July 2, 2008

BOSTON - The Boston University field hockey team is excited to announce that 11 student-athletes will join the program for the upcoming 2008 season. Head coach Sally Starr and her staff will welcome nine freshmen and a pair of transfers to the squad, which will be aiming for its fourth straight America East title this fall.

"This class is as athletically talented as any we've ever brought in," said Starr. "Their individual and team accomplishments speak for themselves and the group has tremendous potential to lead both on and off the field."

The group has representatives from six states and three countries: Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia, in addition to Canada, England and Scotland.

Three of the incoming freshmen were named state players of the year (Kiley Alloso - Virginia, Macey Gaumond - Massachusetts, Steph Pepper - Colorado) and five of them (Alloso, Gaumond, Kate Murphy, Pepper, Leslie Zules) were participants in the 2008 Futures Tournament in Virginia.

Junior Nikki Lloyd is a transfer from Virginia Commonwealth, where she led the Rams in scoring as both a freshman and a sophomore. She enrolled at BU last semester and trained with the team during their spring season. After a standout career at Edinburgh University in Scotland, Sheena Berry will join the Terriers as a graduate student this fall.

"After graduating a very successful class, the experience and maturity that Nikki and Sheena will bring are certainly assets that will help us be competitive and successful this season," added Starr.

Kiley Alloso (F/M - 5-7 - Virginia Beach, Va. - Cox HS)
2007 Virginia State Player of the Year ... Helped Cox capture back-to-back state titles (2006, 2007) ... 2007 captain ... Two-time first-team all-state, all-region, all-district, all-Tidewater ... Three-year participant at National Festival ... 2007 Bigger Faster Stronger Female Athlete of the Year ... Second-team all-district in both soccer and basketball.

Sheena Berry (M - 5-4 - Edinburgh, Scotland - Edinburgh Univ.) Member of Scotland's U-18 and U-21 squads ... Captain of the 2008 Scotland Universities team ... Four-year standout at Edinburgh University ... Member of East District Team since 2004 ... Also participated in skiing and cross country.

Julie Collins (GK - 5-4 - Toledo, Ohio - Ottawa Hills HS) Served as captain in both field hockey and softball as a senior at Ottawa Hills ... 2007 ZAG/NFHCA High School National Academic Squad ... Ohio All-Academic Team ... Three-time Futures participant ... Two-time AAU Junior Olympics participant, earning bronze medal in 2007.

Macey Gaumond (M/B - 5-10 - Warren, Mass. - Quaboag HS) Three-time Massachusetts State Player of the Year ... Two-year captain at Quaboag, helping team reach state finals as a sophomore and a junior ... Broke school's scoring record ... Three-time Telegram & Gazette Super Team member ... Played at national tournament in 2005, 2007, 2008 ... Also played basketball, serving as captain for two years and helping team capture 2005-06 state title ... Telegram & Gazette Super Team in basketball as a senior.

Nikki Lloyd (M/F - 5-4 - Kent, England - Virginia Commonwealth) Totaled 37 points (13g, 11a) in two seasons at VCU, leading team in scoring in 2005 and 2006 ... 2006 All-CAA Second Team ... Three-year captain at Bromley High School in Kent, England ... Participated in the National League in 2005 ... Member of the county U-18 squad and the east regional U-17 team ... Four-time all-county player.

Giovanna Monaco (F - 5-4 - North Caldwell, N.J. - West Essex HS) Two-time NFHCA Regional All-American (2006, 2007) ... Helped West Essex capture last three state titles ... Co-captain as a senior ... 2007 Star Ledger Player of the Year ... Earned all-state honors her final two seasons and all-conference and all-county accolades all four seasons ... North Jersey All-Star Team in 2006, 2007 ... Also played lacrosse, helping team win 2006 North B state championship.

Kate Murphy (F - 5-11 - Millbury, Mass - Notre Dame Academy) Helped Notre Dame reach the state finals in back-to-back years, claiming 2006 state title ... Served as captain as a senior ... Three-time conference champion ... 2007 conference all-star ... 2007 Telegram & Gazette Super Team ... Best of 60 All-Star ... Three-year Futures selection ... National Festival team won pool championship in 2007 ... Also played softball and basketball.

Steph Pepper (F/M - 5-3 - Englewood, Colo. - Cherry Creek HS) Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News Player of the Year ... Served as captain for the 2007 state championship team at Cherry Creek ... Named to 2007 Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News All-State First Team after garnering second-team and honorable mention honors from DP and RMN, respectively, as a junior ... Two-time CHSAA Academic All-State First Team ... Four-year participant at Futures and National Festival ... Also excelled at tennis, helping team claim three straight state titles.

Elisse Thurston (M/F - 5-3 - West Vancouver, B.C. - Shawnigan Lake School) Field hockey and cross country standout at Shawnigan Lake School after playing both field hockey and soccer at Handsworth Secondary School ... Earned the 2007 Shawnigan Sports Award ... Named to the British Columbia U-16 Team.

Rachael White (M/B - 5-5 - Norfolk, Va. - Maury HS) Two-time team MVP at Maury ... Team captain as a senior .... 2006 All-State First Team, 2007 All-State Second Team ... 2006 and 2007 Eastern District Player of the Year ... All-Region First Team as a junior and senior ... Four-time first-team all-district honoree ... All-Tidewater First Team (2006, 2007) ... Competed in the 2006 and 2007 National Futures Championship ... Competed with the Beach Premier Breakers indoor team ... Also was a standout in soccer.

Leslie Zules (F - 5-3 - Killingworth, Conn. - Haddam-Killingworth) 2007 NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Regional All-American ... Three-time first-team all-state honoree ... Twice named conference's player of the year ... Broke school's scoring record and led conference in scoring all four years ... Top scorer in state as a junior ... Helped team capture 2005 state championship and return to title game in 2006 ... Competed with the Connecticut team at the National Futures Championship last two years ... Also competed in soccer, diving and tennis.