University of Massachusets Athletics
Widdall Picked for Team USA Champions Trophy Travel Roster
June 02, 2016 | Field Hockey
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - University of Massachusetts field hockey alumna Alesha Widdall was tabbed to the United States National Team travel roster for its upcoming test series against The Netherlands and its participation in the 2016 Champions Trophy competition. Team USA will play a game each against the Dutch on June 8 and June 10 before the squad takes to Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for Champions Trophy games from June 18-26.
Currently No. 7 in the FIH World Ranking, Team USA earned an automatic berth to Champions Trophy based on its performance at the most recent Champions Challenge. Held in Glasgow, Scotland from April 27 - May 4, 2014, the USWNT finished second in their pool and advanced through the elimination round en route to a championship victory over Ireland in the finale.
Each team will play five games before a final match will be played based on performance. Along with Team USA, this tournament includes No. 1 The Netherlands, No. 2 Argentina, No. 3 Australia, No. 4 New Zealand and No. 6 Great Britain. The U.S. starts competition with Australia on Sat., June 18 at 7 a.m. EST.
Widdall was a four-year standout in the cage at UMass, where she earned a career 1.40 goals-against average and .774 save percentage with 47 victories. She won National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America on two occasions (2008 & 2010) and took home the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year Award at the conclusion of her senior year in 2011.
Widdall first earned a spot on the U.S. National Team in 2012 when the team placed second in the Champions Challenge and has participated in numerous international tournaments since, including the 8 Nations Tournament, Four Nationals, Pan American Games, Robobank Hockey World Cup, World League Round 2 and World League Round 3.
Keep up-to-date with the field hockey program throughout the year via the team's Twitter account, @UMassFH.
