University of North Carolina Athletics
Falgowski Named To Pan Am Team
September 13, 2011 | Field Hockey
Sept. 13, 2011
North Carolina senior Katelyn Falgowski has been named to the U.S. field hockey team for the Pan American Games, announced Tuesday by USA Field Hockey. Falgowski, a midfielder from Landenberg, Pa., is one of three Tar Heels on the team, joining UNC graduates Rachel Dawson and Amy Tran Swensen. Two other Carolina alums, Jesse Gey and Jackie Kintzer were named as alternates to the 16-player roster.
The XVI Pan American Games will take place Oct. 19-28 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Eight teams will compete, with the winner earning a ticket to the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
"I'm very proud of Katelyn," UNC coach Karen Shelton said. "It's a well-deserved honor for her, and it's also an honor for our program. She has grown and developed over the years from being the youngest player on the U.S. team and being a side back to being one of their starting midfielders and really a central cog on that team. To have that kind of responsibility as a college senior, not only on our team but on the national team, is impressive. Certainly she has a lot of experience and maturity at a young age."
This will be the second Pan Am Games trip for Falgowski, a national team veteran who also represented the U.S. at the event in 2007. She is one of six 2008 Olympians named to the roster, with Dawson and Swensen also among that group.
Although there are other players on the U.S. team with collegiate eligibility remaining, Falgowski is the only one who is competing for her college team this fall.
Falgowski found out she'd made the team when she came home from class Tuesday and Meghan Dawson, her teammate and housemate, offered congratulations. "It's an incredibly great honor," Falgowski said. "I'm very fortunate to have the support of UNC behind me and at the same time have the support of U.S. Field Hockey and being able to finish my college career. I'm super excited to be able to represent my country and hopefully qualify for the Olympics."
Falgowski, UNC's team captain for the second year in a row, will miss an undetermined number of Carolina games in October while competing for the U.S. Although Shelton will be without her top player and captain, she sees the absence as a win-win situation for both Falgowski and the Tar Heels. "She's going to go and play at the highest level and meanwhile somebody here is going to be filling her role on our team and gaining valuable experience," Shelton said. "Our team is going to have to dig deep and people are going to have to step up, and that makes you better and stronger."
The Tar Heels currently are 5-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation. Their next home game is Friday at 6 p.m., when second-ranked Old Dominion visits for a 1 vs. 2 matchup. Carolina hosts ACC rival Wake Forest on Sunday at 1 p.m. Admission is free to both game at Francis E. Henry Stadium.
