Field Hockey Players Participate in International Play

DURHAM, N.C. - The Duke Blue Devils will be well represented on field hockey's international stage this spring with seven representatives from Duke participating on four different teams. In April, three current student-athletes, two coaches and two future Blue Devils will participate on the Canadian U21 team and the USA U21, U19 and U17 teams.

Duke head coach Pam Bustin along with freshman Abby Beltrani and incoming freshman Aileen Johnson will travel to England with the U21 team to compete in four matches against the U21 England National Team. All competition will be held at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre in Newport, Shropshire.

Bustin has acquired a thick resume on the national level as she currently serves as the U19 coach and has previously served on the United States National Team coaching staff. The University of Massachusetts graduate has also earned a Level III accreditation from USA Field Hockey. In 2008, she assisted the USA to its first Olympic berth since the 1996 Atlanta games.

Beltrani saw action in all 22 of Duke's matches during the 2011 season. Her extensive international playing experience includes playing in Chili with the United States U19 team, leading the U17 team to a bronze-medal finish at the Pan-Am qualifier in Uruguay and traveling to Holland with the U16 team.

An Incoming freshman, Johnson has been a two-time All-American and two time all-state during her high school career. The Oceanport, N.J., native comes into Duke as one of the top performers in her class nationally. She has also been a member of the United States U17 and U19 squads.

Junior Mary Nielsen and Freshman Jessica Buttinger are members of the Canadian U21 team and will be competing April 4^th-8^th in Vancouver, B.C., in the 2012 USA-Canada Challenge. During the tournament, the Canadian U21 team will compete against the United States U19 team in four different matches.

Nielsen, a midfielder and two-time member of the All-ACC Academic squad, participated in 21 games for the Blue Devils earning a career-high six goals and four assists during the 2011 season.

Buttinger participated in all 22 of Duke's games last season. She ranked third on the team with seven goals on the season and ranked highest in the category for her freshman class.

The United States U19 team will compete against the Canadian U21 team in Vancouver, B.C., which will pit incoming freshman Hannah Barreca against her future teammates. In her high school career, Barreca was a two-time All-American and was named all-state three times. The Oceanport N.J., native was also a member of the U17 squad and participated in the Junior Olympics in 2009.

Assistant coach Jarred Martin will also travel to Canada with the United States U17 team to compete in the same tournament against Canda's own U17 squad. As a coach, he has worked on the national level with the South High Performance Training Center (HPTC) and the U.S. Futures program in his home state of New York. In addition, he earned a Level III Accreditation from USA Field Hockey in the summer of 2010. Martin recently retired from playing with the United States National Team after twelve years with the program. During his stint, the center forward traveled to over 25 countries on four continents representing the United States.

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