COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Maryland field hockey alums Katie O'Donnell Bam and Jill Witmer will compete in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero this summer with the U.S. senior national team, as named by USA Field Hockey Friday.
Bam and Witmer are two of 16 athletes named to the U.S. roster. This will be Bam's second Olympic Games, as she competed with Team USA in the 2012 Olympics in London. Witmer will make her first Olympic Games appearance.
“Selection for the Olympic team has been an ongoing process for many months, evaluation and monitoring are very much part of the program,” U.S. head coach Craig Parnham said. “The whole squad has committed so much to the program over the past years, for those selected it is a great moment in their hockey careers.”
Bam and Witmer helped Team USA win bronze in the Champions Trophy in London last month. With the medal, the U.S. is currently ranked No. 5 in the world.
The U.S. is in Pool 8, made up of No. 2 Argentina, No. 3 Australia, No. 7 Great Britain, No. 10 Japan and No. 13 India. The U.S. will open Pool B play with a face-off against Argentina on Sunday, August 6. The U.S. will continue pool play and close the preliminary round with Great Britain on Saturday, August 13. The women's first semifinal will take place on Wednesday, August 17. The gold-medal round commences on Friday, August 19. For more on the Olympic Games, click here.
Bam played for the Terrapins from 2007-2010, leading them to the 2008 and 2010 NCAA titles. She is Maryland's all-time leader in points (306), goals (99) and assists (108). She was named ACC Player of the Year in all four years of her career and won the Honda Sports Award for the nation's top player twice.
Witmer competed at Maryland from 2010-2013, helping Maryland win the 2010 and 2011 national titles. She is No. 4 in the Maryland record books in points (163) and is No. 5 in goals (67). She was a four-time NFHCA All-American and the 2013 ACC Player of the Year.
Seven of head coach Missy Meharg's players have gone on to make Olympic rosters – Kate Kauffman Beach, Lauren Powley, Dina Rizzo, Sarah Silvetti, Keli Smith Puzo, Bam and Witmer. Meharg was an assistant with the U.S. national team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
- Terps -
