Harvard Trio Named to U.S. Women's National Team

Julie Chu '06-07 featured in USA Today

BLAINE, Minn. – Former Olympians and Harvard standout skaters Caitlin Cahow ’07-08, Julie Chu ’06-07 and Angela Ruggiero ’02-04 are among 23 players named to the 2009-10 U.S. Women’s National Team, as announced this afternoon by USA Hockey.

The national squad will take part in the Qwest Tour, a 10-game, nine-city domestic tour that begins on Sept. 25 in St. Paul, Minn., and concludes just prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, B.C. In addition to the Qwest Tour, Team USA will compete in two international tournaments, as well as three games against the Canadian National Team in Canada and additional games against Minnesota high school boys’ teams.

The team was selected following the 2009 USA Hockey Women’s National Festival, which ran from Aug. 19-23 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn. The festival featured 41 of the top female hockey players in the United States. The 2010 U.S. Olympic Women’s team will be announced in mid-December and will be comprised of 21 players.

Ruggiero, who is hoping to make her fourth Olympic appearance with Team USA, captured the gold medal in 1998, the silver in 2002 and the bronze in 2006. She was a four-time All-American and the winner of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, presented to the nation’s top Division I women’s college hockey player, in 2004. She will be joined on the Team USA defense by Cahow, who earned the bronze with the U.S. squad at the 2006 Olympics. Cahow was an All-America selection as a senior at Harvard in 2007-08.

Chu, a forward, is looking to make her third trip to the Olympics with Team USA, having won the silver in 2002 and the bronze in 2006. The NCAA’s all-time leading scorer with 284 points on 196 assists and 88 goals, Chu took home the Patty Kazmaier trophy in 2007 and garnered three All-America selections.

Photo of Angela Ruggiero '02-04, Caitlin Cahow '07-08 and Julie Chu '06-07 courtesy USAHockey.com.