Nina Randolph is among the 5 RUSH EPG players at U21 JR. National Camp, July 3-6.
LANCASTER, Pa. -- It's selection season for USA Field Hockey and RUSH Field Hockey athletes have captured roster spots at every level thus far.
Selections include to the 2016 National Futures Championship-Region 11, the newly added Stars and Stripes Game, and the premier Under-21 Junior National Camp. With each selection, athletes further their chances to represent team USA on a junior national team.
This year, 22 RUSH Elite Performance Group Members were selected to compete at the 2016 National Futures Championship. This is eight more RUSH EPG players selected than in 2014.
The 9-day tournament held at the Spooky Nook Sports complex in Lancaster, Pennsylvania features the country's top 12 percent of Under-19 players, according to USA Field Hockey. The tournament acts as both a chance to showcase in front of college coaches and USA selectors.
Additionally, several more players selected to each division of NFC's-- Under-14 through Under-19-- are RUSH Training Group members. All in all, RUSH players made up for more than half the spots on the Region 11 team rosters at NFC's.
As always at showcase tournaments, the stakes and hopes are high to perform well and be seen.
For eight RUSH EPG players, they caught the eye of USA Field Hockey and came away with selection to the Stars and Stripes Game.
National Futures Championship:
Top 680 players (U-14 through U-19)
Stars & Stripes Games:
Top 180 players (U-14 through U-19)
U-14(36) U-16(72) U-19(72)
Junior National Camp:
Under-21 (80-100)
RUSH EPG players selected for Stars and Stripes Under-16 included: Megan Connors, Kathryn Peterson and Brynn Zorilla. Under-19 selections included: Gabi Jimenez, Kyra Kent, Nina Randolph, Megan Rodgers and Meghan Schneider.
In the first year of the Stars and Stripes Game, athletes compete in games immediately following the conclusion of NFC's. Representing the top 180 players, athletes will have the opportunity to play in a Stars and Stripes Elite tournament in December, according to USA Field Hockey.
However, for Peterson, Randolph, Rodgers, Schneider and Zorilla, they will continue competition through Fourth of July weekend at the Under-21 Junior National Camp.
Working as USA Field Hockey's final tier, JNC will welcome the country's top 80-100 players at the Spooky Nook Sports complex, July 3-6, for a shot at a junior national team. Players range from the Under-14 division to Under-21 collegiate athletes who earned selection via the Young Women's National Championship tournament.
The six total Californians selected to JNC represents the highest number of west coast players selected in years. The one other California player selected to JNC, Callie Goodman, competed for RUSH Field Hockey earlier this year at the California Cup tournament.
Last year, Rodgers and Zorilla were the only RUSH players selected to JNC. They both were then selected to the 2015 Under-17 Junior National Travel team that toured in Germany earlier this year.
Questions, Comments: molly@rushfieldhockey.org
National Futures Championship- Region 11
Under-14
Sophie Everett, Gracie Jimenez, Phoebe Lemm, and Sara Stone
Under-16
Megan Connors, Isabella Ianni, Lauren Leland, Kathryn Peterson, Emily Plummer, Sawyer Post, Kathryn Schneider, Zoe Williams and Brynn Zorilla
Under-19
Tatiana Arias, Chelsea Bigelow, Callie Goodman, Sara Janetzky, Gabi Jimenez, Kyra Kent, Mackenzie Peterson, Rylie Pope, Nina Randolph, Megan Rodgers, Meghan Schneider, Daniella Schoenfeld, and Madison Theodore
