March 1, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Four North Carolina field hockey players have been named to the 18-member squad that will represent the U.S. at the Pan American Junior Championships March 16-27 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Laree Beans, Rachel Dawson, Heather Kendell and Brooke Miller all earned spots on the roster.

The U.S. squad, selected from the pool of 33 players named to the Under-21 team in January, opens play on March 16 against Uruguay. The U.S. will compete in Pool B along with Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Puerto Rico, Uruguay. The top three finishers in the tournament will qualify for the Junior World Cup, scheduled for Sept. 14-25 in Chile.

Beans (Allentown, Pa.), Dawson (Berlin, N.J.) and Miller (Hummellstown, Pa.) all will be juniors in eligibility for the 2005 UNC season. Kendell (Chapel Hill, N.C.) will be a sophomore.

The U.S. finished second at the last Junior Pan Am tournament, held in 2000. That squad also included four Tar Heels: Carey Fetting-Smith, Carrie Lingo, Amy Tran and Abbey Woolley.