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Jennings Joins U.S. Women's National Team in World Cup Qualifier
AU coach will serve as an assistant with squad

May 6, 2002

AU Field Hockey coach Steve Jennings will serve as an assistant coach with the U.S. Women's Field Hockey National Team in India, June 3-6. The U.S. squad is looking to qualify for the final spot int the 2002 World Cup.

WASHINGTON -- American University field hockey coach Steve Jennings will rejoin the U.S. Women's Field Hockey National Team this week as the club begins preparations for its final qualifier for the 2002 World Cup.

The U.S. National Team will train in New Zealand over the next three weeks, playing a four-game series against the host nation, before departing for New Delhi, India. There the United State will square off with India in a best-of-three series, June 3-6, to determine the final qualifier for the World Cup.

Jennings was named to the U.S. Women's National Team coaching staff last September after traveling to Germany with the team in July 2001 as an assistant coach. He was with the National Team in January when it competed in the Champions Challenge in South Africa.

A Bethesda, Md., native, Jennings first began playing field hockey in an area league while in high school. No stranger to internation competition, Jennings represented his country as a member of U.S. Men's Field Hockey National Team at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta where he served as vice-captain and logged the most playing time on the team.

He was a member of the U.S. Men’s National Team from 1991 to 1999, and participated in 91 international test matches. A bronze medalist in the 1995 and 1999 Pan-American Games, he also participated in eight U.S. Olympic Festivals and won three gold and two silver medals. Jennings later moved to Europe to play in the Dutch First Division Field Hockey League as the first U.S. athlete to compete in the highest Dutch division.

After the stint in Europe, Jennings returned to the U.S. and began his coaching career at American University in 1993. He acted as assistant coach for the Eagles until 1996 when he took an assistant coaching position at the Ohio State University. He returned to American in 1999 as head coach and currently holds a 25-25 career record.

In their first season of Patriot League competition in 2001, the Eagles finished with a 7-10 overall record and a 4-4 overall conference record. As the No. 3 seed, the Eagles advanced to the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament before falling to No. 2 seed Lafaytette.

American University is completing its inaugural year as a member of the Patriot League. The University, founded in 1893, fields a 19-sport Division I athletics program, featuring 10 women’s sports and nine for men.