AU Field Hockey Coach Aims for 2008 Olympics

April 7, 2008

WASHINGTON - American University head field hockey coach Steve Jennings is hoping to add a couple stamps to his passport in the next few months. An assistant coach to the United States Women's National Team, Jennings will be heading to an Olympic qualifying tournament in Kazan, Russia on April 12, with sights set on helping to lead the U.S. women to a berth in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Jennings, whose tenure with the women's national team began in 2001, had his first Olympic experience as a player for the United States Men's National Team in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

"The tournament in Kazan will be a big test for our players and program," Jennings said. "Over the course of the past three years the team has applied a relentless single minded focus to reaching the world's biggest sporting stage and now the hour has arrived for us to perform. It is such a tremendous honor to be a part of the US program as we head into this challenge and I am confident in all aspects of our preparation--the excitement and intensity in the team is palpable and we will need it throughout the entire event."

The U.S. Women's National Team, currently ranked 11th in the world, had its first opportunity to qualify for the Games last summer in the Pan-American Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but were unable to earn the automatic bid, falling to Argentina in the final. The U.S. was then placed into one of three qualifying tournaments and was named the top seed in Kazan.

The Olympic field hockey competition consists of 12 women's teams. Nine teams have already qualified for Beijing: Holland, China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Great Britain, Germany and South Africa. Teams filling the remaining three slots will compete in qualifying tournaments held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, Vancouver, and Kazan, Russia.

The U.S. team has six games scheduled from April 19-27. They will play each member in their group (Belgium, France, India, Netherlands Antilles and Russia) before playing the final match determined by the results of the round-robin games. The winner of the six-team tournament will qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

Jennings is not American's only tie to this year's international field hockey stage. Three of Jennings' former players are suiting up for the Chilean National Team which is also looking to get to the Olympics through the Baku qualifier. Denise ('08) and Camila Infante ('06) and Javiera Villagra ('05) all had decorated careers for American. All three players finished in the top-12 in career points for AU.

"We are thrilled to have three alumnae on the Chilean team as they prepare for their own Olympic Qualifier," Jennings added. "Their team is a real up-and-comer on the international scene and the talent of our former players is an integral part of that transformation. We are so proud of Javi, Cami and Denise and wish them all the best as they attempt to fulfill their dream. They open with the two toughest teams so if they can get a great start to the tournament, they will be a real threat to make the final. We will be cheering for them!"