June 19, 2009
VA. BEACH, Va. -- Five Lady Monarchs from the 2008 roster along with three alumni will be on the turf starting this weekend at the National Training Center in Virginia Beach for the 2009 Women's National Championship.
Rising senior Kelly Driscoll (West Chester, Pa.) along with recent graduate Katelyn Smither (Suffolk, Va.) are members of the Maryland squad, while rising seniors Hanna Warren (Green Lane, Pa.), and Kathleen Shea (Elizaville, N.Y.), along with rising junior Stephanie Kratzer (Lititz, Pa.), will play as members of the South team. Additionally, 2002 Honda Award winner Tiffany (Snow) Huisman will be suiting up for the New England sqaud, 2003 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Defender of the Year Melissa Leonetti will participate with the California/Pennsylvania team, and 2006 CAA Player and Defender of the Year Caroline Nichols will play for the Mid-Atlantic squad.
Held in conjunction with the National Futures Championship, the USA Field Hockey Women's National Championship is a round-robin tournament featuring the top athletes from USA Field Hockey's six regional High Performance Centers.
Beginning in the early spring, High Performance Centers serving the New England, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Midwest, South and California regions conduct open trials for college-age and older athletes. Once selected to a High Performance Center, athletes receive elite-level training from some of the nation's top coaches over the course of the spring.
At the conclusion of the program, each High Performance Center selects a team to represent its region at the National Championships. Athletes competing in the tournament have the opportunity for selection to the U.S. National Squad. The Pennsylvania / California HPC is the defending champion after defeating the Midwest in last year's championship final.
Rosters at the Championship include current U.S. National Team stars as well as recent college All-America selections.
Smither, who graduated this spring, was a two-time First Team All-CAA and All-State performer for the Lady Monarchs. She led ODU during the 2008 season with 11 goals, tying her for eighth in the CAA in goals per game, and totaled a team-leading 25 points. A Pre-Season CAA Player of the Year selection, Smither also tied for third in the CAA in game-winning goals with three and for first in the CAA with five defensive saves.
Driscoll, the Lady Monarch's netminder, is a two-time Second Team All-South Region honoree and three time All-State squad award winner. She led the CAA in saves (168) and was second in the league in save percentage (.800) this fall. She also posted a 1.90 goals against average and captured four shutouts against CAA competition. Driscoll made double figure saves in games with No. 6 Penn State, No. 11 Virginia, No. 5 North Carolina, and No. 6 James Madison, including recording a career-high 14 saves against James Madison in the CAA Championship Game.
Shea at forward/midfield earned her first all-conference honors this fall with her nod to the First Team All-CAA. Shea was tied as the Lady Monarchs' second leading scorer with five goals under her belt last season, while defensively she tied for the lead on her squad with five defensive saves.
Warren appeared and started in all 23 contests last fall. Serving as ODU's primary stick stop as a member of the penalty corner unit, she posted five assists. On the other side of the pitch, the midfield/defender made three defensive saves.
Kratzer appeared in all 23 games in 2008, becoming a mainstay of the starting line-up five games into last season. In all, she made 20 starts as a midfielder/defender and registered two defensive saves.
For more information on the 2009 Women's National Championship, log on to www.USAFieldHockey.com.
2009 Competition Schedule
Saturday, June 20
4:00 PM - NJ v PA/CA
6:00 PM - MD v MW
8:00 PM - NE v South
Sunday, June 21
4:00 PM - MD v PA/CA
6:00 PM - NE v MW
8:00 PM - NJ v South
Monday, June 22 Rest
Tuesday, June 23
4:00 PM - MD v NE
6:00 PM - South v PA/CA
8:00 PM - MW v NJ
Wednesday, June 24 4:00 PM - MW v PA/CA
6:00 PM - NE v NJ
8:00 PM - MD v South
Thursday, June 25 Rest
Friday, June 26
8:00 AM - MW v South
10:00 AM - MD v NJ
12:00 PM - NE v PA/CA
Saturday, June 27
8:30 AM - 3 v 4 (Field 1)
8:30 AM - 5 v 6 (Field 2)
10:30 AM - 1 v 2 (Field 1)