June 15, 2007
IOWA CITY –
The University of Iowa field hockey team has a rich tradition of being represented on a national level, this year is no different. The Hawkeyes have the most athletes represented on the High Performance Training Center (HPTC) Midwest Regional team. They have six current and two former student-athletes, in addition with an alternate and a coach.
Assistant Coach Lisa Cellucci will help instruct the Midwest team during the tournament. This will be the third-consecutive year Cellucci has served this role. She helped lead the team to second place in 2005 and third in 2006.
Six current Hawkeyes will join Cellucci in Virginia. The athletes include Kadi Sickel, Roz Ellis, Meghan Beamesderfer, Lauren Pfeiffer, Caitlin McCurdy and Caroline Blaum. Lissa Munley will serve as an alternate. Heather Schnepf and Barb Weinberg are the two former Hawkeyes who will join the Midwest team.
Sickel, of Plaistow, NH, is a decorated back who was a regional all-American and a member of the all-Big Ten second team last season. She had many defensive stops for the Hawkeyes and was the pusher on the offensive penalty corner unit, earning many of her team high 12 assists. Ellis, a Lewisburg, PA, native, is a physical back/midfielder. She recorded one goal and one assist along with several defensive stops last season. Ellis has started all 39 games during her career.
Beamesderfer is the youngest player on the Midwest team. The Lititz, PA, native is an athletic back/midfielder that recorded two assists on the year. Beamesderfer’s outstanding play earned her the Big Ten Freshman of the Year as well as regional all-America recognition. Her teammates also voted her the practice player of the year.
Pfeiffer, of Mt. Laurel, NJ, is a midfielder/back who has top notch scoring capability. Pfeiffer tied for the team lead with 10 goals and 22 points. She was named Big Ten Tournament Most Valuable Player by scoring five goals in three games. Pfeiffer was also named a regional all-American.
McCurdy, a Mountain top, PA, native, is a forward/midfielder who is one of the nation’s premier scorers. Last season, she was a regional all-American and a second team all-Big Ten selection. McCurdy tied Pfieffer for the team lead in goals (10) and points (22). In 2005, McCurdy led the team with 11 goals, 28 points and second in assists with six along with being named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Blaum is a forward/midfielder who sat out last season with a knee injury. During her first two seasons, the Wilkes-Barre, PA, native started all 39 games, scoring nine goals with five assists. Blaum earned second team all-Big Ten recognition in 2005 as a sophomore.
Munley, of Mountain Top, PA, is an alternate goalkeeper for the Midwest team. She has started 38 of 39 career games with 155 saves with three shutouts.
Schnepf played for the Hawkeyes from 2003-2006; led the team in defensive save every year. She was a two-time all-American and two-time unanimous first team all-Big Ten selection (three-time all-Big Ten). She became only the third student-athlete in Big Ten history to win Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back years.
Weinberg played for the Hawkeyes from 2000-2004. She recorded 371 saves in goal while at Iowa. Weinberg was a two-time all-American and two-time first team all-Big Ten. Weinberg is currently on the United States National squad.
The Women’s National Championship Tournament will be held at the USA Field Hockey National Training Center in Virginia Beach, VA, on June 17-18, 20-21, 23-24.
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