May 1, 2009

LOWELL, Mass. - Eighth-year head coach Shannon Hlebichuk has announced the addition of six student-athletes to the UMass Lowell field hockey team. Sarah Demty (Seekonk, Mass.), Chelsea Gillies (Chelmsford, Mass.), Vanessa Kent (Charlton, Mass.), Emily Painten (Walpole, Mass.), Cassie-Raye Stuart (North Kingston, R.I.) and Sarah Wilcox (Stillwater, Maine) have committed to play for the River Hawks.

Two of the newcomers - Demty and Kent - are on Dean's Scholarships. Students considered for a Dean's Scholarship must have a high school GPA of 3.25 (out of a possible 4.0) and must have a combined SAT score of at least 1100. Recipients are selected, during the admissions process, by each dean of UMass Lowell's undergraduate colleges on the basis of academic achievements and extra curricular activities.

Demty was a three-year varsity letter winner in field hockey at Seekonk High School. She led the team in scoring as a senior, a year in which she was the team's captain and MVP. Demty was also selected to the Sun Chronicle's All-Star team in 2008. Demty plans to major in Biology at UMass Lowell with aspirations of becoming a dentist.

"I was impressed with Sarah right away," said Hlebichuk. "She has tremendous potential to become an impact player for us in the backfield. Her attitude, work ethic, coachability and athleticism make her perfect fit for our program. We are excited to watch Sarah develop over the next four years."

Kent was a four-year starter at Shepherd Hill Regional High School. Kent was a Central Mass All-Star, a New England Premier All-Star Team and selected to the Classic All-Tournament Team. She was Shepherd Hill Regional's captain and MVP as a senior. Kent plans to major in Business Administration.

"Vanessa is very skillful and strong at the midfield," Hlebichuk said of Kent. "She has great field vision and is fundamentally sound. She's a tremendous playmaker and we anticipate she will provide us with depth in the midfield. We are very excited Vanessa chose UMass Lowell."

Gillies joins the River Hawks program after a successful career at Chelmsford High School. Gillies was selected to play in the 2008 Bay State Game and was the team's MVP. Gillies, the team's captain, was also a Merrimack Valley All-Conference and Lowell Sun All-Star. Gillies will be a Nursing major.

"Chelsea was a three sport standout and captain at Chelmsford High School," said Hlebichuk. "That says a lot about her character and how her teammates perceive her. She is a very versatile and her versatility is what makes her special. We anticipate that Chelsea will be playing at both the midfield and backfield lines."

Painten comes to UMass Lowell from Walpole High School where she helped the Southeast team capture the 2008 Bay State League championship. Painten served as captain of the 2008 squad at Walpole and was a Boston Herald All-Scholastic, Boston Globe All-Scholastic, Bay State League All Star and a Massachusetts Best of 60 All-Star in 2008. Painten plans to major in Criminal Justice at UMass Lowell.

"We're excited to have Emily commit to UMass Lowelll," Hlebichuk said. "She comes from one of, if not, the most respected high school programs in the northeast region. Emily has been playing field hockey since a very young age which leads to the fact that she is very strong fundamentally. She also has competed at a very high level with both her high school and club field hockey teams. She will be one of our more experienced incoming players. She has great size and great anticipation skills. She sees the field very well and we anticipate that she will be an impact player for us in the backfield."

Stuart was a four-year member of the varsity field hockey program at North Kingston High School. She was the team's captain and MVP, and All-State selection in 2008. Stuart earned All-Tournament honors in 2007 and 2008 as North Kingston won the state championship both years. Stuart will be student in the College of Health and Environment at UMass Lowell.

"Cassie is extremely athletic, fit and strong," said Hlebichuk. "She has only been playing field hockey for three years, but her potential is outstanding. She will provide size, speed and scoring capabilities to our forward line. We expect big things from Cassie in the years to come."

Wilcox comes to UMass Lowell from Old Town High School. Over her career at Old Town, Wilcox was an All-State and an All-Conference First Team selection. She also played basketball and softball at Old Town. Wilcox plans to major in Nursing at UML.

"Sarah really wanted to play for a competitive field hockey program which allowed her to major in Nursing," said Hlebichuk. "I think she was very happy when she found that UMass Lowell offered both. Sarah is a natural athlete. She uses her speed, skills and competitiveness to her advantage. We are excited to watch Sarah develop and expect that she will be an exciting player to watch at both our midfield and defensive lines, and even quite possibly, our forward line."

The six newcomers replace the River Hawks' seven seniors from 2008.

"I'm very excited for this class," added Hlebichuk. "Replacing the seven that are graduating is a big class to replace. But I feel confident that Sarah, Vanessa, Emily, Sarah, Cassie, and Chelsea have the ability, the work ethic and the desire in ensuring the continuation of the winning tradition at UMass Lowell. They all understand the expectations both academically and athletically that we expect from our players. And I know they are already committed to helping this program continue to achieve at the highest level in Division II.

The River Hawks went 20-5 in 2008, and captured their second straight NE-10 regular season championship with a 17-1 conference record. UML reached the NCAA Final Four for the sixth year in a row in 2008.