University of Massachusets Athletics
Judy Strong Named To NCAA 25th Anniversary Field Hockey Team
October 17, 2005 | Field Hockey
Oct. 17, 2005
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Former University of Massachusetts field hockey stand-out Judy Strong has been selected to the NCAA Division I 25th Anniversary Team. The NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship is one of several women's championships celebrating their 25th anniversary under the NCAA banner in 2005-06.
Strong was a member of the 1981 UMass team that went 17-1-2 under head coach Pam Hixon and advanced to the national semifinals. Strong was selected to the All-Tournament team and was also named the National Player of the Year. In 1981, UMass defeated Long Beach State in the semifinals, 1-0, before falling to UConn, 4-1, in the national championship game.
Strong competed at UMass from 1979-81. A three-time Mitchell and Ness All-America selection in field hockey, Strong was the National Player of the Year in 1981. UMass' all-time leading scorer with 202 points, she was a member of the 1981 team that advanced to the national championship game, losing to UConn, 4-1. Strong played on two New England championship teams in 1979 and 1980. She was a member of the U.S. National team from 1979-84 and she was a member of the 1980 and bronze medal winning 1984 Olympic teams. Strong grew up in Hatfield, Mass., and resides in Northampton. She was inducted into the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.