Helsinki Wins U-14 National Futures Championship

LANCASTER, Pa. - June 21, 2018 - The U-14 Girls Division completed play at the 2018 Citi National Futures Championship (NFC), presented by Harrow Sports, at Spooky Nook Sports in Lancaster, Pa. this morning. The NFC is the premier championship event for USA Field Hockey's Futures and Olympic Development Program. Held annually in late June since 1990, the National Futures Championship brings together the top female field hockey players selected from more than 4,700 athletes across nine regions for a high-level multi-day tournament-style competition.
USA Field Hockey’s High-Performance staff evaluates and selects top talent from the NFC to represent the United States in its other elite programs, including the Stars and Stripes Elite Games and Tournament, AAU Junior Olympic Games, and Junior High Performance National Camps and teams. These elite Junior High-Performance Programs feed into the U.S. Women’s National Team that train and compete domestically and internationally throughout the year.  After a heat index the first day that caused a few delays, the remainder of the tournament continued to be played in a mostly overcast environment that remained hot and muggy. The U-14 athletes powered through to showcase some very competitive days of action as they vied for the the ultimate prize, NFC Champion.
For the past four days, more than 200 U-14 athletes from around the country showed off their skills in front of selectors, coaches and fans as they competed for a spot in USA Field Hockey’s elite Junior High-Performance Camps and Programs. Congratulations to all the athletes for their hard work and dedication over the last few days.
USA Field Hockey would like to extend its congratulations to the following teams on their tournament victories:

 FIRST PLACE:
Helsinki, coached by Wendy Andreatta

Athletes in Alphabetical Order: Brecken Calcari (Saint Louis, Mo.), Carly DiMock (South Yarmouth, Ma.), Mackenzie Doerr (Mequon, Wis.), Madeline Hudson (Palmyra, Pa.), Caroline Kellner (Cedaburg, Wis.), Anne Marie Krebs (Louisville, Ky.), Joelle McElroy (Riverside, N.J.), Cameron Medinger (Reistertown, Md.), Ava Moore (Southampton, N.J.), Leah Morrison (Brookeville, Md.), Mia Karine Myklebust (Los Gatos, Calif.), Zoe Onken (Acton, Mass.), Emma Reilly (Andover, Mass.), Kelsey Reviello (Colonial Beach, Va.), Lindsey Roberts (Dowingtown, Pa.), Macy Szukics (Allentown, Pa.), Rachel Thetford (Virginia Beach, Va.), Abby Zanelli (Califon, N.J.)

SECOND PLACE:

Stockholm, coached by Tara Zollinger

Athletes in Alphabetical Order:Olivia Bent-Cole (Ventnor, N.J.), Brooke Bettencourt (Virginia Beach, Va.), Sophia Bica (Northport, N.Y.), Mia Clark (San Diego, Calif.), Jessica Courtright (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Alexa Derr (Annville, Pa.), Georgia Edwards (Saint Louis, Mo.), Maya Everett (Arnold, Md.), Nina Faupel (Chelsea, Mich.), Josie Hollamon (Delmar, Del.), Margaret Jancerak (Denville, N.J.), Hailey King (Houston, Texas), Sofia Mongillo (Southborough, Mass.), Emma Muchow (Clarence Center, N.Y.), Alice Pifferi (Newark, Del.), Sarah Rigual (Fredericksburg, Va.), Skylar Santucci (Medofrd, N.J.), Sloane Wearren (Louisville, Ky.)

THIRD PLACE:
Lillehammer, coached by Chelsea Davies

Athletes in Alphabetical Order: Sophia Abate (Marlton, N.J.), Lillian Cantabene (Seven Valleys, Pa.), Innayat Chahal (San Ramon, Calif.), Vasiliki Constantine (Fredericksburg, Va.), Sophia Coombe (Louisville, Ky.), Cooper Coyle (Wheaton, Ill.), Kathryn Denham (Goshen, N.Y.), Leah DiRenzo (Hammonton, N.J.), Hope Haynes (Katy, Texas), Ryleigh Heck (Berlin, N.J.), Savanna Henderson (Baldwin, Md.), Madison Kim (Bellaire, Texas), Reese Momorella (Crozet, Va.), Lucy Osherow (Charlotte, N.C.), Ashley Sessa (Schwenksville, Pa.), Kelly Westervelt (Clifton Park, N.Y.), Lauren Widdowson (Pasadena, Md.), Cameron Wiseman (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

In addition, congratulations to Rio for winning the Barbara Longstreth Award for Sportsmanship. This award was created to promote good sportsmanship and given to the team that best exemplifies the qualifies of fair play, graciousness in victory and defeat, and respect for opponents and officials. This award is selected by the USA Field Hockey National Futures Championship Umpire and Coaching Staff.
A member of the U.S. Women's National Team from 1956 to 1964, Longstreth began her field hockey career at Beaver College (now Arcadia University) in the 1950's where she excelled in both field hockey and lacrosse. As a national team member, she competed in the epic 3-3 draw with England in front of 56,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium during the teams 1962 tour to Great Britain and Denmark. In 1963, she was a members of the USA's International Federation of Women's Hockey Association Conference team for an event that would become the precursor to today's FIH World Cup.
Longstreth continued her devotion to the game as a coach and eventually founded Longstreth Sporting Goods in 1977. Beginning the enterprise by selling field hockey sticks from the trunk of her car at tournaments, she established her company in Parkers Ford, Pa. where it has become the country's leader in speciality sports products for women. She announced her retirement from the company in 2007. #NFC2018

BARBARA LONGSTRETH AWARD FOR SPORTSMANSHIP WINNER:
Rio, coached by Ralph Boersma

Athletes in Alphabetical Order: Lucy Barratt (Greenwich, Conn.), Ria Chhina (Leesburg, Va.), Hope Delaney (Radnor, Pa.), Madison Epke (Guilford, Conn.), Colleen Finnan (Mullica Hill, N.J.), Maggie Kondrath (Dowingtown, Pa.), Vivienne Lachaux (Houston, Texas), Makenna Lowe (Nineveh, N.Y.), Megan Mauzy (Fisherville, Ky.), Abigail Neitch (South Wales, N.Y.), Alaina Nichols (North Chesterfield, Va.), Danielle Palmer (Endwell, N.Y.), Laura Rogers (Delmar, Del.), Mia Schoenbeck (Lagrange, Ky.), Abigail Spear (Virginia Beach, Va.), Ava Tilger (Moorestown, N.J.), Emma Watchilla (Kingston, Pa.), Gia Whalen (Paoli, Pa.)

USA Field Hockey would like to thank all the athletes that participated in the U-14 National Futures Championship and look forward to the 2019 Futures Program!