Aug. 15, 2011

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The 2010 NCAA and ACC champion Maryland field hockey team began its journey through the 2011 season last week, as it opened its first week of training and practice in College Park.

The 2011 Terrapins return 17 of 23 players from last year's championship squad, including seven of 11 starters, which makes the Terps one of the nation's most dangerous and experienced teams.

The five newcomers, freshmen Maxine Fluharty, Katie Gerzabek, Steffi Schneid and Kasey Tapman, along with junior Nikki Fernandez, bring talent, depth and international experience to the 2010 champions.

"The 2011 team has talent, depth, desire and experience," 2010 National Coach of the Year Missy Meharg said. "Many Terps competed in USA Field Hockey's National Championships, as well as competitive leagues regionally, nationally and globally. We are physically prepared, training hard, having fun and doing all we can to be in position to play for ACC and NCAA championships."

The three seniors, Jemma Buckley, Meghan Dean and Melissa Vassalotti, have all played valuable roles and have greatly contributed to the team's successes over the last for years.

While Dean completes her Master's degree in speech pathology, she will serve the team as a student assistant in the areas of training and team development. Since arriving in College Park in 2007, Dean has found success on the field and in the classroom. She was the recipient of the 2010 Elite 88 award, which is awarded by the NCAA to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the National Championship. Dean played in the attacking unit and was an invaluable member of Maryland's NCAA championship teams in 2008 and 2010, as well as ACC championship teams in 2008, 2009, 2010 .

"Meghan Dean is an outstanding hockey player and contributed greatly to our success over the past four years," Meharg said. "The staff looks forward to Megan's transition to a member of our leadership team. She represents everything that an NCAA Division I student athlete aspires to be. She will be a great mentor to our young Terps."

Coaching Staff

All four coaches from last year's championship squad return. The staff of Meharg, Tjerk van Herwaarden, Dina Rizzo and Barb Weinberg, have found a strong sense of unity among themselves that plays out well for the program as a whole. Each coach brings unique qualities to the table and the coaching team is regarded as one of the strongest staffs nationwide. With the new additions of Director of Field Hockey Operations Jane DeGrenier and Dean, the staff will be at full strength to open the season.

"Our leadership team is so solid. With the addition of captains Jemma Buckley and Megan Frazer, we have the experience, knowledge and enthusiasm to get better and better every day."

Both Rizzo and Weinberg are entering their second year on staff. Rizzo, a Terp field hockey alum, was an All-American, national champion and four-time ACC champion attacker. Weinberg was a two-time All-American goalkeeper at Iowa.

"It's an exciting honor to have this staff return for 2011," Meharg said. "Both Dina and Barb have developed quickly into strong NCAA coaches after long tenures of international playing careers culminating at the Beijing Olympics in 2008."

Van Herwaarden is entering his seventh season with the program as Technical Director and Associate Head Coach. He is one of the country's leaders in the technical and tactical aspects of the game. He has had a hand in four NCAA championships (2005, 2006, 2008, 2010).

"Tjerk and I work very well together," Meharg said. "Each year we develop different approaches based on the individuals within the team. Tjerk will continue working in his area of expertise with technical skills and video analysis. We enjoy teaching the game of hockey to our athletes, to the staff and to each other."

"Fortunately, our specialty Terps around the team remain intact. Sandy Worth is our athletic trainer, Barry Kagan is our strength and conditioning coach and Dr. Joel Fish, our sports psychologist, complete our high-performing environment."

Defense

After rebuilding the deep defense in 2010, Maryland returns key backfield players.

Goalkeepers Melissa Vassalotti and Natalie Hunter have NCAA and USA High Performance experience," Meharg said. "Both women are fit, have experience and are prepared to lead the backfield."

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Brooke Cabrera will be back in action in mid-September after recovering from an injury sustained in the late spring.

"Harriet Tibble, Ali McEvoy and Colleen Gulick have solid playing experience in the deep defense," Meharg said. "Janessa Pope, Tara Zollinger and Hayley Turner all had very strong spring seasons training with the 2011 defensive unit. Incoming freshman Kasey Tapman brings depth to this backfield component."

Midfield

The 2011 Terrapin midfield will be led by its overwhelming physical and mental speed

"We intend to play in a variety of ways in which to put our high-scoring middies in position to shoot," Meharg said.

The players in the midfield are fast, technically strong and possess a variety of individual and collective strengths.

"As hockey evolves with a new self-start rule on restarts, we can eliminate and attack quickly and readily, making the game fun for fans and the athletes. All-American captains Jemma Buckley and Megan Frazer will lead and transition our game to goal. Danielle Kauffman and Christine Knauss add strength and experience while exciting first year players Maxine Fluharty and Steffi Schneid compliment the way Maryland hockey transitions the game," Meharg said.

Attack

The Terrapin offensive unit has long been one of the strongest in the country. In 2010, Maryland led the nation with 4.67 goals per game, 13.58 points per game and 4.25 assists per game, as well as earning an average of 13.85 penalty corners per contest.

"2010 ACC Freshman of the Year Jill Witmer and juniors Kirstie Dennig and Lindsey Puckett bring talent and a mature mindset to the forward line," Meharg said. "Playing high-speed quality defense will dictate our goal scoring opportunities significantly. Redshirt freshman Shelby Sydnor had an impressive spring season and looks to develop with new strikers Katie Gerzabek and Nikki Fernandez. "

The Terrapins will scrimmage Penn State in State College, Pa. on Friday, Aug. 19 at 10 a.m., followed by our annual Red/White Game, at noon on Sunday, Aug. 21 in College Park.

The Terrapins open the 2011 season on Friday, Aug. 26 with a game vs. Boston University at Temple. The Terps and the Terriers will play at 2:30 p.m. in the second game of Temple's Conference Cup tournament. On Sunday, Aug. 28, Maryland will play Temple at 3:30 p.m.