July 20, 2011
U.S. Junior National Team Rosters
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A trio of Penn State field hockey athletes have been selected to the United States Under 21 Women's National Field Hockey team. Sophomore Lauren Purvis (Maple Glen, Pa.), freshman Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) and freshman Jenna Chrismer (Lansdale, Pa.) will represent the Nittany Lions on the national radar. Gebhart was additionally selected to the U21 Developmental Squad earlier this summer.
From July 12-15, athletes competed at the Junior National Camp, where they were eventually selected to the team. Old Dominion University hosted the top 102 field hockey athletes in the country, where they competed with their respective age groups of U17, U19 and U21.
The members from each squad will be invited to a training weekend at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. in early 2012 and from there, the touring teams will be selected. Potential tours for 2012 include the top Junior National Team athletes to play with the Women's National Team Developmental Squad versus an international side who would visit Chula Vista in the first quarter of 2012.
Purvis started all 20 games during her freshman campaign and finished the year ranked fourth on the squad with five goals and 12 points in 2010. She led all PSU freshmen in goals and points, while tying Brittany Grzywacz for the lead with two assists.
Gebhart joins the Nittany Lions after she was honored as a first-team All-American duringeach of her final two seasons at Donegal High School. A four-year member of the first-team All-State squad, she was a recurring Lancaster-Lebanon All Star and was named the league's Player of the Year as a senior.
A second-team NFHCA All-American and a Mideast Region honoree, Chrismer was a perennial All-State selection and earned first-team nods during each of the last two seasons. While leading her high school squad to consecutive District 2 titles, including a 19-2 season in 2010, she earned nearly every conceivable state and national honor for her work as a forward.
Last year, the Nittany Lions posted a 14-6 record and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament. All-Americans Kelsey Amy and Ayla Halus will headline a deep and talented corps of returning standouts.