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HANOVER
Head coach: Gail Anderson.
2009 record: 2-15, 1-9 YAIAA III.
Key losses: Brittany Weckesser, Kayla Kelly.
Athletes to watch: Sarah Hammond, sr., goaltender; Kelsey Klinedinst, sr., midfield; Dana Roub, sr., forward; Ashley Yealy, sr., forward.
Outlook: The Hawkettes managed to produce two wins -- a 2-1 nod against Littlestown and a 2-0 shutout of York Suburban -- last season, despite being held to six goals in all of 2009.
Yealy, who tallied two of the goals, returns for Anderson, who is coaching her second season.
The Hawkettes are helped by the return of Hammond, who posted 188 saves last season.
Quotable: "Many players worked hard over the summer to improve their game. They are hungry for more than two wins this year." -- Gail Anderson
SOUTH WESTERN
Head coach: Hollis Long.
2009 record: 9-10, 8-6 YAIAA I.
Key losses: Brynn Seidenstricker, Emily Smith, Ashley Vogan.
Athletes to watch: Whitney Wisner, sr., defense; Kandi Utz, sr., forward; Holly Martin, jr., midfield; Allison Groft, jr., forward; Kim Vogan, jr., midfield; Alex Gale, jr., goalkeeper; Kasie Mahorney, jr., forward; Katie Wherley, jr., forward;
Outlook: Long returns to the helm after three years away to follow her daughter's field hockey career. She takes a team which outscored rivals by 12 goals last season, but which lost seven goals by one or two goals.
Groft is the leading returning scorer with seven goals and three assists last season, while Wherley contributed two goals and one assist.
Gale will likely move into the cage after two goalkeepers split varsity duty and allowed only
26 goals in 2009.
Quotable: "Offensively, they are hungry in the attack. Defensively, still under construction. You can count on a team that's unified and willing to work for a win." -- Hollis Long
DELONE CATHOLIC
Head coach: John Henn.
2009 record: 4-13-1, 3-7 YAIAA III.
Key losses: Ashley Barnhart, Maddie Raville, Becca Bowman.
Athletes to watch: Brianna Troyer, sr., forward; Brooke Brillhart, sr., midfield; Becky Hann, soph., forward-midfield.
Outlook: Shut out in five of the final six games last season, offense was a particular problem for a Squirette squad which tallied 12 times all season.
That concern will have to be solved by a team of largely untested varsity players, according to Henn, who said three junior starters from last season did not return for the 2010 campaign.
Brilhart did lead Delone with six goals in 2009 while Henn tallied one goal and one assist as a freshman.
LITTLESTOWN
Head coach: Kelly Roth.
2009 record: 9-9, 6-4 YAIAA III.
Key losses: Susan So, Carrie Arentz, Casey Bougourd, Natalie Kinard.
Athletes to watch: Jenna Chrismer, sr., forward; Allison Quinley, sr., defense; Carmen Hegarty, sr., midfield; Carlee Harrison sr., defense; Skye Ripple, jr., forward.
Outlook: The Lady Bolts experienced a season of streaks in 2009 before ending it with three straight losses to fall to .500.
This year's edition will feature the team's leading scorer,
Chrismer, returning, while Ripple contributed six goals.
However, Roth is hoping to field a team with equally strong defense, though Littlestown must replace Arentz in goal. Consequently, the coach feels the Lady Bolts are the favorite in the division.
NEW OXFORD
Head coach: Cheryl Mowery.
2009 record: 14-5, 11-3 YAIAA I.
Key losses: Brittney Smith, Lauren Markle.
Athletes to watch: Megan Renaut, sr., midfield-forward; Carley Sehestedt, sr., forward-midfield; Daniela Ildefonso, jr., defense; Sarah Kindschuh, jr., forward-midfield; Autumn Shank, jr., forward-midfield; Tarah-Lynn Smith, jr., forward-midfield; Krysten Dema, soph., defense; Sarah Groft, soph., defense.
Outlook: With leading goal scorer Markle and leading assist producer Smith gone, the Colonials will field a team with only three seniors and 23 players.
Renaut, who tallied four goals last season, will be counted on to lead the attack, while Wolf will succeed Rebecca Brehm in goal after posting no saves in limited varsity duty in 2009.
Quotable: "To be successful, the players will have to be in top physical condition and be supportive of each other as teammates." -- Cheryl Mowery
SPRING GROVE
Head coach: Colleen Cunning.
2009 record: 2-14-2, 2-10-2 YAIAA I.
Key losses: Emily Smith, Kacie Miller, Tianna Weaver, Chelsey Grosberger.
Athletes to watch: Carly Bolton, sr., forward; Katy Metzger, sr., midfield; Abbie Crone, sr., midfield; Lindsay Sterner, sr., forward.
Outlook: Offense was clearly a problem for the Rockets, who scored five goals in the 2009 season.
Cunning, who adds field hockey to her duties as girls' lacrosse head coach, is hoping one of her leading scorers in that sport, Bolton, can add a spark in field hockey.
Crone is listed as a midfielder after she manned the goal last season and posted 131 saves. She is one of the team's six seniors.
BERMUDIAN SPRINGS
Head coach: Neil Bixler.
2009 record: 19-2, 10-0 YAIAA III.
Key losses: Rachael Kotula, Tabitha Harris, Eden Fitzkee, Molly Hynson, Nicole Bankert.
Athletes to watch: Abby Orwig, sr., forward; Allison Miller, sr., midfield; Lisa Inskip, sr., midfield; Amanda Savidge, sr., midfield; Kristi Davis, sr., defense; Angie Pasquini, jr., goalkeeper; Gabby Kuhn, jr., midfield.
Outlook: The Eagles produced plenty of firepower in 2009 with 95 goals. While some of the leaders of that attack have graduated, enough return to keep Bermudian among the division contenders.
Those players include Orwig, who tallied a team-high 19 goals and six assists, and Miller, who posted 13 goals and two assists.
The loss of Kotula, last year's All-Area Player of the Year, from the midfield hurts, but the returning players got plenty of playing time.
Davis, a second-team All-Area player last year, will be counted on defense to support Pasquini, who saw little action in varsity goal in 2009.
Quotable: "Key to the season will be the contributions of three sophomores and two juniors coming off the bench and how quick the team adapts to the new rules changes." -- Neil Bixler
GETTYSBURG
Head coach: Janelle Ebaugh.
2009 record: 6-11-1, 2-7-1 Mid-Penn Keystone.
Key losses: Bridget Williams-Kief, Cori Steimling, Erica Reichart, Mackenzie Varish.
Athletes to watch: Cheyenne Trail, sr., forward; Carissa Holt, sr., defense; Ellen Wetzel, sr., forward; Meagen Hill, jr., midfield; Taylor Wood, jr., defense; Kyele Bridel, jr., forward; Nikki Bennett, soph., midfield.
Outlook: For the past several years, Gettysburg has been challenged by some of the best field hockey teams in the midstate, but a change in divisions offers a new perspective, though Ebaugh figures Northern is the favorite.
After being held to 20 goals last season, Ebaugh is envisioning greater success from a squad led by Bridel, who tallied five goals and two assists in 2009. Varish added four goals and two assists, while Hill led the Warriors with three assists.
The Warriors must find a replacement for Steimling, who tallied more than 100 saves last season.
Quotable: "We are looking forward to being an offensive team with a lot of speed." -- Janelle Ebaugh
BIGLERVILLE
Head coach: Becky Smith.
2009 record: 16-5, 7-3 YAIAA III.
Key losses: Liz Witherow, Ashleigh Guise, Holly Wilkinson, Meghan McKinney.
Athletes to watch: Kortney Showers, sr., midfield; Kelsey Showers, sr., forward; Erika Van Dyke, sr., forward; Liz Maue, sr., forward; Beth Belcher, sr., defense.
Outlook: The graduation of Witherow and Guise takes away 35 of the team's 58 goals from last season, but Smith is optimistic an experienced senior class can fill the gaps.
An All-Area first-team player in 2008, Showers and Van Dyke, whose four assists in 2009 lead the returnees, each scored five goals last season. Both Maue and Belcher, who will spearhead the defense, are returning All-Area second-team players.
Breanna Bretzman, who recorded five saves in goal in limited duty, could replace Wilkinson in goal.
FAIRFIELD
Head coach: Kay Diffenbaucher.
2009 record: 4-12, 3-7 YAIAA III.
Key losses: Tasha Galloway, Angie Graff, Kate Roan, Rhea Roser, Amanda Smith, Allie Wagner.
Athletes to watch: Kelsey Diehl, sr., defense; Marina Fogle, sr., goalkeeper; Sarah Myers, sr., utility; Mackenzie Wilhide, sr., midfield; Kaitlyn Culley, jr., utility; Erin Donaldson, soph., defense-midfield; Kelly Quealy, soph., utility; Miranda Peiffer, soph., utility; Sarah Kasten, soph., utility; Kristi Kraft, fr., utility; Erika Nordberg, fr., forward-midfield.
Outlook: Limited to 19 goals last season, Fairfield will get a fresh start offensively in 2010 because most of last year's top scorers and every assist producer graduated.
However, the Green Knights will be experienced on defense because of the return of Diehl, Myers and Fogle, who posted 196 saves and a pair of one-goal victories last season.
Diffenbaucher has been pleased with the flexibility of her players' skills, which will allow her to juggle the lineup.
Quotable: "We do have speed, and one of our keys will be how much we can utilize that speed and hustle to neutralize the mistakes we will make because we are so very young." -- Kay Diffenbaucher
