Six Selected to U.S. Young Women's National Championship
6/15/2016 4:31:00 PM | Field Hockey
Six members of the Orange have been invited to play in USA Field Hockey's Young Women's National Championship.
The Young Women's National Championship serves as a high level, international structured competition and the selection venue for the 2016-17 U.S. U-21 Women's National Team. The tournament will take place from June 28 to July 3 at the U.S. training facility, Spooky Nook Sports, in Lancaster, Pa.
Syracuse's invitees are sophomore Jennifer Bleakney, who is currently playing on the U.S. U-19 team, junior Erin Gillingham, junior Laura Hurff, who is on the U.S. U-21 squad currently, senior Emma Lamison who has prior experience in the U.S. system, junior Caroline Cady and redshirt freshman Jamie Martin.
Hurff, Bleakney, Gillingham and Lamison all participated in the event last season as well.
Bleakney played in 15 games with a pair of starts last season for the Orange and recently participated in a test series in Germany with the U.S. U-19 team, scoring twice over the three-game series in Bad Kreuznach, Germany.
Gillingham scored three goals in 22 games for the Orange, 17 of which she started.
Hurff was a NFHCA First Team All-American, starting all-22 games for the NCAA Champions in the midifield. She posted nine points on three goals and three assists, including a pair of game-winning goals. She played with the U.S. U-21 team at the Junior Pan American Games this spring, earning a silver medal.
Lamison, who scored a goal in the NCAA Championship game against North Carolina, played in all-22 games, starting 15. She posted nine goals and four assists on the year with three of her goals coming as game-winners.
Cady saw action in 14 games for the Orange last season, getting a pair of starts.
Martin had her freshman season shortened by injury, but was granted a medical hardship waiver so she still has all-four years of eligibility remaining. Martin played in just three games, making her collegiate debut against UC Davis in the second game of the season.
Syracuse's five selections to the program continues a strong trend of Orange getting experience at the national and international levels. In addition to Bleakney and Hurff's experiences on their respective U.S. age rosters, Alyssa Manley was selected to the U.S. Senior National Team's Champions Trophy roster, where she'll compete in a six-team tournament which features all teams being ranked in the top-seven of the world. Manley is also an Olympic hopeful to participate in Rio de Janiero with Team USA this August.
In addition to Manley, goalkeeper Jess Jecko was named to the U.S. Senior National Team this spring, and will join the program after this Olympic cycle to begin training full-time for her country.
Zoe Wilson and Emma Russell each saw action for the Irish National Team this spring, participating in a test series against Spain, in addition to numerous alums of the program playing for their respective countries.
