U.S. Developmental Tryouts Commence at UMBC
by Clare Lochary and Matt DaSilva | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
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NCAA tournament hero Katrina Dowd, who was nearly a last-minute injury replacement for the U.S. World Cup team, will be among 64 players trying out for the 2009-10 U.S. Developmental team this weekend at UMBC. © TD Paulius/Midwest Lacrosse Photography |
The Team USA train keeps churning.
Just five weeks after the U.S. women's national team's gold
medal-winning performance in the 2009 FIL World Cup in Prague, the
program already has its eyes set on 2013.
That includes this weekend, when 64 of the nation's top players
converge in Baltimore for the final round of tryouts for the
2009-10 U.S. Developmental team at UMBC.
Of the 64 players, who advanced via the US Lacrosse Women's
Division National Tournament in May, just 24 will remain when the
team is announced at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
A look at the 64 players, by position and college:
Attack
Jillian Byers, Notre Dame
Rachel Culp, Virginia Tech
McKinley Curro, Boston University
Alexandra Emala, Virginia Tech
Elizabeth Falco, Hofstra
Grace Gaeng, Maryland
Whitaker Hagerman, Virginia
Jackie Lyons, Massachusetts
Jenna Martino, St Joseph's
Colleen McCaffrey, Johns Hopkins
Kaitlyn Messinger, North Carolina
Shannon Smith, Northwestern
Midfield
Kelly Berger, James Madison
Caroline Chesterman, Florida
Sarah Dalton, Boston University
Emily Dashiell, Louisville
Elizabeth Donegan, Colby
Christina Dove, Syracuse
Katrina Dowd, Northwestern
Lauren Dykstra, Lehigh
Cara Filippelli, Loyola
Alexandra Frank, Northwestern
Corrine Gandolfi, Hofstra
Julie Gardner, Virginia
Kristin Igoe, Boston College
Ashby Kaestner, Georgetown
Sarah Kuonen, North Carolina
Deirdre Lafferty, Cornell
Katie Lewis-LaMonica, Princeton
Nicole Musto, Drexel
Jamie Nesbitt, Stanford
Sarah Plumb, Dartmouth
Mallory Poole, C.W. Post
Erin Rawlick, Navy
Jennifer Russell, North Carolina
Lauren Schmitt, Stanford
Lauren Schwarzmann, Johns Hopkins
Jaime Sellers, William and Mary
Defense
Bryana Borrelli, Hofstra
Alicia Burkhart, Oregon
Kristen Carr, North Carolina
Becky Clipp, Maryland
Corcoran Downey, Boston University
Katy Fitzgerald, North Carolina
Tara Gardner, Loyola
Caroline Helmer, Cornell
Angela Hughes, Johns Hopkins
Alyssa Kildare, Johns Hopkins
Jenny Martin, Boston University
Marie McKenna, Princeton
Alexandra Mundy, Vanderbilt
Kelly Munroe, Boston University
Colleen Olsen, Dartmouth
Riley Perry, Massachusetts
Brittany Poist, Maryland
Brigid Strain, James Madison
Lacey Vigmostad, Northwestern
Ashley Wood, Duquesne
Goalie
Catherine Conway, Boston College
Rachel Klein, Boston University
Kendall McBrearty, Virginia
Erin Tochihara, Princeton
Julie Wadland, Dartmouth
Natalie Wills, Vanderbilt
What to Watch for
Besides a boatload of talent, these tryouts boast plenty of
intrigue. Here are some storylines to keep an eye on:
Katrina Dowd
Katrina Dowd was the heroine of the NCAA tournament, scoring a
flashy equalizer in Northwestern's OT semifinal win over archrival
Penn. So when Team USA attacker Whitney Douthett went down with a
knee injury days before the World Cup in Prague, head coach Sue
Heether wanted Dowd to replace her. The rising Northwestern senior
wasn't even on the official alternate list, but her record-breaking
22 NCAA tournament goals proved she was the best in the business.
So Dowd got on a plane.
In the end, Douthett was healthy enough to play, so Dowd never
made the official roster, although she was still a de facto member
of Team USA. (Check out Sarah Albrecht's Prague Vlog and look for
Dowd around 2:34. She's the one in the hood on the left, looking
equal parts amused and appalled by defender Amber Falcone's
butchering of Tricia Yearwood during a semifinal rain delay.)
"I got everything out of it that I could, with the exception of
actual on-field playing
experience," said Dowd.
There are no sure things at a national team tryout, but in a
program that values loyalty and dedication, Dowd might be as close
as you get.
All-BU Backfield?
Boston University has built its reputation as a perennial NCAA
Division I power behind a sharp-shooting and punishing offense that
has included, among others, recent graduate Sarah
Dalton, who is trying out this weekend. But with defenders
Corcoran Downey and Jenny Martin
-- a rising junior and senior, respectively -- and rising senior
goalkeeper Rachel Klein among invitees, the
Terriers' strongest asset in 2010 could be their defense. Throw
recent BU grad and defender Kelly Munroe into the
mix, and we could see some familiar combinations on the turf at
UMBC.
Among the 64 invitees, BU leads all universities with six
current or former players. North Carolina is second with five.
Been Here, Done This
Kelly Berger should be plenty familiar with her
surroundings. After two years as an assistant coach at UMBC, the
former James Madison star was recently promoted to head coach.
Berger is also a four-year veteran of the U.S. national teams
program, as a member of the Developmental team in 2005-06 and
2008-09, and with the Elite team from 2006 to 2008.
Parity Party
The NCAA Division I women's lacrosse ranks have swelled, with
Florida and Jacksonville raising the number of teams to 90 in 2010.
Four players trying out for the U.S. Developmental team this
weekend are from Division I programs instituted within the last
five years -- Alicia Burkhart (Oregon '09),
Emily Dashiell (Louisville '11), Erin
Rawlick (Navy '10) and Caroline
Chesterman (Florida '13).
Also included among the 64 are a Division II product (C.W. post
grad and 2008-09 Devo team member Mallory Poole)
and a Division III product (rising Colby sophomore Claire
Donegan).
AK on the Comeback Trail?
An interesting inclusion among the 64 invitees is Ashby
Kaestner, the rising senior at Georgetown and an early
Tewaaraton Trophy candidate for 2010. Kaestner's junior campaign
came to a crushing end when she suffered a broken foot in the first
half of the Hoyas' NCAA tournament first-round loss to Princeton.
The injury came as she scored her third goal of that half to cut
Princeton's lead to 7-4.
Catch World Cup, National Teams in Action
For those who could not catch the 2009 U.S. World Cup team in
Prague, no worries. The team will remain intact as a standing Elite
squad through Team USA's annual exhibition series that includes
Stars and Stripes, Champion Challenge and the National Tournament,
all US Lacrosse events.
The to-be-determined Developmental team will also participate in
these three events.
deBeer Lacrosse is the official exclusive equipment and apparel
supplier to the US Lacrosse Women's National Teams Program. Visit
www.debeerlacrosse.com
US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) corporation, is the national governing
body of men's and women's lacrosse. US Lacrosse has more than
300,000 members around the country. To learn more about the
organization, please visit its Web site at www.uslacrosse.org.
