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U.S. Field Hockey Under-16 Team Named

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Some of the nation’s top young field players will make their debuts in red, white and blue uniforms next year following the selection of U.S. Field Hockey’s 2004 Women’s Under-16 Team.

      Selected by U.S. Field Hockey as a result of performances at the AAU Junior Olympics held in early August, the team will have the opportunity to compete in international events during the upcoming year.  Now in its seventh year as a U.S. Field Hockey program, the U16 team traditionally competes in the annual Netherlands Easter Tournament in Valkenswaard.

      The 2004 squad features four repeat selections from the 2003 team including three-time selection Katelyn Falgowski (Landenberg, Pa.). Falgowski is also a current member of the U.S. Under-20 team. Patricia Dean (Bear, Del.), Michelle Drummonds (Elkton, Md.) and Kelly Fitzpatrick (Palmyra, Pa.) join Falgowski in earning repeat selections from the 2002 squad.

      The roster also includes Meghan Beamesderfer (Litiz, Pa.), Courtney Hinchee (Virginia Beach, Va.), Brooke Hoffsmith (Annville, Pa.), Samantha Nelson (Rockville, Md.), Meg O’Connell (St. Louis, Mo.), Kathleen O’Donnell (Blue Bell, Pa.), Brooke Patterson (Emmaus, Pa.),  Courtney Plaster (Elizabethtown, Ky.), Gina Shannon (West Chester, Pa.), Katelyn Shelley (Ephrata, Pa.), Amie Survilla (Mountaintop, Pa.) and Boyd Vicars (Durham, N.C.).

      Alternates to the squad include Hollis Barber (Toledo, Ohio), Christina Boarman (Fulton, Md.), Ann Bonenberger (Palmyra, Pa.), Kelsey Cutchins (Sufolk, Va.), Meghan Dean (Marathon, N.Y.) and Devon Gagliardi (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)

      The Under-16 Team serves to introduce young players to international competition while preparing athletes for future National Team consideration. In addition to the Under-16 team, the U.S. Field Hockey Association will sponsor an Under-19, Under-21 Team and the U.S. National Team in 2004. Trials for the junior national teams are conducted at A Camp at the beginning of the year, while open trials for the U.S. National Team are scheduled for Aug. 28-31 in Virginia Beach.

      The U.S. Field Hockey Association is the National Governing Body for men’s and women’s field hockey in the United States, and is responsible for the training and preparation of teams to participate in the Olympic and Pan American Games and for the promotion and development of the sport throughout the United States.

        The complete roster of the U.S. Under-16 Team selections follows:

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