Haudenosaunee Nation Women’s Lacrosse P.O. Box 793, Ohsweken, N0A 1M0 [email protected]

Thorpe, Selvage, Koch and Holden Round out the 2015 Haudenosaunee U-19 Women’s World Cup National Team Coaching Staff

HAUDENOSAUNEE TERRITORIES, ONTARIO, AND NEW YORK STATE. February 20, 2014 – It is with great pleasure that the organizing body of Haudenosaunee Nation Women’s Lacrosse announces the coaching staff for the 2015 U-19 Women’s Lacrosse World Championship team.

Regy Thorpe will be leading the way as head coach, with Kristen Selvage, Maggie Koch and Sarah Holden all filling very important assistant coach roles. On the Management side, Tia Schindler is filling the General Manager position, assisted by Team Manager, Farrah Perkins.

Regy carries a lifetime of lacrosse experience and wisdom. He is a graduated player of and presently the assistant coach for the Division 1 Syracuse University women’s lacrosse team - a role he has held since 2009, as well as being the Director of Team Recruitment. In addition to his history at Syracuse University, he has been an integral part of many elite teams, including Head Coach of the Hamilton Nationals, in the Major Lacrosse League (MLL), General Manager of the Rochester Knighthawks in the National Lacrosse League (NLL), and Head Coach of the Six Nations Arrows Junior A team in the Ontario Lacrosse Association. Regy has an immense passion for the game and has consistently demonstrated this passion and his capabilities at all levels. When asked about his new role with the Haudenosaunee Nation Women’s Lacrosse U-19 team, he stated, “I am excited and honored to be selected to coach the U-19 Haudenosaunee ladies. The culture and the people have always been close to my heart. The Board has helped me put together some awesome coaching staff and we are already hard at work. Kristen brings a wealth of coaching history and will give us a really good punch on the offense side of the ball. Sarah is one of the best young coaching minds in the game and with her big time playing experience and leadership she will be a huge asset to us. Maggie has great coaching experience and her goalie expertise and defensive knowledge are second to none. The coaching staff and I look forward to the challenge of

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Haudenosaunee Nation Women’s Lacrosse P.O. Box 793, Ohsweken, Ontario N0A 1M0 [email protected]

molding this team over the next 16 months in order for us to compete for a medal in Scotland.”

Kristen Selvage is currently the Head Coach of Lock Haven University (Lock Haven, PA) women’s lacrosse team, and has proven to be an invaluable asset to the program. Her coaching and leadership experience dates back to 1998, and since her commencement as Head Coach at Lock Haven in 2001, she has taken the Lady Eagle program from a record of 2- 34 throughout the three regular seasons prior to her arrival, to an astounding accumulated record of 145-55 in twelve years. Her dedication to the Lock Haven program has clearly been proven as they have participated in three of the last five NCAA Semi-Finalists in 2005, 2007, and 2010, and finally, quarterfinalists in 2013. Kristen feels that the next step for her is to assist the Haudenosaunee Nation U-19 program in growing and improving the game for all players to come.

Maggie Koch carries 4 years of NCAA Division 1 women’s lacrosse experience with her as a graduated player of (Washington, D.C.), which was consistently ranked nationally in the top 10 of Division 1 teams. She earned much recognition while playing at G.U., including NCAA Division 1 Goalkeeper of the Year in 2006. From 2007 to 2011, Maggie was an assistant coach at Syracuse University, focusing primarily on goalkeeping and defense. During this time, the team progressed to the NCAA Final Four Tournament in 2008 and 2010, and also the NCAA Quarter Finals in 2009. In 2012, Maggie also volunteered at Onondaga Community College as an assistant goalkeeping coach. She possesses valuable coaching experience acquired at the high school, junior college and Division 1 university levels, all of which have given her a very broad grasp of the game as well as consistent development as a coach. She continues to build her resume as she recently became Director of Events for NXT Sports in Pennsylvania, and is also presently an assistant coach at the prestigious Radnor High School in Pennsylvania. Her true passion for the game, along with her playing and coaching experience, as well as dedication to helping players and teams follow through with their goals will be of great benefit to the Haudenosaunee organization.

Sarah Holden is currently an assistant coach at Brown University (Providence, R.I.) and possesses a wealth of knowledge as an experienced, graduated player of Syracuse University women’s lacrosse - having played under the proficient guidance of coaches Gait, Thorpe, and Katrina Dowd. She served as Team Captain for the 2011-12 season, and in 2012 the team made it to the NCAA National Championship finals where she was also selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. Coaching at Brown University has proven to be a great leadership experience for her, and is complemented by her efficient, organizational and communication skills; all of which she brings to the Haudenosaunee team and organization. Sarah is very

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Haudenosaunee Nation Women’s Lacrosse P.O. Box 793, Ohsweken, Ontario N0A 1M0 [email protected]

excited about the opportunity to contribute to the U-19 Haudenosaunee Nation women’s journey leading up to and including the 2015 World Cup.

Tia Schindler was born and raised in the Haudenosaunee community known as Six Nations of the Grand River in Southern Ontario, Canada. Six Nations has long been known as a hotbed for men’s lacrosse, but only since 1995 have women played in this community. Tia is one of the first women who played in Six Nations and during her lacrosse career she has also umpired, coached, and was one of the original members of the Board which took the first ever U-19 Haudenosaunee women’s team to a world event, namely, the 2007 IFWLA U-19 Women’s World Cup Championship in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. This past summer, Tia played on the 2013 Haudenosaunee Nation team that participated in the FIL Women’s World Cup in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Tia brings enthusiasm, a variety of experiences, and an insurmountable amount of love of the game to her new role as General Manager.

Farrah Perkins is also a Haudenosaunee woman from Six Nations, who demonstrates a passion for the game and dedication to the athletes. Perkins commenced her coaching career in 2006 with the South Carolina Lacrosse League where she coached at the varsity high school level for seven years. She coached with the Riverside Warriors and the Hillcrest Rams. She was part of the coaching staff that led Riverside to the State Championship in 2008 and 2011. Perkins has always been passionate about helping in her home community of Six Nations. In 2011, she coached the Six Nations U-15 B Division Championship team and more recently, was an assistant coach with the 2013 Haudenosaunee Nation Women’s World Cup team. Farrah brings her passion, love for the game, and dedication to the Haudenosaunee women athletes to her new role as Team Manager for the U-19 Haudenosaunee Nation Women’s Lacrosse team.

Regy Thorpe, his coaching staff and the two managers have great aspirations for the U-19 team and we warmly welcome them to the Haudenosaunee territories to continue this incredible journey.

The 2015 U-19 Women’s World Cup will be held from July 23rd to August 1st 2015, at the University of Edinburgh, Peffermill Sports Complex in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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