Orono, ME - The University of Maine field hockey program announced their incoming class for the 2024 season, which features four first-year athletes and four transfers.

"We are excited to welcome our incoming class to our Black Bear family. This class brings a tremendous amount of talent and experience to our program. These players will fit in well with our current team culture and the hard work of our returning players in the off season."

Emily Chisholm, a native of Burlington, Ontario, Canada, joins the Black Bears for her first year of NCAA Field Hockey after standout careers with her previous team, Assumption CSS, and her club team, GoA Reds FHC. Chisholm has also excelled at the International level. She has been training with Team Canada's "Next Gen" program since her U16 days. From this program she was selected to compete with Team Canada in international tournaments in the USA and France, and most recently in Chile at the 2023 Jr. World Cup. In 2022, she won the U18 National Championship with Team Ontario. At Assumption, Chisholm was a three-time MVP, a three-time captain, the programs all-time leading goal scorer and the Senior Female Athlete of the Year.

Connie Davies, a native of Newport, Wales, UK, joins the Black Bears for her first year of NCAA Field Hockey after a successful career at Clifton College in England. Davies has also had the opportunity to represent her country, playing for Wales since the U16 National Team. With her club team, Swansea Hockey Club, she recently won the under 18s National Cup in 2024.

Floor Dijkhuizen, a native of Amsterdam, Netherlands, joins the Black Bears for her first year of NCAA Field Hockey after a successful career with her club team in the Netherlands, AMVJ. She spent the past 13 years with the club, where she plays with the under 18s First Team. Her club competes in the second-highest level in Dutch Hockey. Dijkhuizen most recently played in a National 3v3 tournament, where her team placed second.

Maeve Fogarty, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, joins the Black Bears as an undergraduate transfer from the University of Rochester, where she won nearly every award available at her position across her two seasons as a Yellowjacket. She was the 2022 Liberty League Rookie of the Year, the 2023 Liberty League Player of the Year, the 2023 NFHCA Region III Player of the Year and a NFHCA DIII First Team All-American as she helped her program to the 2022 NCAA Sweet 16 and back-to-back Liberty League Conference Tournament Championships. Fogarty is also a two-time National Academic Squad member.

Micalea Grajales, a native of Montevideo, Uruguay, joins the Black Bears after a four-year career at Quinnipiac University. Before her time at Quinnipiac, she was a four-time (2016-19) first place winner in the 1st Division of the Uruguayan National Tournament. Grajalas has also competed at the International level, representing Uruguay from 2016 to 2019. While at Quinnipiac, she served as the Team Captain for two seasons (2022, 2023) and was a two time BIG EAST All-Academic Team honoree.

Rozarie Mrazova, a native of Rakovnik, Czech Republic, joins the Black Bears as a graduate transfer for the University of J.E. Purkyne in Usti nad Labem. As a goalkeeper and member of the Czech National Team, she is a two-time Eurohockey Club Challenge participant, she has competed in the Eurohockey Championships four times and she has competed in the indoor Eurohockey Championships three times. In 2023, she competed in the Indoor Hockey World Cup with the Czeck National Team.

Alexandra Sacker, a native of Turnbridge Wells, Kent, England, joins the Black Bears after a four-year career at Kent State University. She helped lead the program to back-to-back MAC Regular Season Championships in 2021 and 2022, she was a two-time captain of the program, and in her final season, she ranked third in the MAC in defensive saves, Off the field, Sacker was a three-time Dean's List honoree. Before Kent State, Sacker played with the Holcombe Hockey Club on the Ladies 1s for four seasons.

Victoria Tinghitella, a native of Lujan, Buenos Aires, Argentina, joins the Black Bears after four seasons at Kent State University. She helped lead her team to being two-time MAC Regular Season Champions in 2021 and 2022, she is a three-time All-Mac Academic Honors winner and served as her team captain during the 2023 season. Before Kent State, Tinghitella played with the Lujan Rugby Club from 2010 to 2020.

The Black Bears look to open up their 2024 season on Friday, August 30 as they will take on the 2021 National Champions, the Northwestern Wildcats.

-UMaine-