April 4, 2000

The U.S. Field Hockey Team's hope of earning an Olympic berth came to an end on Saturday, April 1, with a 2-0 loss to China in the fifth-sixth place game at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Milton Keynes, England. Teams that finished in the top five places-New Zealand, Great Britain, Germany, Spain and China-earned spots in the field at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The U.S. team will miss the Games for just the second time in six opportunities.

"I think over the course of the past week we played pretty good field hockey," U.S. captain Tracey Fuchs said. "I think our team is headed in the right direction, Hopefully we can keep going and keep improving for 2004 and the World Cup in 2002."

The Carolina program was well-represented on the U.S. team. Alums Kate Barber, Peggy Storrar and Cindy Werley all were in the starting lineup against China. Joining them as a starter was Jana Toepel, a rising senior on the UNC team. Another former Tar Heel, Nancy Pelligreen, was a substitute.