Juniata field hockey announces commitments for 2012 season

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Juniata College has received commitments from ten young women who will continue their education at Juniata while competing as members of the four-time Landmark Conference championship field hockey team. This eclectic class will fill many roles and holes that the 12 seniors in the 2011 season had filled. We think they are a fabulous group of people as well as talented and hardworking players. They are the combination that success is made of. 

The ten newest members of the Juniata field hockey team are, in alphabetical order: 

Sarah Bilheimer
5-4, Forward/Attacking Mid, Bethlehem, Pa./Freedom High School ~ Marojoka Club

Sarah earned four varsity letters in both field hockey and soccer at Freedom High School and is a member of the 2008 and 2010 Lehigh Valley Conference East Division Championship field hockey squads, while also contributing to a 2010 appearance in the field hockey PIAA District 11 Quarterfinals. The three-time Freedom Varsity Scholar in both field hockey and soccer, awarded for achieving significant academic excellence as a student-athlete, is the daughter of Robert and Laurie Bilheimer and will study business and accounting at Juniata.

Quoting Juniata head coach Caroline Gillich:

"Sarah is an attacker that plays both ends of the game with equal tenacity. She will find a way to score in the offensive circle and is just as strong at winning the ball back on defense. We anticipate that Sarah will be a strong contributor. She is the kind of person that will go and go, every time, and truly leaves it all on the field." 

Catherine Brumbaugh
5-8, Defense, Pen Argyl, Pa./Pen Argyl

Catherine is following a long family tradition of Juniata alums dating back to her grandfather, Frank S. Brumbaugh '54, with cousin Frank S. Brumbaugh III as a current member of the Juniata men's tennis team and cousin Emma Brumbaugh '11 having competed in field hockey for three years in the Blue and Gold. Catherine, a 2011 Colonial All-League Second Team selection as a defender, will study nursing at Juniata and is the daughter of Scott and Christine Brumbaugh.

Quoting Juniata head coach Caroline Gillich:

"While I did not have the chance to see Catherine play in high school, I have gotten the opportunity to get to know her on her three visits to Juniata over the past year and a half. She is a sincere person and is very excited for the opportunity to be part of our program. I look forward to seeing her grow and finding her strengths as a player and utilizing them for the best of our team." 

Cassie Clarence
5-4, Defense/Defensive Mid, Coopersburg, Pa./Southern Lehigh ~ True North Club

Cassie steps onto campus having been a part of a high school squad built on success and is a member of the 2008, 2009 and 2011 Colonial League Championship teams, as well as the PIAA District 11 Championship teams in those same years. Cassie is the daughter of Terrell and Julie Clarence and will study marketing at Juniata. 

Quoting Juniata head coach Caroline Gillich:

"Cassie thinks she is a defender, which may be true, but we would like to test her out in the midfield over the coming years. We had the chance to work with her at our camp last year and she really stood out as a defensive midfielder to all of us. She is a smart player that understands the importance of pacing the ball, and takes the time to set up her teammates."

Allison "Alli" Groft
5-1, Forward, Hanover, Pa./South Western

Allison, recently named South Western's Outstanding Female Scholar Athlete, was named to The Evening Sun and York Daily Record York County All-Area's First Team in 2010 and Second Team in 2011. Additionally the forward was the recipient of the York-Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) Academic All-League Award for her athletic achievement coupled with academic excellence during the 2011-12 academic year. Allison is the daughter of Brian Groft and Jeanne Rafferty and will study biology at Juniata. 

Quoting Juniata head coach Caroline Gillich:

"Alli is someone we have gotten to know well over the past year, as she was the first to verbally commit to Juniata. She found a great school that had a strong hockey program and when she came to camp last year she already knew that Juniata was where she wanted to be. She has a great arsenal of shots and knows how to bury it in the corner and score time and again."

Katherine "Katie" Landis
5-5, Defense, Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing Area~ Schuylkill Club

Katie, a four-time varsity letter-winner at Wyomissing Area and captain her senior year, was a 2008 PIAA District 3 Berks County All-Academic Team selection for achieving at least a 90 percent grade average in the first quarter of the 2008-09 school year. Katie is the daughter of Barry and Wendy Landis and will study biology and pre-medicine at Juniata. 

Quoting Juniata head coach Caroline Gillich:

"Katie is a player that we have greatly anticipated coming to Juniata. She is a strong team player and showed at Festival her ability to be a field captain and organize those around her. We encourage all our players to have a voice, it's great to see a young player that already has one. She has great ability to carry the ball out of defense under pressure and find the open player."

Kelsey Leibelsperger
5-0, Defense, Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood ~ Rascals Club

Kelsey, a captain of her high school field hockey team during the 2011 season, led her team to the 2010 PIAA Class AA Quarterfinals and a third place finish in the 2011 PIAA District III Class AA Championship tournament. Kelsey is not just a great athlete, but she also excels in the classroom, as she was named the Senior Scholar-Athlete from Fleetwood as selected by the Berks County Field Hockey Coaches Association. Kelsey is the daughter of Donna Leibelsperger and is undecided about her program of emphasis at Juniata. 

Quoting Juniata head coach Caroline Gillich:

"Kelsey was an integral part of not just a highly successful high school team, but a club team that saw its most successful finishes at Disney and NIT's during her senior year. She absolutely gives it everything she has on the field and I would qualify her as an attacking defender. I look forward to watching her reach her true potential in college." 

Brittany Meier
5-4, Defense, Pennsylvania Furnace, Pa./State College Area ~ Blue Lions Club

Brittany, a 2011 Tri-Valley League Field Hockey Second Team Defender, has enjoyed a successful career at both State College Area High School and as a member of the Happy Valley Field Hockey Club. As a part of the Happy Valley club team, Brittany has competed at a very high level in tournaments such as the Keystone State Games, FOCUS College Showcase and the USFHA U19 National Indoor Qualifying Tournament. Brittany is the daughter of Michael and Mary Meier and will study biology and pre-veterinarian science at Juniata.

Quoting Juniata head coach Caroline Gillich: 

"Brittany is someone both my assistant Kim and I have gotten to know very well through coaching her in the USAFH Futures program. She is beyond coachable and very consistent on the field. She is a great support player in the defense and very steady both as a player and a person. She is someone you can count on. She is academically phenomenal and the program she has chosen will be a great fit." 

Stephanie Pagliaro
5-2, Forward, Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita

Stephanie, Susquenita's school record holder for career assists with 38, joins the Juniata field hockey squad with an impressive resume of awards, including being named The Sentinel Player of the Year in 2010 along with being an honoree on the Academic All-State First Team in 2011. Stephanie has also landed a spot on the Mid-Penn Division All-Star teams all four years of high school and led her squad to a Mid-Penn Capital Division championship in 2009 and 2011. Stephanie is the daughter of Christopher and Rebecca Pagliaro and is undecided about her area of study at Juniata. 

Quoting Juniata head coach Caroline Gillich:

"Steph is certainly a diamond in the rough. She attended our camp last year and completely wowed us with her ability to step in and fit right in. She makes everyone around her better. There are good players and great players. I think she fits into the second category because she's not just good individually but lifts the level of those that play around her." 

Melissa Rutherford
5-6, Defense, Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville

Melissa comes to the Juniata field hockey program having competed on the Phoenixville squad for four years at the defender position. Melissa's high school team qualified for PIAA District One playoffs each of the four years she was a member and made it to the semifinals of the tournament during her senior season. She is the daughter of Mark and Carolyn Rutherford and will study elementary education and special education at Juniata. 

Quoting Juniata head coach Caroline Gillich:

"Melissa is a great support player. She is constantly adjusting her position to support her teammates and the possession game. She scans the field to find the long ball to the open player. With our new turf this season this will prove to be a critical strength." 

Alexandra Stroud
Midfield/Defense, Ellicott City, Md./Centennial ~ Spitfire Club

Alexandra, a participant in the Maryland State High School Field Hockey Coaches Association Senior Game in 2011, has enjoyed a successful high school campaign as a member of the Centennial High School team as well as Spitfire, a U19 club squad. The Baltimore Sun named her an All-County First Team honoree in 2011, as she led her team to the 2011 Division 3A Regionals. Alexandra, a 2009-2011 Mind in Motion Scholar Athlete award winner, is the daughter of Richard and Leslie Stroud and will study computer science at Juniata.   

Quoting Juniata head coach Caroline Gillich:

"Alex showed at the Disney Showcase that she is emerging as a defensive midfielder and we are excited to continue her growth in this direction. She has a strong low athletic position that is critical as a midfielder. She plays a nice small passing game and is a supportive teammate on the field and off. She has great energy which we expect will be a hallmark of this entire class." 

The Eagles are led by Caroline Gillich, a two time All-American in both field hockey and lacrosse at Lock Haven University, who has lofted Juniata field hockey to unprecedented success in recent years with the squad capturing four of five Landmark Conference titles since the conference's inception. Additionally, the team has made five NCAA Championship tournament appearances in the least eight years.

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Note: A "commitment" means the above-named prospective student-athletes have been accepted to Juniata College and have placed a deposit to reserve a spot in the incoming Fall 2012 class.