United States Field Hockey Association
A member of the United States Olympic Committee

US Field Hockey Announces 2000 Athletes and Team of the Year Awards

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. –  A determined defender and a high scoring forward have been named the U.S. Field Hockey Association's 2000 Athletes of the Year.

      U.S. women's defender Katie Kauffman (West Lawn, Pa.) and men's forward Shawn Hindy earned the individual honors for the sport while the 2000 U.S. women's Under-21 team was selected as U.S. Field Hockey's Team of the Year.

      “All of us at U.S. Field Hockey are extremely proud of all our athletes in all levels of our programs over this past year,” said USFHA Executive Director Jane Betts. “Katie, Shawn and the members of our women's Under-21 team demonstrate the finest qualities of our sport through their exceptional skill, dedication, commitment and enthusiasm.”

      The USFHA honorees are now eligible for the United States Olympic Committee’s SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year awards. Announcement of the USOC honors is scheduled for December 14, 2000.

Katie Kauffman

A member of the U.S. National Team since 1994, Kauffman helped lead the U.S. women to a spot in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in England last March. At the qualifier, the team tied Spain in pool play and suffered a heartbreaking loss to China in the 5th/6th place game to miss qualifying for the Olympic Games. Spain went on to finish fourth in Sydney while China placed fifth.

      " Katie Kauffman has been an inspirational player for the US team over the last 2 years, and especially in 2000," said U.S. National Team coach Tracey Belbin. "Katie has an unparalleled work ethic. She

is always positive and willing to help the players around her, both on and off the field. Katie always trains at the intensity expected of an international player; she pushes herself and her teammates to be the best that they can be. She is a professional, a role model, and an important team leader within the US National team."

      In 2000 Kaufffman also played as a member on US team tours to the Netherlands and Canada. A 1996 Olympian, she earned a silver medal with the U.S. Team at the 1999 Pan American Games, and helped the team to another silver medal performance at the 1999 Sydney International Hockey Challenge. She has appeared in 81 international matches as a member of the national team including games at the 1998 World Cup and 1995 and 1997 Champions Trophy competitions.   She was also one of two field hockey players to receive a new General Motors vehicle as part of The Team Behind the Team program sponsored by GM and the International Union, UAW.

            A native of West Lawn, Pa., Kauffman was a two-time All-America selection at the University of Maryland.                                

Shawn Hindy

      The U.S. men's team top scoring threat in each of the past two years, Hindy earned the Athlete of the Year honors in his sixth year as a member of the U.S. National Team.

"Shawn is a dedicated and committed hockey player, who loves the game very much," said U.S. men's coach Shiv Jagday. "More than anything else he has come a long way in the past year. He has not

only improved upon his game, but he has also matured as a person. He has taken a leadership role and become a role model for the young and upcoming hockey players."

      In 2000, Hindy ranked among the scoring leaders at the first Americas Cup competition where he scored six goals. The U.S. team placed fifth at the Americas Cup to remain in contention for a spot at the World Cup qualifying tournament in 2001.

      On the national level, Hindy led the USA Impact of the California League to the 2000 championship, while leading the league in scoring with nine goals. Playing on an Impact team comprised of veteran U.S. players as well as younger U.S. Under-16 athletes, Hindy served as a mentor to the younger players while guiding the team to a 10-1-2 record.

      In 2000, Hindy also accomplished a feat few male U.S. athletes in his sport are able to achieve. The 25-year old Westlake Village, Calif. native earned a full collegiate scholarship to play field hockey at the University of Alicante in Alicante, Spain.  Hindy studies business and Spanish at Alicante and competes on the school's field hockey team.

U.S. Women’s Under-21 Team

      Following an impressive performance at the Junior Pan American Championships, the U.S. Women’s Under-21 Team earned US Field Hockey’s Team of the Year honors after capturing the Junior Pan Am silver medal and earning a spot in the 2001 Junior World Cup.

      Held in March of 2000 in Bridgetown Barbados, the Junior Pan American Championships represent the only opportunity for teams from the Americas and Caribbean to qualify for international field hockey's premier junior tournament, the Junior World Cup. 

      The U.S. team's second place finish was the squad's best showing at the tournament since earning a silver medal in 1988. Led by head coach Tracey Griesbaum, the U.S. team cruised past Barbados (5-0), Venezuela (7-0) and long-time rival Canada (5-2) in pool play before downing Chile, 4-1, in the semifinals. The U.S. lost to defending champion Argentina, 5-0, in the championship game.

      The 2000 U.S. Under-21 Team included the following athletes and coaches: Jessica Coleman (Oceanport, NJ), Lizzy Duffy (Oak Park, Ill.), Carey Fetting-Smith (Baltimore, Md.), April Fronzoni (Larksville, Pa.),  Maegan Galie (Collegeville, Pa.), Kristi Gannon (Escondido, Calif.), Amy Herz (Willow Grove, Pa.), Ashley Hohnstine (Oak Hill, Va.), Robyn Kenney (Readington, NJ), Kiley Kulina (Hummelstown, Pa.),   Audrey Latsko (Emmaus, Pa.), Tiffany Leister (Oley, Pa.), Carrie Lingo (Rehoboth Beach, Del.), Abby Martin (Saratoga Springs, NY), Jill Martz (Danville, Pa.), Melanie Meerschwam (Amstelveen, The Netherlands), Dina Rizzo (Walpole, Mass.), Jessica Rose (Lititz, Pa.), Keli Smith (Selinsgrove, Pa.), Carla Tagliente (Cortland, NY), Amy Tran (Grantville, Pa.), Autumn Welsh (Macungie, Pa.), Maria Whitehead (West Chester, Pa.), Abbey Woolley (Ocean City, NJ), Sarah Wright (Behtesda, Md.), alternates Kelly Baril, Kelsey Keeran (Columbus, Ohio), Kiley Kulina (Hummelstown, Pa.) and Natalie Martirosian (Richmond, Va.), head coach Tracey Griesbaum (Univ. of Iowa) and assistant coaches Jon O'Haire (asst Penn St) and Lauren Fuchs (head coach Temple Univ.)

www.usfieldhockey.com