Field Hockey Adds Eight to Comprise Class of 2020
5/19/2016 10:49:00 AM | Field Hockey
NEW YORK – Columbia head field hockey coach Caroline Nelson-Nichols will welcome in eight student-athletes to comprise the Class of 2020. The group features players from five states and one from overseas.
“I am incredibly excited to welcome this group into the Columbia field hockey family,” said Nelson-Nichols. “We are bringing in some very talented and passionate players who I know will immediately impact this program.”
“Together they offer an excellent balance of athleticism, service to the community and academic integrity - all pieces instrumental in helping Columbia continue to make waves in the Ivy League,” Nelson-Nichols concluded.
Blindenbach received first team all-conference, first team all-region and second team all-state honors and was named team MVP and Capitol Conference Co-Player of the Year as a senior. The Virginia-native helped her team to a conference championship in her sophomore year and runner-up finishes as both a junior and senior. Blindenback played club field hockey for the Southeast Storm and also swam and played soccer. She is a National Honor Society member, German National Honor Society member, National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, AP Scholar with distinction and finished first in Virginia on the National German Exam in her junior year.
Fallon, a two-year team captain at Episcopal High School, was named MVP and All-Southern Preparatory Conference in 2014 and 2015. She also won a National Club Championship in 2013 with the Texas Pride Field Hockey Club. Fallon has exhibited artwork at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and uses her commercial art and graphic design skills as Vice President of Marketing for her brother's charity, Gloves for Good. She is a member of the National Honor Society, National Chinese Honor Society and is an AP Scholar. Fallon comes from an athletic background as her mother played college field hockey and her brother currently plays baseball at Harvard. Both of her parents are Columbia Business School graduates.
Hollander played for AH&BC Amsterdam, the largest club in the city, where she played both field hockey and indoor hockey. She was a member of two gold medal Dutch Indoor National Championship teams and two bronze medal Dutch National Field Competition teams. Hollander also volunteers as a field hockey coach, teaching the game to younger girls. Hollander wrote her senior thesis about the possible transition of fossil fueled energy to green energy by comparing the energy policies of six countries.
Ladas comes to Columbia after leading the Severna Park Falcons to three-straight Maryland 4A State Championships. As a senior captain, she was named first team all-county by the Capital Gazette, MPSAA first team all-state, first team all-metro by the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun and first team Mid Atlantic All-Region selection by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. Ladas is an AP Scholar, a Minds in Motion Top Scholar, and a member of the National Honor Society.
At Phillips Academy, McCarthy won the 2015 NEPSAC Class A Championship, the team's first in 22 years. She was named captain, received 2015 NEPSAC Class A All-Tournament Team honors and received the 2015 Abbot Academy Field Hockey Award. McCarthy also won the Festival U19 Championship in 2014 with the Boston Field Hockey Club. She is a multi-sport athlete, playing ice hockey and lacrosse along with field hockey.
Trieschman was named All-Southwest Preparatory Conference in 2015 and helped lead St. John's School to Southwest Preparatory Conference Championships in 2012 and 2015. She was voted team MVP in 2014 and 2015 and led her team in goals and defensive saves in 2015. Trieschman was also a member of the St. John's lacrosse team that won three straight Texas State Championships. She was elected Prefect, the highest elected position in student government, and earned high academic honors from 2012 to 2016.
Wiklund was named captain and MVP of Arlington Catholic Field for three years. She played club field hockey for the Northeast Elite U19 Elite Team. Wiklund also was a four-year letter winner in tennis and was named team captain in 2016. She has been on the honor roll all four years of high school and is a member of the National Honors Society.
Zurlinden comes to Columbia after winning the Midwest State Championship and being named to the Metro League First team in 2013, 2014 and 2015. She received National Field Hockey Coaches Association Midwest All-Region honors in 2014 and 2015. She has participated in the National Club Championships with the AIM Club in St. Louis and took a gold medal (2015) and silver medal (2014) at the National Futures Championships. Zurlinden has been named a High School All-Region Player in 2015 by Max field Hockey and the Harrow/JPOL U-19 Top Goal Scorer.
