June 11, 2001

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--A deep and talented class of 10 newcomers will join the North Carolina field hockey program this fall. By their numbers alone, UNC coach Karen Shelton expects the freshmen to make a huge impact on the Tar Heel roster, which also includes 15 returning players.

"We haven't had a situation like this before, with so many new players," Shelton said. "I expect several of them to earn spots in the lineup immediately and I expect all of them to play important roles on this year's team."

Among the 10 are three players from Pennsylvania (Kerry Falgowski, Alexandra Otto and Katy Tran), two each from Maryland (Jana Facchinei and Carey Fetting-Smith) and Missouri (Annette Parker and Phabienne Parker) and one from Ohio (Kelsey Keeran). Two international players are among the new recruits, one from New Zealand (Laura Douglas) and one from The Netherlands (Charlotte Plugge).

Several incoming players already have ties to current Tar Heels. Goalkeeper Katy Tran is the younger sister of Amy Tran, UNC's All-America keeper who will be a junior this fall. Twin sisters Annette and Phabienne Parker were teammates at the Whitfield School in St. Louis with Alexis Suarez, a redshirt freshman goalkeeper for Carolina. Alexandra Otto played at Tower Hill School with Meredith Keller, who will be a UNC junior this fall. And Carey Fetting-Smith teamed with five current Tar Heels this summer on the U.S. Junior World Cup team. Laura Douglas also played in the Junior World Cup, representing New Zealand.

The Tar Heels, who finished 20-4 as the NCAA runners-up in 2000, open the season on Aug. 25 against Connecticut in Skidmore College, N.Y.

Incoming Freshmen, Fall 2001
Name			Position		Hometown (High school)
Laura Douglas		M			Kamo Whangarei, New Zealand
Jana Facchinei		F/M			Bel Air, Md. (John Carroll)
Kerry Falgowski		F			Landenberg, Pa. (St. Mark's)
Carey Fetting-Smith	B/M			Lutherville, Md. (Bryn Mawr)
Kelsey Keeran		F			Sunbury, Ohio (Columbus Academy)
Alexandra Otto		F/M			Kennett Square, Pa. (Tower Hill)
Annette Parker		B/M			St. Louis, Mo. (Whitfield School)
Phabienne Parker	B/M			St. Louis, Mo. (Whitfield School)
Charlotte Plugge	F/M			The Hauge, the Netherlands
Katy Tran		GK			Grantville, Pa. (Northern Lebanon)