Stickwoman Larson selected to U.S. team

Penn State junior Tracy Larson has been selected for the United States National Team in field hockey.

She joins assistant coach Jill Reeve and former Lady Lion Eleanor Stone on the list of 18 players who will represent the U.S. in international competition.
Larson is one of six newcomers to the United States team and was selected after trials held at Rutgers University during the first week of January.

The U.S. National Team will compete at the XIII Pan American games July 24-Aug. 8 in Winnipeg, Canada. The Pan Am Games are a continental qualifier for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

Sophomore Tracy Anselmo and former Lady Lion Chris Blais were named to the U.S. women's senior reserve team. They will practice and train with the national team in 1999 and are eligible to move up if necessary. In addition, the reserve team will play the Canadian National Team in February at the Arco Olympic Training Center in Colorado.

Freshman Kiley Kulina was named to the U.S. under-20 team. The newly established 22-member squad will train for the 2000 Junior Pan American Games with a chance at qualifying for the Junior World Cup in 2001.

Larson is a former Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned All-Big Ten first team honors as a midfielder this season. She tallied eight goals and four assists for a Penn State team that won an unprecedented fourth straight Big Ten Tournament title in addition to capturing the regular-season conference crown.

Anselmo was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was the Most Valuable Player of the Big Ten Tournament.

As a sweeper, she anchored a defense that recorded seven shutouts in addition to scoring 13 goals and giving five assists.

Kulina came off the bench in 18 games at forward and scored one goal. She was a 1996 Junior Olympian, a scholastic All-American while at Lower Dauphin High School and has played in the U.S. National Futures program. She scored 70 goals during her prep career.