COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Three former members of the Maryland field hockey team will play with the U.S. National Team in the 8 Nations Tournament in New Zealand next month. Ali McEvoy, Katie O'Donnell and Jill Witmer will play with the U.S. team.

U.S. Women's National Team Head Coach Craig Parnham established the 18-athlete roster that will be traveling to New Zealand for the 8 Nations Tournament from April 11-19, 2015. The event will include eight teams placed in the top 13 in the world, according to the FIH World Rankings.

“The 8 Nations event in Hawke's Bay will be an interesting tournament with all the participating teams preparing for the World League Semifinals,” said Parnham. “The matches will provide us another opportunity to continue to develop the team as we move toward the summer events.”

"What an exciting time for USA Field Hockey," Maryland head coach Missy Meharg said. "Heading into the Olympic qualification year ranked the No. 5 in the world is a testament to the group's hard work, diligent training and ruthlessly competitive environment in Lancaster.  

On behalf of Maryland Athletics, we wish Team USA the best in the upcoming 8 Nations tournament in New Zealand and will follow former Terps Katie O'Donnell, Ali McEvoy and Jill Witmer with pride."

The games will take place at the Hasting Sports Park in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. Before the tournament begins, Team USA will play second-ranked Australia in a practice match on April 9 and is set to play them again in their first game on April 11.

The 8 Nations Tournament, or Hawke's Bay Cup, is one of three tournaments held under the umbrella of the Festival of Hockey. In 13 days, 80 games will be played showcasing the world's best teams. All six teams that participated in 2014 (Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, China, Korea and Japan) are returning this year with the addition of India and Team USA.

-Terps-