May 30, 2013
NORFOLK, Va. – Two-time Olympian and former Old Dominion University standout Caroline Nichols was named to the United States Women’s National Field Hockey Team on Thursday.
Nichols, who hails from Virginia Beach, represented the United Stated in both the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2012 London Games. An assistant now at Columbia University, Nichols was the 2006 CAA Player of the Year at Old Dominion.
“I am very honored to be chosen to represent my country again, and I look forward to the new direction USA Field Hockey will take,” said Nichols. “The national championships is a tournament filled with exceptional hockey talent striving to reach the national level, and it was exciting to be back out on the field competing amongst so many driven women.”
New U.S. head coach Craig Parnham announced the full 30-player roster after watching more than 100 athletes competing from around the country the past week at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex in Norfolk for the senior national championships along with the U21 national team.
“This week has afforded me the opportunity to see players and assess them equally,” said Parnham. “It has been great to meet a number of new coaches and we are pleased to have had a thorough look at the players. The selection process has been ongoing throughout the week, including discussions and dialogue with coaches, daily meetings, and assessing and reassessing the players.”
The athletes selected to the U.S. Women’s National Squad will report immediately to Rutgers University to begin preparations for the International Hockey Federation’s World League Semifinal in London on June 22-30. Parnham anticipates selecting the 18-player roster for the World Cup qualifying event the week of June 3rd.
Follow Old Dominion Field Hockey on Twitter at twitter.com/ODUFieldHockey and find them on Facebook at facebook.com/ODUFH.