June 18, 2010
Complete Information on USA Field Hockey Website | Penn State Field Hockey Twitter Page
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State field hockey rising sophomore Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.) and alum Jen Long (Doylestown, Pa.) will suit up for Team PA at the USA Field Hockey Women's National Championship which begins on Sunday in Virginia Beach, Va. Incoming freshman goalkeeper Kylie Licata (Mountain Top, Pa.) will also compete on the Junior National High Performance Team.
"It's exciting to see and work with such a high level of talent within the state of Pennsylvania," said Penn State head coach Charlene Morett, who also served as an assistant coach throughout training, but will not coach during the tournament.
This marks the first year of a solely Pennsylvania squad. In the past, the Keystone State was paired with California to form a team.
The championship runs from Sunday (June 20) through Saturday (June 26). The juniors pool also takes place throughout the week, beginning with New England vs. Pennsylvania on Sunday at 9 a.m. Games will run all week, except Tuesday and Thursday which are scheduled rest days.
Amy ended her freshman campaign with a bang, leading the Nittany Lions in points (18) and goals (8), all coming in the final half (10 games) of the season. An NFHCA All-Mideast Region First Team member, she scored all three Penn State goals in a pair of Big Ten Tournament contests. Amy recorded 11 points (5g, 1a) in the final four games, including two-goal efforts vs. Pacific and Ohio State. She was also a two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, winning the accolade on Oct. 5 and 26.
Long finished her illustrious career in 2008 with her third-straight All-America honor (and second straight first-team selection). She was the anchor of the Big Ten's best defense in 2008 in her fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in as many years. She was a key part of the 2007 squad that advanced to the National Championship Game.
Incoming freshman Licata is set to join returning goalkeepers Ali Meves (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.) and Ayla Halus (Hershey, Pa) on the 2010 squad. One of the best high school goalkeepers in the state, Licata consistently led Crestwood High School deep into the state playoffs. She posted tremendous career numbers, going 58-12 with a .850 save percentage and 0.787 GAA.
For complete information on the National Championship, click here.
Check back to GoPSUsports.com throughout the summer for continued updates as the 2010 Nittany Lions looks ahead to the season.
Follow Penn State field hockey on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PennStateFH.
Here is the complete release c/o USA Field Hockey
The first whistle in a week loaded with top-level hockey games will be heard this weekend.
The Women's National Championship and the inaugural Junior Women's National Championship will get underway in Virginia Beach, VA on Sunday followed by the National Futures Championships on Tuesday.
The nation's top hockey players will gather to fight for selection to the Women's National and Development Squads, Junior National Camp, Futures Elite and the Junior Olympics.
The Women's National Championship features the top athletes from USA Field Hockey's eight High Performance Centers (Boston, North, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, South, California) and includes current National Team players and Olympians. The Junior High Performance Training Center program began in 2010 with four pilot sites (New England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Mid-Atlantic) and highlights the nation's top U21 players.
The National Futures Championships are the premiere event in USA Field Hockey's Futures program. 646 athletes in U14, U16 and U19 categories will compete for selection throughout the 5 day event.