May 8, 2012

HAMDEN, Conn. – Quinnipiac field hockey sophomore Christa Romano (Madison, N.J.) and current assistant coach Jaime Cassesse, a two-time All-Northeast Conference First Team selection in 2005 and 2006 at Quinnipiac, have been selected to compete on the 2012 USA Field Hockey North High Performance Training Squad.

"I am so proud of Christa and Jaime that they will represent the Bobcats at the USA Field Hockey level,” head coach Becca Main said. “The experience of playing with the highest caliber players in the country will lend itself well to Christa's game as she has become a consistent and dynamic performer for our team in the midfield this past year.  With assistant coach Jaime Cassesse returning to the competition arena I hope to see her get the chance to show off her gutsy and aggressive style of play. Both midfielders are excellent examples of what we want our players and recruits to aspire to be".

The team is comprised of athletes from Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York and will train at the University of Massachusetts for the next month before players are selected for the tournament squad that will compete in the High Performance Championships on June 1-8 at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.

Romano has just completed her second year at Quinnipiac. In two seasons, she has started in 18 of the 37 games she has played in on defense.

“Making this team means a lot to me,” Romano said. “Playing alongside some of the top athletes in the region is a real honor and privilege. I hope to be able to step up my game and grow as a player so that I can come back to QU and apply what I have learned to help our team the best that I can.”

In addition to NEC first team honors as a junior and senior, Cassesse was also an all-region selection as a senior. That year, she compiled a personal-best 20 points, on four goals and 12 assists. Her 12 assists as a senior were a Quinnipiac single-season record while she also graduated fourth all-time in the category.

“I wasn't even going to try out, but head coach Becca Main and assistant coach Cheryl Torino really pushed me to try,” Cassesse explained “I'm so grateful that they did. It is really great to have the chance to play competitive hockey, again, after being out of it for a bit. Getting to see Christa play so well against such talented players was amazing. I'm really looking forward to this next month of playing at such a high level. It's going to be a great experience.” 

Contact: Ken Sweeten (kfsweeten@quinnipiac.edu)