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US Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament Roster

U.S. Field Hockey Names Olympic Qualifying Team

U.S. Field Hockey will send a blend of veteran standouts and rising stars to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, March 24-April 2 in Milton Keynes, England, following team selections at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.

      The U.S. will need to finish in the top five at the 10-team qualifying tournament to earn a trip to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Five teams have already qualified for the Games including host Australia, the Netherlands, South Africa, Korea and Argentina. At the qualifier, the U.S. and coach Tracey Belbin will compete in Pool A with World Cup bronze medalist Germany, 1992 Olympic gold medalist Spain, India and Ireland. China, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand and Russia will compete in Pool B.

      The 18-member team selected to represent the U.S. at the qualifier features seven members from the 1996 Atlanta Olympic team including two-time Olympian Tracey Fuchs (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Kris Fillat (San Diego, Calif.), Kelli James (Medford, N.J.), Antoinette Lucas (Richmond, Va.), Katie Kauffman (West Lawn, Pa.), Jill Reeve (Hoosick Falls, N.Y.) and Cindy Werley (Allentown, Pa.).

      Fuchs will try to become the first U.S. Field Hockey player to compete in three Olympic Games after previously competing in the 1988 and 1996 Games.

        The team also features some of the country's newest stars including 1999 collegiate All-America selections Tracey Larson (Morrisville, Pa./Penn St.) and Jana Toepel (Perkiomenville, Pa/Univ. North Carolina.) and  four-time (1995-98) All-American Nancy Pelligreen (St. Louis, Mo./Univ. North Carolina). Kristen Holmes (Raynham, Mass.) returns to the team after previously playing on the 1998 World Cup team, while 1998 World Cup alternate, Tara Jelley (Greenfield, Mass.), earned a spot on the Qualifier team after scoring four goals in six games against Canada and Ireland. 

Pan American Games silver medalists Kate Barber (West Chester, Pa.), Chris DeBow (West Chester, Pa.), Eleanor Race (Atlanta, Ga.), Michelle Vizzuso (Fairfield, N.J.) and goalkeepers Peggy Storrar (Mahopac, NY) and Jana Withrow (Hockessin, Del.) round out the Olympic Qualifying Tournament roster.

      Named the head coach of the U.S. team in January, 1999, Belbin is accustomed to success in major international competition after winning an Olympic gold medal while playing for her native Australia in 1988. She led the U.S. to a silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games and a second-place finish at the Olympic venue test event -- the Sydney International Hockey Challenge, last fall.

      If the U.S. earns its spot in the Sydney field at the Qualifying Tournament, U.S. Field Hockey will select its 16-member Olympic Team, June 10-15, in Chula Vista.  Final selections to the U.S. Olympic team are subject to approval by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

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Olympic qualifying Team Roster