July 8, 2005
Former University of Iowa field hockey players Barb Weinberg and Sarah Dawson will compete for the United States National Team in this year’s Rabobank Champions Challenge, July 8-16.
The tournament, featuring six of the world’s top teams, marks the first time since the 1996 Olympic Games that major international field hockey competition returns to the United States. New Zealand, England, Spain, Japan and South America round out the competition; four of the six teams in the tournament competed in the 2004 Olympic Games.
Weinberg, a goalkeeper from Louisville, KY, and Dawson, a forward from Berlin, NJ, were both first team all-Big Ten, all-Region and all-America selections in 2004. Weinberg anchored Iowa’s defense this past season with 140 saves including four shutouts and a 1.60 goals-against average. Dawson led the Hawkeyes in all offensive categories with 12 goals and 10 assists.
This will be the third edition of the Champions Challenge, with the USA women being the only team to appear in both previous tournaments. They earned fifth place finishes in the 2002 tournament in Randburg, South Africa, and in the 2003 competition in Catania, Italy.
All matches will be held at the USA Field Hockey National Training Center in Virginia Beach. A round-robin format will determine the final pairings for the championship round on Saturday, July 16. A complete schedule of events and results can be found on the USA Field Hockey website, www.usfieldhockey.com.