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US Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament Roster

U.S. Field Hockey Women Set For Olympic Qualifier

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— The U.S. Field Hockey women's National Team will look to secure its ticket to the 2000 Olympic Games, when the team travels to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, March 24-April 2 in Milton Keynes, England.

      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 medallist Germany, 1992 Olympic gold medallist Spain, India and Ireland. China, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand and Russia will compete in Pool B.

      Teams will compete in round-robin pool play March 24-29 before crossing over for classification matches March 31-April 2. A first or second place finish in pool play would guarantee the U.S. a spot in Sydney, while a third or fourth place pool finish will force the team to win two additional games to earn the fifth and final qualifying spot. The tournament marks the last opportunity for teams to qualify for the Games.

      "Milton Keynes will be extremely challenging," says Belbin. "The team has to compete against both India and Germany - teams we haven't played or seen at all. We will have to prepare as much as possible here in San Diego (at the Olympic Training Center), but be flexible and adaptable when we finally get to England. We are expecting every match to be tough, and preparing for that both physically and mentally."

      Since Belbin was named head coach of the U.S. team in January, 1999, the U.S. has not faced either Germany or India. However, the team has split with Spain in a pair of four nation tournaments with the U.S. winning 3-2 at the Sydney International Hockey Challenge -- the Olympic venue test event -- in the fall of 1999, and Spain winning 4-3 at the Argentina Four Nations Tournament in January 2000. Under Belbin, the team also defeated Ireland 2-1 at the 1999 Canada Four Nations Tournament and played a five-game practice series with the Irish in February at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. 

      The U.S. has not played against Germany since the 1998 World Cup where the Germans won, 5-1. Germany also defeated the U.S. the last time both teams played in an Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Germany won the game 4-0 at the 1991 Olympic Qualifier in Auckland, NZL and went on to capture the qualifier title. The U.S. placed ninth at the event and failed to qualify for the 1999 Barcelona Olympic Games.

      Against India, the U.S. won the last meeting between the two teams with a  2-0 victory at the 1998 USA Four Nation Tournament in Springfield, Mass.

      The 18-member U.S. team features a combination of veteran players and rising young stars. Seven members of the team competed for the U.S. at the 1996 Olympic Games while four members of the team have competed in 20 or fewer international matches.

      "Selections for this team were extremely difficult," said Belbin. " It is enterprising to see the gap closing between the team selected, the entire squad, and the alternate squad members. Each trial is more competitive which is making the selection process more difficult, which is positive for US hockey.

      "The team selected for the Qualifier has a similar mix of experience and youthful exuberance that we've had in all of our previous National teams," added Belbin. "We have the added luxury of being able to play other international teams such as Canada and Ireland in order to experiment and to try new things. This team is continually improving in its understanding of how to play with each other along with how the team needs to perform as a unit. "

      During February, the U.S. hosted Canada and Ireland in a pair of five-game series as Belbin was selecting the team for the qualifier.

      "The last couple of weeks have been extremely taxing for team members, both physically and mentally," said Belbin. "But now the group is together we are able to focus on the job at hand."

The team selected to represent the U.S. at the Qualifier features 1996 Olympians 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. Fillat, James and Lucas have all played in more than 100 international contest while Reeve was the 1999 U.S. Field Hockey Athlete of the Year.

        The team also features some of the sport'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 medallists 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.

      A 1988 Olympic gold medallist with her native Australia, Belbin led the U.S. to a silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games and a second-place finish at last fall's Sydney International Hockey Challenge.

      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).

Olympic qualifying Team Roster