April 30, 2012
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion University Field Hockey team named rising senior back Christy Longacre and rising junior forward Kati Nearhouse as captains on Monday for the upcoming 2012 season.
Longacre and Nearhouse were selected as captains after a team vote. “Christy and Kati both lead by example and are great competitors on the field,” said head coach Beth Anders. “Both players manage the game on the field extremely well and that’s a big help from a coaching standpoint. They also understand the direction of this team and will be great representatives for the Old Dominion program.”
Longacre (Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom) was an All-CAA Tournament selection in 2011 after starting in 22 games and scoring six goals with three assists for 15 point on 53 shots. She scored the game-winning goal in ODU’s 3-1 upset win at No. 1 North Carolina on Sept. 16 and is a member of the Mid-Atlantic team at the Junior Women's National Championships for the second consecutive year.
Nearhouse (Nanticoke, Pa./Greater Nanticoke) was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I All-American Second Team and WomensFieldHockey.com All-American Third Team in 2011. She started in all 25 games and scored eight goals with five assists to go with 21 points on 30 shots while netting the game-winning goal against Duke on Nov. 13 in the NCAA Tournament second round to advance ODU to the Final Four. She scored the game-winning double-overtime goal at No. 6 Duke on Sept. 18, was a Second Team All-CAA section, an All-CAA Tournament Team selection, named to the NFHCA All-South Region First Team and was a Second Team All-State selection. Nearhouse was also named to the U21 USA Field Hockey National Team after performing well for the Mid-Atlantic squad at the Junior High Performance camp at the National Training Center in Virginia Beach.
Old Dominion hosts a pair of exhibition games this summer at the Powhatan Sports Complex with the U.S. National Field Hockey team plays Argentina on Wednesday, June 20 at 5 p.m. and Thursday, June 21 at 8 p.m. Both games will be free of charge. ODU will also be hosting the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Final Fours at the Powhatan Sports Complex.