April 11, 2013
- 2012 Iowa Field Hockey Media Guide
- USA Field Hockey
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye iPhone/iPad app!
- Download your Iowa Hawkeye Android app!
- Big Ten Network: Free Hawkeye Video
- 24 Hawkeyes to Watch
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Three players with direct ties to the University of Iowa field hockey program — former Hawkeye Jessica Barnett, junior Karli Johansen and incoming freshman Stephanie Norlander — have been selected by Field Hockey Canada for the Women’s National Team.
The squad is split into three sections — the Women’s National Team, the Senior Development Team and the Junior Development Squad. Barnett and Johansen will compete for the Women’s National Team, while Norlander will be a member of the Junior Development Squad.
“The naming of these fine athletes to the highest level teams in Canada is a great accomplishment,” said UI head coach Tracey Griesbaum. “Karli and Jessica have been steady performers in our program for their entire careers and are phenomenal competitors and athletes. It is an honor and privilege to have them as Hawkeyes.
“Karli and Stephanie will have a wonderful opportunity to compete in the Junior World Cup this summer in Germany. We wish them all the best as they continue their training this summer.”
The stint will be Barnett’s second with Team Canada, as she played on the Canadian Senior National Team in a four-game test series in 2012. She also competed for the Canadian Junior National Team that faced Chile and Argentina the same year.
“To be selected for this team is a great honor and a huge privilege for me as an athlete,” said Barnett. “Having both Karli and I selected shows what a great job Iowa has done in preparing and developing us as field hockey players over the last three-or-four years.”
Johansen most recently competed for the Canadian Junior National Team in the 2012 Pan American Championships. She also completed for the Junior Team that completed in Argentina and Mexico in June and on a European Tour in July.
“I am so excited to have been selected to the Women’s National Team,” said Johansen. “It is such a great opportunity. I feel so privileged to be able to play for my country, and now I can look forward to the next four years in the “Road to Rio.”
Norlander, who signed with the Hawkeyes in February, was a member of the U21 Canadian National Team. She was also the captain of the U17 Canadian Junior National team for a test series against the United States in 2011.
“I am so honored to be selected to the Junior Development Squad,” said Norlander. “This is an amazing opportunity, and I am beyond thrilled to start training with this program. Playing for Canada has always been one of my top goals and this is a huge step forward in that direction.”
Competition begins in May with the Women’s National Team hosting Argentina U21 for a three-match test series in Vancouver, BC. The squad then breaks into their respective provinces to compete at the FHC Senior National Championships before traveling overseas to Ireland in mid-June and to the United States in August.
The U21 Women’s National Team also travels to Germany to compete in the Junior World Cup in late July. The summer culminates in the Pan American Cup in September in Mendonza, Argentina.