April 10, 2008

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Six current and former North Carolina field hockey players have been selected to represent the U.S. at the upcoming Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Kazan, Russia. Scheduled for April 19-27, the tournament is the last chance for the U.S. to earn a field hockey berth in the 2008 Summer Games field.

Tar Heels Kate Barber, Rachel Dawson, Katelyn Falgowski, Jesse Gey, Carrie Lingo and Amy Tran all were named to the roster of 18 active players, giving UNC a full third of the team. Dawson, Falgowski and Gey were members of UNC's undefeated NCAA Championship last fall. Dawson graduated in December, but Falgowski and Gey both took the spring semester away from UNC to join the National Squad in training in Chula Vista, Calif.

Falgowski, a rising sophomore for the Tar Heels, is the youngest player to make the team and the only collegian. She and Dawson, the 2007 National Player of the Year, are team veterans. Gey, a senior on the 2007 UNC squad, is the least-experienced player to make the team. Named to the U.S. Developmental Squad last summer, she picked up her first international cap last fall.

Barber, Lingo and Tran are longtime squad members. All three played for the U.S. squad that just missed earning a berth at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2004.

"I'm so excited for all our Tar Heels and especially proud of Jesse Gey, who played her way onto the roster this spring," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "I got to see them play out in California last week and at one point in the team's 3-0 win over Argentina, all six Tar Heels were on the field. The team looks strong and well-prepared, and I think they have an excellent chance of earning a spot in the Olympics."

Also competing in the qualifier are Belgium, France, India, Netherlands Antilles and host Russia. The U.S. plays the opening game of the competition on April 19 against Belgium. Games for first through sixth places are scheduled for April 27.

Nine countries already have qualified for the 12-team field, with three qualifying tournaments scheduled for April. The 2008 games mark the largest women's field ever - it was expanded from 10 to 12 teams in 2005 for this year's event. The U.S. has qualified for the Olympics in 1980, 1984, 1988 and 1996 and the country's lone medal came in 1984, when the Americans won the bronze. Shelton, UNC's coach since 1981, was a member of that team.

For a look at the full U.S. roster, click here.