UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State All-American goalie Brie Barraco has been selected to compete at the 2023 Senior Nex Championship, presented by Osaka Hockey, which will be held at the Virginia Beach Regional Training Center from July 11 to 16. Barraco will be joined by former Nittany Lions Bree Bednarski and Amanda Dinunzio.
Barraco, who will return for the upcoming 2023 campaign, is coming off a superb season last fall that saw the Allentown, Pa., native earn first team All-America honors for the first time. Barraco had 91 saves and had (or shared in) eight shutouts. She led Penn State to a share of the 2022 Big Ten Championship and a trip to the 2022 NCAA national semifinals. Barraco was also a first team All-Big Ten and first team NFHCA All-Region pick and a member of the 2022 Big Ten All-Tournament Team. She earned Academic All-Big Ten, NFHCA National All-Academic, Big Ten Scholar of Distinction and NFHCA National Scholar of Distinction laurels as well.
Former Nittany Lions Bree Bednarski and Amanda Dinunzio will also compete at the event in Virginia Beach, Va. Formerly known as the Young Women's National Championship, the Senior NXC is held annually and features 144 elite high school, collegiate and post-collegiate athletes. During the spring and early summer, athletes trialed and trained at one of the seven USA Field Hockey High Performance Centers throughout the country for an opportunity to be selected to the Senior NXC, a step along the Olympic Development Pathway program. All athletes that were previously named to the U.S. U-18, U-21, and Development Women's National Teams were also included within the selection.
The event will start with a team training session on Tuesday, July 11 with games starting on Wednesday, July 12. The opportunity to be selected for the 2023-24 U.S. Women's National Team and Junior USWNT Selection Camps are at stake.
Penn State is coming off a superb 2022 season. The team advanced to the national semifinals and won a share of the 2022 Big Ten Championship. The Nittany Lions finished the stellar campaign with a 17-4 record. Barraco and the Nittany Lions open up the 2023 season at Virginia on Friday, Aug, 25, at 6 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Nittany Lion field hockey team online at www.GoPSUsports.com (click teams, click field hockey), on twitter @pennstateFH and on facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatefieldhockey.