June 5, 2001

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland announced the hiring of international mentor and Olympian Andrew Griffiths as an assistant field hockey coach for the 2001 season. After working for two years as a consultant to the team and as a volunteer assistant in 1998, Griffiths' new responsibilities begin this summer just before the three-time consecutive ACC champion Terrapins report to campus in early August.

"I'm excited to have a chance to work with a program like Maryland's, especially at the stage they are right now," said Griffiths. "The staff has worked hard to bring in some very talented players and their success in the past few years has been tremendous."

The former Olympian completes head coach Missy Meharg's staff, rounding out a unit that already boasts a wealth of playing and coaching experience in Steve Simpson. The position became vacant after four-year Terp assistant Andrea Bradley took the reigns as the head coach of the Richmond Spiders.

"I'm pleased and honored to have Andrew back," commented Meharg. "I think we all - Steve, Andrew and I - complement each other really well. Andrew will be a special benefit to the international players, and it's a great way for us to stay current with the media as well through his involvement with planetfieldhockey.com."

A 1995 graduate of Western Ontario University, Griffiths' coaching resume includes a stint at the helm of his alma mater from 1990-93. He helped guide the Mustangs to their first-ever Canadian top 10 ranking during his final season.

Griffiths has been a member of the Canadian National Field Hockey Team since 1989. He helped his squad to a tenth-place finish at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and played in the 1990 and 1998 World Cups as well. Griffiths served as the squad's captain from 1992-94, and made appearances at the Pan American Games in 1999, 1995 and 1991.

Griffiths earned an English degree from Western Ontario in 1995, before obtaining his master's degree in journalism in 1998 from Toronto's Ryerson Polytechnic Institute.

After conceiving and editing the field hockey coaching website offthecrossbar.com, Griffiths founded planetfieldhockey.com, which first went online in the winter of 2000. He remains the editor-in-chief of that interactive international hockey page in addition to his coaching duties.

Transaction:
MARYLAND - Named Andrew Griffiths assistant field hockey coach.

Contact: Mark Fratto
301-314-7064 (Phone)
301-314-9094 (FAX)
301-314-TERP (Fan Phone)
fratto@wam.umd.edu