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US Field Hockey’s Tracey Fuchs Named to FIH President’s 11 Team
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— U.S. Field Hockey captain and two time Olympian Tracey Fuchs has been named to the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) elite President’s 11 Team.
Composed of international all-stars representing some of the world’s top field hockey-playing countries, the President’s 11 team will compete in a game against reigning World Champion Australia during the FIH’s 75th Anniversary celebrations, Oct. 27, in Alexandria, Egypt.
"It’s just a great honor," said Fuchs, who serves as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan. "I’m more in shock than anything else and very grateful just to be nominated. It’s wonderful to be recognized by the top people in hockey. It should be fun."
Fuchs, the most-capped player in U.S. history with 174 international appearances, will join 10 other top players from various national field hockey associations for the game. The names of players selected to the President’s 11 team has yet to be released by the FIH, but the roster could include such international stars as Karen Roberts of England, Brita Becker of Germany, Mandy Smith of New Zealand, Pritam Rani of India, Dilliane van den Boogaard or Carole Thate of The Netherlands and Karen Roberts of South Africa.
"I could probably name six or seven right now, but unfortunately, I’m not the one they asked (for nominations)," said Fuchs.
A men’s game is also scheduled featuring a President’s 11 team against the Netherlands, the defending World Champions.
In her 12th year as a member of the U.S. National Team, Fuchs captained the U.S. to a silver medal at the XIII Pan American Games this summer in Winnipeg. Before heading to Alexandria, Fuchs will join head coach Tracey Belbin and the U.S. team in Australia for the Olympic Test Event for games with Australia, Spain and China, Sept. 22-26, at the 2000 Olympic venue in Sydney.
The U.S. team will attempt to qualify for the 2000 Olympic Games at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, March 23 - April 2, in Milton Keynes, England.
A native of Centereach, N.Y., Fuchs is a 1988 graduate of the University of Connecticut where she helped lead the Huskies to the 1985 NCAA Championship. She was a three-time All-America selection at UConn and earned the 1987 Honda-Broderick Cup Sports Award as the nation’s most outstanding field hockey player.
As a member of the U.S. National Team, Fuchs competed in the 1988 and 1996 Olympic Games as well as four Pan American Games competitions. She has played in three World Cup championships and earned a bronze medal at the 1994 World Cup in Dublin, Ireland. A two-time selection as U.S. Field Hockey’s Female Athlete of the Year, Fuchs won the award in 1990 and 1995.
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