June 3, 2009

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Providence College field hockey players, senior Nellie Poulin (Oakland, Maine) and junior Jaime Lipski (Dallas, Pa.), were recently named to the New England roster that will compete at the 2009 High Performance Women's National Championship on June 20-27. The National Championship will take place at the National Training Center in Virginia Beach, Va. Poulin will take part in the event for the second-straight year as a member of Team New England, while Lipski will participate on the roster for the first time.

Last summer, New England captured the National title with a 3-0 victory over the Midwest. Poulin notched two goals in the tournament, including one in the championship game.

Poulin, a two-time All-BIG EAST First-Team selection, claimed All-America honors (Third Team) at the conclusion of the 2008 campaign with the Friars. Poulin is the ninth Friar all-time to earn All-America honors in the program's 33-year history. She registered a team-best 33 points on 16 goals and one assist. Her 16 goals mark the most by a Friar in a single season since Karen Krawchuck tallied 24 during the 1989 campaign. Poulin notched five, multiple-goal games, including her first career hat trick against Georgetown on October 26. She concluded the 2008 season ranked ninth all-time in career scoring (80 points) and tied for seventh all-time in career goals (35).

Lipski earned NFHCA Division I All-Northeast Region Second-Team honors at the conclusion of her sophomore campaign in 2008. She finished the year tied for fourth among her teammates in scoring with 20 points on six goals and eight assists. Additionally, her eight assists were second-best on the squad. She recorded one game-winning goal on the year in a 2-1 victory over regional foe Northeastern on September 4.

Seventh-year Friar Head Coach Diane Madl, who served as an assistant coach for New England at last year's National Championship, will assist with the team's training prior to tournament play. Boston College Head Coach, Ainslee Lamb, returns as Head Coach for New England in 2009.

Held in conjunction with the National Futures Championship, the USA Field Hockey Women's National Championship is a round-robin tournament featuring the top athletes from USA Field Hockey's six regional High Performance Centers.

Beginning in the early spring, High Performance Centers serving the New England, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Midwest, South and California regions conduct open trials for college-age and older athletes. Once selected to a High Performance Center, athletes receive elite-level training from some of the nation's top coaches over the course of the spring.

At the conclusion of the program, each High Performance Center selects a team to represent its region at the National Championships. Athletes competing in the tournament have the opportunity for selection to the U.S. National Squad. Rosters at the Championship include current U.S. National Team stars as well as recent college All-America selections.

New England will play its first game at 8:00 p.m. on June 20 against the South.

For more information regarding the 2009 Women's National Championship, please visit the official website for U.S. Field Hockey at www.usfieldhockey.com.

- FRIARS -