FIELD HOCKEY PLAYERS NAMED TO NATIONAL ACADEMIC SQUAD

Ten members of the Old Dominion University women's field hockey team were named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Squad. Student-athletes selected to the National Academic Squad have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 through the first semester of the 2003-04 academic year.

Seniors Cora Gerardi, Melissa Leonetti, Angie Loy, Elizabeth Sharpe and Tina Walker, along with junior Lynn Farquhar, sophomore Janelle Engle, Mary Cate Gordon, Jenna McLane and freshman Dana Sensenig were all named to the squad.

Loy becomes the third Lady Monarch to earn national academic honors throughout her four-year career. A physical education major, Loy was the 2003 CAA Player of the Year and is currently with the U.S. National Team as attempt to qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Fellow seniors Tina Walker and Melissa Leonetti earned their third distinction. Leonetti, the 2003 CAA Defender of the Year, is currently a member of the U.S. National Team's residency squad, while Walker, the Lady Monarchs' starting goalkeeper in 2004, is currently finishing up her degree in psychology and is looking towards pursuing her master's in business administration.

Janelle Engle, Cora Gerardi, Mary Cate Gordon, and Jenna McLane were all named to the squad for the second straight year. Engle, a Second Team All-CAA member and psychology major, started every game for the Lady Monarchs registering 19 points on five goals and nine assists.

The Lady Monarchs finished the 2003 season 14-10 overall, 6-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), and captured their eighth straight CAA title. Old Dominion participated in its 23rd consecutive NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round of tournament play falling to eventual national runner-up Duke.