July 5, 2006
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -
Led by Terrapin head coach Missy Meharg, the Maryland High Performance Center team won the USA Field Hockey's Women's National Championship which was held at the U.S. Training Center in Virginia Beach. In addition to crowning the national champion, the tournament also served as a selection opportunity to USA Field Hockey's World Cup Squad, in which three former Terrapins were selected to participate.
Of the the 22 selected athletes and nine developmental squad members who will compete for spots on the USA World Cup team, current National Team members Dina Rizzo, Sara Silvetti and Lauren Powley are among the players eligible for the team. The World Cup will be held Sept. 27-Oct. 8 in Madrid.
Aside from the three former Terps who were selected to the USA World Cup team pool, also among the members of the Maryland Thundersticks were Emily Beach, also a former Terp, and current Terrapins Alicia Grater (Gilbertsville, Pa.) and Kristina Edmonds (Emmaus, Pa.). Meharg, a five-time national coach of the year, and current Maryland assistant coach Tjerk van Herwaarden were among the team's staff.
Maryland squad defeated the South team, 4-2, to claim the team's first national championship. The Thundersticks held a 1-0 halftime lead and then opened the scoring in the second half to take a 2-0 advantage. Rizzo, a 2001 first team All-American while with the Terps, widened the lead to 3-0 just two minutes later before a penalty corner for the South to cut Maryland's lead to 3-1. Maryland quickly restored its lead to 4-1 three minutes later before the South responded the scoring with a field goal in the 64th minute.
At the USFHA National Futures Championship, which is held in conjunction with the USFHA Women's National Championship, Pennsylvania's Lancaster won the gold medal in the Under-19 division. Incoming freshman Alexis Pappas (Mount Joy, Pa.) is a member of the Lancaster squad that defeated Las Vegas, 4-0, to claim the crown.
Held in conjunction with USA Field Hockey's National Futures Championship, the tournament features teams comprised of college-aged and older athletes including current members of the USA National Squad and recent college All-America selections. Athletes are selected to train at regionally-based high performance training centers and are selected to compete at the National Championships based on their performances during the spring. In addition to National Championship honors, the tournament serves as a selection opportunity to the USA National Squad and USA Junior National Camp.
The culmination of USA Field Hockey's Futures Program, the National Futures Champions features the top athletes from the more than 5,000 of the program's nation-wide participants. After receiving five months of elite-level training and tactical instruction in preparation for possible future selection to the USA National Teams, Futures athletes compete in regional tournaments where the top players are then selected to compete at the national championship tournament.
For more information on both USFHA program's, visit www.usfieldhockey.com.
-TERPS-
