April 1, 2008

Photo Gallery of Signees

ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio field hockey team has signed four incoming freshmen for the 2008 season, Head Coach Neil Macmillan has announced. Brooke Edwards, Jenna Green, Laine Greenawalt and Jen McGill have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Bobcats.

"The players that we have signed are all very gifted hockey players who will certainly challenge our current players on the pitch," said Macmillan. "More importantly, they are quality individuals who I am sure will excel in the classroom. During their visits, all four seemed to fit in well within the cohesive team atmosphere we have here at Ohio."

"One of the main reasons that these four have joined Ohio is to be a part of a growing program, and they are looking to achieve even more success in the future. I see this class as one that can certainly expect to achieve that goal. All four have the potential to have an immediate impact on the team. Not only do we have four quality players, but they have experienced hockey at high levels both within their clubs and schools. As a group, I look forward to enhancing their work ethic as they are very dedicated and committed individuals who are going to be a great asset for our squad."

Brooke's signing at Delaware Valley High School, Pa. Front Row: Bill Edwards, Brooke Edwards, Kathy Edwards Back Row: Dr. Tom Finan - Director of Schools, Christine Zalewski - High School Coach, Dani Edwards- sister, Allen Holtzer- Athletic Director, Wanda Holtzer - Guidance Counselor

Brooke Edwards is a four-year varsity letterwinner from Delaware Valley High School in Milford, Pa. While playing at Del Val under Christine Zalewski, the Warriors earned an overall record of 44-30-1. Edwards finished her career with 16 goals, 34 assists, and two defensive saves, with a personal best of 13 assists coming in her senior season. She was a two-time PIAA-AA All-State Honorable Mention and was a Del Val Athlete of the Month her junior year. She was selected to play in the Keystone State Games on the Pocono Region team and won the silver medal in 2005 and 2007.

Edwards has participated with the Valley Styx Field Hockey Club since 2006 and played in her third National Indoor Tournament in March. She has played on the Pocono team for the past three National Hockey Festivals and won the gold medal in Pool B this fall. Valley Styx took home the gold medal in the 2006 Keystone State Indoor Games.

She has been a USFHA Futures participant since 2005 and played in the inaugural Regional Rumble last summer in Virginia Beach, Va.

Edwards also played two years of basketball and three years of lacrosse in high school. She was named her lacrosse team's MVP her sophomore year and the Offensive player of the Year her junior year. She has earned academic honors with being named to the Delaware Valley Honor Roll her freshman year and High Honor Roll her sophomore through senior years.

Edwards was born on September 27, 1989 to William and Kathleen Edwards and has a sister Danielle (16). Her mother played college basketball at Adelphi University and for the All-American Redheads.

"Brooke is a very tenacious player who has the ability to play multiple positions for us," said Macmillan. "She has great distribution skills and I could see her controlling the middle of the pitch once she has become accustomed to the college level. Brooke's on-field determination and composure will help her transition to that level easily and swiftly.

Jenna with parents Mike and Jane Green on signing day at Emmaus High School, Pa.

Jenna Green is a three-year varsity letterwinner from Emmaus High School in Emmaus, Pa. In Green's three years of lettering under coach Sue Butz-Stavin, the Hornets won the PIAA-AAA State Championship two times (2005 & 2007), and both the District XI and LVIAC Championships three times. In her sophomore and senior seasons, Emmaus was awarded the title of "Top of the Country" by www.TopoftheCircle.com, and in 2005 it set the national scoring record with 216 goals. Over her three years, the Hornets earned an overall record of 80-3-0, and had an undefeated season in 2005 going 28-0.

Green finished her career with 28 goals and 25 assists and received PIAA-AAA First Team All-State honors, and LVIAC Lehigh County Division Honorable Mention. She was selected to play in the Keystone State Games on the Lehigh Valley Region team two times and took home the gold medal both times.

She has participated with the Firestyx Field Hockey Club since 2003, while winning Pool A at the National Hockey Festival, and pool championships at the National Indoor Tournament, in 2004 and 2006. Firestyx also won the gold medal in the 2006 Keystone State Indoor Games. Green has been a USFHA Futures participant since 2004. She also participated in the 2006 National Futures Championship and AAU/ Junior Olympics, and was a Futures Elite selection and FDIC participant in 2007.

Green has earned academic honors by being named to the Emmaus Honor Roll in each of her four years at Emmaus and is also a member of the Spanish Honor Society.

Green was born on June 3, 1990 to Michael and Jane Green and has a brother Chris (21) and sister Kassidy (12).

"Jenna is a very smart player who could fit right in to one of the outside positions on the pitch," said Macmillan. I feel she has the ability to initially play anywhere from up front to at the back. She is a player who is very poised under pressure and I have no doubt she will develop into a premier college player."

Laine with parents Harvey and Teresa Greenawalt on signing day at Owen J. Roberts High School, Pa.

Laine Greenawalt is a three-year varsity letterwinner from Owen J. Roberts High School in Pottstown, Pa. While playing at OJR under Clarence Janelle, the Wildcats qualified for the District I playoffs three consecutive years (2005-2007), and advanced to the second round in 2007 for the first time in school history on Greenawalt's game-winning goal. OJR made it to the Pac-10 Conference Championship Game in her senior season. The overall record for the Wildcats in Laine's three years of lettering was 33-30-2.

Greenawalt finished her career with 21 goals and 15 assists, with 15 goals scored in her final year. As a senior, Laine was named team captain, and earned the honors of Pac-10 Second Team, The Mercury All-Area Second Team, and was the Phoenixville Newspaper Athlete of the Week. She was selected to play in the Keystone State Games on the Metro Region team in 2006.

She has participated with the WC Eagles Field Hockey Club from 2005 to the present, and prior to joining the Eagles, she was with the X-Calibur Field Hockey Club in 2003 and 2004. While playing for the Eagles, her team won U16 (2005, 2006) and a U19 (2007) championships at the National Hockey Festival. She also played in her fifth National Indoor Tournament in March. The Eagles have also won the gold medal for the U19 division at the 2007 Disney Showcase and at the 2006 Diamond State Games. She also participated in the USFHA Futures program in 2006 and 2007.

Greenawalt was named to the Owen J. Roberts Honor Roll each of her four years. She has also been a three-year participant in the Student Council, a class representative, and has been a volunteer for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life and a People to People Student Ambassador (France/ England).

She was born on April 11, 1990 to Harvey and Teresa Greenawalt and has a brother Jacob (15).

"Laine is a fast and effective forward who has the ability to score goals from multiple situations," said Macmillan. "She plays on one of the best club teams in the country and consequently has developed a good understanding of the game. Laine could have an immediate impact for the team on the forward line."

Jen with parents Sandy and Jack McGill on signing day at Assumption High School, Ky.

Jen McGill is a two-year varsity letterwinner from Assumption High School in Louisville, Ky. While playing under Debbie Judd, the Rockets made it to the state semifinals her junior year and the quarterfinals her senior year. They also placed second at the Huskie Invitational in Chicago, Ill. the past two seasons. With McGill in goal, the Rockets earned an overall record of 41-10-2. She finished with a career save percentage of 79.85% and a 0.47 goals against average. In her final year, she received selections to the Apple Tournament Team, the All-State Tournament team, and the Senior All-Star Team. She was also named to the ZAG/ NFHCA High School National Academic Squad as a senior with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5.

She has participated with the International Field Hockey Club of Kentucky (IFHCK) from 2005 to the present. While playing for IFHCK, her team made two appearances at the National Hockey Festival with playing in Pool B this past fall. She was also a USFHA Level 1 Futures participant in 2006.

McGill earned First Honors her freshman through junior years of high school, was inducted into Assumption's National Honors Society her junior year and currently serves as its historian, and won the Martha Ann Nord Scholarship that year.

She is very active in numerous clubs and organizations including, The Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Advancement Council, Family Representative, The National Beta Club, the Big Sister Program, and Summer Seminar. She is also the sports editor on the yearbook staff. In addition, she has coached grade-school field hockey for the last two years.

McGill was born on October 12, 1989 to Jack and Sandy McGill and has a sister Kristen (24) and brother Brian (20).

"The first thing that caught my attention with Jen is her athleticism," said Macmillan. "She has speed and agility that will be an asset to us in goal. She is a very solid goalkeeper right now, but I feel she has a lot of untapped potential. With her work ethic I am sure she will develop into a very successful goalkeeper."