CHULA VISTA, Calif. – May 30, 2013 –Throughout their 365 days of demanding interval training there are seconds where the body rebels - fatigue kicks in, muscles mismanage and exhaustion illuminates. In these defining moments where athletes appear to be running on empty with little to aid their performance on the pitch, in the weight room and on the track, there are a few rare competitors that give into a greater power, a bigger purpose than themselves – their desire to represent Team USA. California Cup athletes have let this single thought fuel their actions and habits in hopes of utilizing their tactical skills to propel them to the pinnacle of play in field hockey. For a select group of men the wait is over – the dream, the motivator has become a reality, a lifestyle.
After accessing a wide talent pool of the nation’s most phenomenal male athletes during Memorial Day weekend in Moorpark, Cali at Cal Cup, U.S. Men’s Head Coach Chris Clements with the help of U.S. Assistant Head Coach Ben Maruquin have compiled a team of competitors to earn the distinguished title of being a U.S. Under-17, Under-20, Development and Senior National Team athlete.
“The caliber of play at the Under-20 and Super Divisions at Cal Cup were great,” said Clements. “In general the level of play was very tight and this was another opportunity to learn and grow in experience against quality opponents.”
For the newly selected athletes, Clements gives personal phone calls to deliver the news. The Senior Team will now begin preparing for their first competition as a squad in an upcoming tour in Melbourne, Australia, July 2-15, which will be shortly followed by a series against Argentina in early August at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Cali. Both competitions are vital in the preparation of the Pan American Cup in Brampton, B.C. in mid-August, a World Cup qualifying event. While the immediate matches are crucial, Clements, his staff, and players look to continue to grow and strengthen the program long-term.
“The senior squad is complimented by a number of talented players on our development team,” said Clements. “I’m happy with the squads’ ability and potential ability in time. If we have this core group stay together for four to six years with the addition of a few other players along the way, we’ll be really strong and our long-term process will be able to take shape.”
Two new faces to the roster are Brandon Karess (Allentown, Pa), and Spencer Reed (Ventura, Cali), while Rob Schilling (Long Beach, Cali.) has regained selection after a year away from the squad. The 2013-2014 team includes staple veterans such as Jon Ginolfi (Moorpark, Cali.), brothers Sean Harris and Patrick Harris (Moorpark, Cali.) and Ian Scally (Thousand Oaks, Cali.).
In addition to the announcement of the Men’s Senior and Development National Squads, Clements has also confirmed the U.S. Under-17 and Under-20 rosters for 2013-14. These selected athletes are invited to attend a training camp from June 18-22 at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.
“The regional high performance programs have been working hard to aid in the development of players and their potentials to reach higher honors within the national program,” said Clements. “We are already seeing some benefits of this development model and are excited for the future. The training camp will give players the opportunity to develop the tactical, technical, mental and physical components needed to be successful in international hockey.”
The following athletes have been selected to the 2013-14 U.S. Men’s Senior Squad:
Kevin Barber (Camarillo, Cali.), Michael Barminski (Ventura, Cali.), Jed Cunningham (Moorpark, Cali.), Ajai Dhadwal (Agoura Hills, Cali.), Mohan Gandhi (Ventura, Cali.), Jon Ginolfi (Moorpark, Cali.), Alex Grassi (Brookeville, Md.) Sean Harris (Moorpark, Cali.), Pat Harris (Moorpark, Cali.), Will Holt (Moorpark, Cali.), Aki Kaeppeler (Ventura, Cali.), Brandon Karess (Allentown, Pa), Ranveer Kundi (Glendora, Cali.), Christian Linney (San Diego, Cali.), Steve Mann (Hollidaysburg, Pa.), Manny Martinez (Lakeside, Cali.), Johnny Orozco (Ventura, Cali.), Chris Rea (San Diego, Cali.), Moritz Runzi (Boston, Mass.), Ian Scally (Thousand Oaks, Cali.), Rob Schilling (Long Beach, Cali.), Paul Singh (Simi Valley, Cali.), Tyler Sundeen (Simi Valley, Cali.) and Spencer Reed (Ventura, Cali).
The following athletes have been selected to the 2013-14 U.S. Men’s Development Squad:
Sean Cicchi (Thousand Oaks, Cali.), Alex Cunningham, Nick Gendreau (Ventura, Cali.), Austin Groeneveld (Jenkintown, PA), JaJa Kentwell (Spring City, PA), Tom McCarthy (East Windsor, CT), Ranjot Sangha (Sacremento, Cali), Amandip Sandhu (Sacramento, Cali.), Amarpreet Sidhu (San Jose, Cali.), Kanwarpreet Sidhu (San Jose, Cali.), Asavir Singh Kalla (Cupertino, Cali.) and Ajaypal Singh (Hayward, Cali.)
The following athletes have been selected to the 2013-14 U.S. Men’s Under-20 Squad:
Doug Allison (Westlake Village, Ca.), Rishi Bhargava (Mountain View, Ca.), Sean Cicchi (Thousand Oaks, Ca.), Alex Cunningham (Bad Kreuznach, Germany), Cody Cooper (Johnstown, NY), Glen Carr (Shickshinny, Pa.), Nick Gendreau (Ventura, Ca.), Jaspreet Gill (Placentia, Ca.), Austin Groeneveld (Jenkintown, Pa.), Phil Hamill (Bethlehem, Pa.), Michael Hirsch (Thousand Oaks, Ca.), Arshot Khokar (Valencia, Ca.), Tom McCarthy (East Windsor, Ct.), Jed McGuigan (Thousand Oaks, Ca.), Nathaniel O'Lari (Orange, Ma.), Kenny Patrone (Swell, Nj), Nicholas Richardson (Kents Hill, Me.), Robert Rubens (Frankenthal, Germany), Amandip Sandhu (Sacramento, Ca.), Josh Schindler (Ventura, Ca.), Suraj Sharma (Los Altos, Ca.), Amarpreet Sidhu (San Jose, Ca.), Hansraj Singh (San Jose, Ca.), Ajaypal Singh (Hayward, Ca.), Jacob Stone (Camarillo, Ca.), Trent Warren (Moorpark, Ca.) and Pedro Zepeda (Ventura, Ca.)
The following athletes have been selected to the 2013-14 U.S. Men’s Under-17 Squad:
Jaxon Bakerman (Westlake Village, Ca.), Christian Deangelis (Doylestown, Pa.), Hamzah Hashmi (Granada Hills, Ca.), Evan Hrychyk (Moorpark, Ca.), Graeme Jackson (Moorpark, Ca.), Amar Khokar (Valencia, Ca.), Stuart Kentwell (Spring City, Pa.), Ethan La Sala (Thousand Oaks, Ca.), Jayce Lewis (Moorpark, Ca.), George McGuigan (Thousand Oaks, Ca.), Dominic Nishiguchi (Chula Vista, Ca.), Ajit Parmar (Fremont, Ca.), Keeling Pilaro (Southampton, NY), Prakash Sandhu (Winnetka, Ca.), Jaiveer Singh (Hayward, Ca.), Ben van Pelt (Hilltown, Pa.), Ismael Zepeda (Ventura, Ca.) and Alex Zuzick (Moorpark, Ca.)
Source: USA Field Hockey
