Norfolk, Va. -- The Old Dominion field hockey team is set to commence the 2016 season with a 6 p.m. showdown against Penn State this Friday, Aug. 26 in State College, Pennsylvania before traveling to Washington, D.C. to take on American on Sunday, Aug. 28 at noon.
Led by head coach Andrew Griffiths in his fourth season at the helm, the Lady Monarchs finished the 2015 season with a 9-10 overall record and defeated five nationally ranked teams, taking down No. 7 Penn State, No. 19 Michigan State, No. 8 Wake Forest, No. 19 James Madison and No. 5 UVA. At the conclusion of the season, Griffiths had five players earn all-conference honors, while three went on to earn NFHCA All-Region accolades.
Off the turf, the Lady Monarchs were named a 2015 ZAG Field Hockey/NFHCA Division I National Academic Team for the third straight season under Griffiths. ODU turned in an impressive 3.21 cumulative GPA last fall, boasting eight Dean’s List honorees. Individually, Danielle Grega became the first ODU female athlete since 2013 to be named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Women’s At-Large Team for maintaining a 3.98 GPA in biology.
Key Returners
Returning 12 players from last season’s roster, the Lady Monarchs welcome back two all-conference honorees in BIG EAST Rookie of the Year Chrissy Horn and second team all-conference selection Meg Byas. ODU also returns goalie Kealsie Robles, a 2015 Longstreth/NFHCA All-Region second team honoree, for her sophomore campaign.
The team’s leading-scorer in 2015, Danielle Grega returns for the Lady Monarchs to begin her junior season after netting 11 goals and adding one assist last year. Senior Casey Dolan returns for one more season after racking up five goals in 2015 including the game-winner over fifth-ranked Virginia. Other returning letterwinners include: Alyssa Jones, Amie Olton, Carrie Sensenig and Kristen Vick.
Last week, Byas was unanimously selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team while the Lady Monarchs were picked third in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll behind 2015 NCAA semifinalist Connecticut and Liberty.
Newcomers
The ODU field hockey team welcomes eight freshmen to the squad for the 2016 season including: Rebecca Birch (Leeds, United Kingdom), Alexandria Brewer (Virginia Beach, Va.), Julia Demeester (Elizabethtown, Pa.), Lacey Frazier (Virginia Beach, Va.), Erin Huffman (Palmyra, Pa.), Marlee McClendon (Virginia Beach, Va.), Jess Miller (Alexandria, Va.) and Ashleigh Thomas (Mountain Top, Pa.).
2016 Schedule
The vigorous slate of games includes six opponents from the 2015 NCAA Tournament, including three of the semifinal participants, and four conference champions from a year ago.
The Lady Monarchs will prepare for their seven BIG EAST conference games in addition to a non-conference slate featuring marquee road trips to Penn State, Virginia and Maryland, as well as hosting games against traditional in-state opponents.
NCAA Championships
The 2016 NCAA Tournament begins on Nov. 12 on the campuses of selected schools, while Old Dominion will play host to the semifinals and championship match for the fifth time in school history. The last time the Lady Monarchs hosted the tournament was in 2013 when BIG EAST rival UConn took home the crown.
Social Media
Follow Old Dominion Field Hockey on Twitter at twitter.com/ODUFieldHockey and find them on Facebook at facebook.com/ODUFH!