Date: Thursday, November 16, 2000

POLVERINI, GAUDET ARE FIELD HOCKEY ALL-AMERICANS

MEDFORD – Amy Polverini (Longmeadow, MA/Longmeadow) and Colette Gaudet (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow), senior co-captains of the Tufts University field hockey team, were named 2000 AstroTurf/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Americans today. Polverini was selected to the Second Team and Gaudet was named to the Third Team.

The co-captains contributed at both ends of the field for head coach Carol Rappoli's Jumbos. Both players had critical roles in the team's successful penalty corner attack this fall. Two of just four seniors on the team, their leadership propelled Tufts to an excellent season that ended in the ECAC Tournament semi-finals with a 10-8 record.

Polverini scored three goals with a team-high five assists for 11 points in 18 starts. Her goal with 15:40 left in the second half versus Williams on October 21 tied the score and Tufts went on to beat the #11 team in the nation, 2-1 in overtime. She set up both goals in a 2-0 victory on September 26 at Connecticut College, the 12^th ranked team in the land at the time. She was also a leader on a defensive unit that allowed just 1.09 goals per game. An NFHCA regional all-star for the third straight year this season, Polverini led Tufts with 66 shots on net.

A four-year starter at Tufts, Gaudet led the team in scoring this season after playing solely a defensive role the previous three years. She hadn't scored a point in her collegiate career entering the season. The first two goals of her career came during a 5-2 win over Wellesley on September 20. She scored the 2-1 game-winner with three minutes left versus Gordon on October 12. When the first round game of the ECAC Tournament versus Bates went to penalty strokes, Gaudet was the only shooter to score, thus lifting Tufts into the semi-finals. In addition, her work on defense helped Tufts post allow more than two goals in a game just once, to Division II national finalist Bentley College.

"Amy and Colette have been great four-year players in our program and I hate to see them go," Rappoli said. "They both had excellent senior seasons. We were as good as anybody we played, and to have the two captains leading by example the way those two did was a big reason for that."

Each of Tufts' losses was by one goal, including two in overtime. They also won three overtime games.

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