Wednesday, January 12, 2005
McDAVITT NAMED TO U.S. NATIONAL INDOOR FIELD HOCKEY TEAM
MEDFORD – After successfully beginning her career as a head coach this fall, Tufts University Field Hockey's Tina McDavitt continues to expand her resume as a player. She was recently one of 12 players named by USA Field Hockey to its 2005-06 national indoor team following team trials held in Feasterville, Pennsylvania.
McDavitt is a returning member of the national indoor team, which is selected every 18 months. The USA team, which also includes three alternates, will compete in the 3rd Indoor Pan American Cup in late 2005 or early 2006. The Pan Am event will serve as a qualifier for the 2nd Indoor World Cup scheduled for 2007 in Vienna, Austria. The top two teams from the Pan Am Cup are expected to qualify for the 12-team Indoor World Cup.
McDavitt, 26, was named the sixth head coach in the 31-year history of Tufts Field Hockey in June 2004. In her first year at the helm, the Jumbos finished with a 10-6 record, nearly reversing their record from the previous year. They won at Wesleyan University, 2-0, in the first round of the league tournament, advancing to the NESCAC semi-finals for the first time in four years. The conference title was won by Williams College, a team Tufts beat 1-0 during the regular season.
A lifelong enthusiast for the sport, McDavitt won two Massachusetts state championships with the Walpole High School team in 1994 and 1995. At Boston University, she was a four-year standout and captain of the 1999 team. She led the Terriers to an undefeated America East championship and a #13 ranking nationwide that season. Scoring 27 points on eight goals and 11 assists, she was named to the America East First Team and received a First Team Regional All-American honor.
Among the USA team's 12-member squad and three alternates, McDavitt is one of a dozen repeat selections from the 2004 team. Northeastern Univ. assistant coach Scott Smith will again serve as head coach for the U.S. team after heading the squad in 2004.
USA Field Hockey began sponsoring official international indoor teams in 2002 in conjunction with the International Hockey Federation's recognition of the game at the world level. The U.S. hosted the first Indoor Pan Am Cup in 2002 at Rockville, Md., where the USA women finished third and did not qualify for the inaugural Indoor World Cup.
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