We have been hearing rave reviews about the recent Shooting Star Easter Field Hockey Tournament, hosted by College Connection at the brand new D.E. Turf Sports Complex in Frederica, Delaware.  The inaugural recruiting showcase event was an extension of College Connection’s Shooting Star Thanksgiving Tournament, which enters it’s 4th year in 2017.  The Shooting Star series provides student-athletes interested in playing field hockey in college with first class opportunities to get seen by college coaches on turf.  The events are especially appealing for college coaches because they get to see hundreds of players play at once, and get quality evaluations of them on turf and at complex’s with manageable layouts for recruiting.  This shift to turf recruiting events has been a big one as of late and one that College Connection has taken the lead on.

The 2-day, sold-out event attracted 84 U14, U16 and U19 teams from 12 different states (DE, KY, MD, MO, NH, NJ, NY, NC, OH, PA, VA) and Canada.  9 of MAX Field Hockey’s recently released Top 25 clubs were in attendance.  Over 80 coaches attended representing 56 Division I, II and III colleges, including the 2016 NCAA Division I National Champions, University of Delaware, and the 2016 NCAA Division II National Champions, Shippensburg University (see full list below).  Another 20 coaches logged into the event via the event’s recruiting software, Coach Packet.

The tournament was the first major event hosted at the brand-new D.E. Turf Sports Complex and all 12 of the complex’s turf fields were utilized.  Delaware native and former Olympian and USA National Team captain Carrie Lingo was the Master of Ceremonies and was instrumental in the creation of the facility with field hockey as one of the primary users.  Lingo is a member of the Board of the DE Sport’s Commission and was onsite to see the tournament in full swing.

College Connection, in usual fashion, held a first class event that not only included competitive game play, but all of the finer details that make an event truly run smoothly- well thought out traffic patterns and parking, a bustling vendor village, great college coach hospitality, Goalie Wars, Easter Baskets for the Pool Champions, and fun Easter events for the teams to participate in, including an Easter Egg Hunt.

College Connection President Pam Hixon shared her thoughts on the weekend: “The inaugural Shooting Star-Easter tourney at the brand new DE Turf Sports Complex was a huge success.  The tournament energy was excellent.  Sunny weather, the  new venue with good “player and fan flow”,  Goalie Wars, Easter Egg Hunt, and healthy competition, lead to great two days in Delaware.  D.E. Turf Facility Manager Chris Gaiccomucci, his staff and Kent County, worked tirelessly to have the facility ready for Shooting Star.  They professionally managed all daily aspects of the tournament  – always super friendly and helpful.  We look forward to working with Chris and his staff at Shooting Star Easter 2018 along with other future events.”

Executive director Chris Giacomucci also shared his thoughts on the weekend: “To host the Shooting Star Tournament as our first ever event at our brand new all-turf facility was a tremendous opportunity for the Turf.  From our perspective, Shooting Star was a huge Easter weekend success! Parents were happy, plenty of competition and an overall energetic atmosphere. College Connection delivered a first-class tournament and we look forward to developing a long and successful relationship with them.”

College Connection is now preparing for their Shooting Star Thanksgiving Tournament at the River City Sportsplex in Richmond, Virginia, November 24-26th.  Team registration is now open.  Click here to LEARN MORE

SHOOTING STAR EASTER COLLEGES IN ATTENDANCE

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY DIVISION
Alvernia University 3
Amherst College 3
Bowdoin College 3
Bryn Mawr College 3
Cedar Crest College 3
Clark University 3
Columbia University 1
Connecticut College 3
Converse College 2
DeSales University 3
Drew University 3
Drexel University 1
Eastern University 3
Endicott College 3
Franklin & Marshall College 3
Frostburg State University 3
Gwynedd Mercy University 3
Hamilton College 3
Haverford College 3
Juniata College 3
Kean University 3
Kenyon College 3
Lehigh University 1
Limestone College 2
Marywood University 3
McDaniel College 3
Middlebury College 3
Misericordia Univeristy 3
Northeastern University 1
Ohio Wesleyan University 3
Pace University 2
Providence College 1
Randolph-Macon College 3
Roanoke College 3
Rutgers University 1
Sacred Heart University 1
Salisbury University 3
Shenandoah University 3
Shippensburg University 2
Slippery Rock University 3
St. John Fischer College 3
Stonehill College 2
Susquehanna University 3
Temple University 1
Towson University 1
Trinity College 3
University of Delaware 1
University of Maryland 1
University of Michigan 1
University of New Haven 2
Villanova University 1
Virginia Wesleyan College 3
Washington College 3
Williams College 3
Yale University 1
York College 3

VIEW FINAL POOL STANDINGS & FULL RESULTS BY AGE GROUP:

U14                U16            U19

POOL WINNERS

U14 Pool A Champions – South Jersey Knights

U14 Pool B Champions – Shore Byrds

U14 Pool C Champions – Coyotes Santa Fe

Photo Unavailable

U16 Pool A Champions – WC Eagles

U16 Pool B Champions – XCaliber Lancers

U16 Pool C Champions – Metro HC


U16 Pool D Champions – Shore Byrds


U16 Pool E Champions – CPFH

U19 Pool A Champions – Oranje

U19 Pool B Champions – Spark


U19 Pool C Champions – Horizon Blaze


U19 Pool D Champions – College Connection II


U19 Pool E Champions – Shore Byrds


U19 Pool F Champions – Coyotes

U14 Easter Egg Hunt Champions – Northeast Elite


U16 Easter Egg Hunt Champions – DE Shore


U19 Easter Egg Hunt Champions – Shore Byrds


2017 Most Spirited Team Award – U14 Shore Byrds

College Connection Field Hockey Showcases Image
About College Connection:
College Connection is an industry leading, multi-faceted organization, fully focused on assisting high school student-athletes achieve their sporting and academic collegiate dreams.