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USA Field Hockey to Crown Men's Junior National Championship Teams in Chula Vista
By Howard Thomas // U.S. Field Hockey Association // June 28, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Field Hockey's top young male athletes will compete for a national title and a spot on the U.S. Junior National Team when USA Field Hockey conducts its Junior Men's National Championship Tournament, June 27-July 1 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.
The tournament features four junior-level teams representing USA Field Hockey's High Performance Training Centers in Moorpark (Calif.), San Francisco Bay Area, East Coast and a combined Orange County (Calif.)/ Phoenix, Ariz. regional team.
In addition to competing for the national title, the 64 athletes at the tournament will compete for spots on the U.S. Junior National Team based on their performances at the event.
The newly selected 2007-08 Junior National Team will host a team from British Columbia for a series, Aug. 2-5 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center while age-eligible players will begin their preparations for the 2009 Pan American Junior Championships and Junior World Cup.
Among the athletes competing at the event, 19-year-old goalkeeper Andrew Zayac (Columbia, Md./East Coast) was named to the U.S. senior national team following the Men's National Championships in May. The tournament rosters also feature athletes on the current U.S. junior team including WillHold (Camarillo, Calif.), Alex Zempolich (The Hague, Netherlands), Sonu Chana (Phoenix, Ariz./Phoenix-Orange Co.), Jason Kahlon (Yorba Linda, Calif./Phoenix-Orange Co.), Evan Lucanish (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Moorpark), Mathew Thomas (Pleasant Hill, Calif./San Francisco), Kevin Barber (Camarillo, Calif./Moorpark), Sean Fleming (Westlake Village, Calif./Moorpark) and Viren Padhiar (Fountain Valley, Calif./Moorpark).
East Coast Juniors are the defending National Champions after defeating Moorpark in last year's championship match.
Play begins June 27 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and continues through July with the championship and classification games. June 29 is a rest day with no games scheduled.
Sun Safe Play!: USA Field Hockey and the USA National Team promote healthy and sun-smart decisions through their sun safety program, Sun Safe Play. Dedicated to the memory of former field hockey coach and USA team member Maria Whitehead and in partnership with the Melanoma International Foundation, Sun Safe Play seeks to educate young athletes on the prevention and detection of melanoma and skin cancer. Whitehead died of cancer in November 2006 at the age of 25.
www.usafieldhockey.com
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