STAFF REPORTS
ONEONTA, N.Y. — SUNY Oneonta field hockey seniors Carissa Warren (Harpursville), Allyson Bilow (Webster) and Allyson Wells (Niskayuna) were part of a U.S. All-Star team that toured and played in Australia during June 11-22. The U.S. squad was made up of athletes from NCAA Divisions I, II and III and was coached by Jackie Kane, Head Coach at Division I Fairfield University.
In addition to Oneonta, the team included players from Bloomsburg University, Clark University, College of Wooster, Hartwick College, King’s (Pa) College, Limestone College, Saint Louis University, St. Thomas Aquinas College, The College at Brockport, Susquehanna University and the University of Southern Maine.
The team was organized through Beyond Sports, which regularly organizes groups and collegiate teams to compete internationally. During the trip, which included three games against local club teams, the group toured the sights in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast getting to know something about the people, history, and culture of each of the places they visited.
“Australia was an amazing opportunity and we all had so much fun,” commented Warren. “The teams were very skilled, and the competition was great. We saw some many sights in each of the cities we visited. My favorite part was getting to pet kangaroos and hold koalas.”
While in Sydney, the group did a walking tour of the city while getting to go into the Sydney Eye Tower observation deck where they could see the whole city. In Brisbane, the group saw the Botanical Gardens, Mount Coot-tha and the Story Bridge while being able to relax on the long stretches of beaches. The Gold Coast excursion was where the group had the opportunity to visit Currumbin Wildlife Park and Lamington National Park.
The trio join former Oneonta field hockey players Ashley Morgan ’14, Ashley Johnson ’13 and Nicole Johnston ’18 who traveled with USA Athletes International to Scotland in 2012 and 2017.
All three players are returning starters for the Red Dragons and all earned All-SUNYAC honors including first team accolades for Bilow and Wells. Bilow and Wells also earned All-Region honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. The Red Dragons finished last fall 13-6 overall and 5-1 in conference play. Oneonta opens the 2018 season on Saturday, Sep. 1 versus Utica College at New Paltz beginning at 2pm.
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