad roster, while welcoming back defender Natalie Dawson (Berlin, N.J.) to the residency program. Dawson had left the team early in 2002 to complete her degree at the Univ. of Iowa.
The new members of the U.S. team will have a chance to see their first action against last year's NCAA semifinalists during the Collegiate Challenge, Aug. 23 (at Michigan), Aug. 25 at Maryland and Sept. 5 (at Wake Forest) and Sept. 7 (at Princeton).
The U.S. team will then host Mexico, Ireland and Scotland at the International Atlantic Cup, Oct. 9-13 in Virginia Beach before heading to the World Cup, Nov. 24- Dec. 8, in Perth, Australia.
The complete U.S. women's field hockey national team roster follows: Kate Barber (West Chester, Pa.), Dawson, Jill Dedman (Orange, Conn.), Jenny Everett (Rutland, Vt.), Tracey Fuchs (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Kelli Gannon (Escondido, Calif.), Tara Jelley (Greenfield, Mass.), Kauffman-Beach, Robyn Kenney (Readington, N.J.), Tracey Larson (Morrisville, Pa.), Carrie Lingo (Rehoboth Beach, Del.), Martin, Kristen McCann (Allentown, Pa.), Melanie Meerschwam (Amstelveen, Netherlands), Kim Miller (Virginia Beach, Va), Jill Reeve (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.), Rizzo, Smith, Mimi Smith (Virginia Beach, Va.), Peggy Storrar (Mahopac, NY), Tagliente and Woolley.
