University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Announce Complete 2019 Freshman Class
6/26/2019 1:42:00 PM | Field Hockey
STORRS, Conn. – Head coach Nancy Stevens and the UConn field hockey team announced the addition of six student-athletes to the freshman class this fall. The Huskies will welcome Marie Auer, Natalie Brown, Anna Casinghino, Claire Jandewerth, Jerri Lankford and Alena Smargiassi.
The signees join Sophie Hamilton, McKenna Sergi and Erica Solomen, who were announced in November.
A native of Kalchreuth, Germany, Auer is a midfielder/forward. She played hockey for Club HG Nuremberg, serving as captain, and helped the team win the Bavarian Championship. She took part in the German National Team U16 and U18 training sessions. With the Bavarian team, she won the German indoor championship and placed second in the German outdoor championship.
Brown is a forward/midfielder from Stow, Mass. In 2018, she scored twice in the title game to lead Nashoba Regional High School to the Central Mass. Division I Championship. Nashoba reached the championship game in all four seasons with Brown on the team, and she helped them win the regional, sectional and conference championships in 2015. Brown played club for Strikers Field Hockey.
Casinghino is from Suffield, Conn., and is a midfielder. She was a four-time first team All-Conference selection and three-time All-State honoree. Casinghino She played club for Seekers Field Hockey.
Jandewerth is a back from Mannheim, Germany. She plays for the Mannheim Hockey Club.
Lankford is a back from Pocomoke, Md. She was a Maryland Player of the Year candidate in 2018 and was an All-State and All-Conference selection. Lankford participated in the AAU Junior Olympics and helped lead Holly Grove Christian School to four conference championships. She served as a three-time captain for Holly Grove and is the team's all-time leading goal scorer. Lankford is a member of the National Honor Society and was her class valedictorian.
Smargiassi is a goalkeeper from Breinigsville, Pa. She was named second team All-State and led Northwestern Lehigh High School to its first state playoff berth in 14 years. She played club for Xcalibur and won five junior premier league championships. Smargiassi is a member of the National Honors Society and earned All-State GPA and All-State Team GPA honors.
Stevens and her staff of Paul Caddy and Cheri Schulz are revered as some of the top recruiters nationally. Since Stevens came to Storrs in 1990, the Huskies have featured 32 NFHCA First Team All-Americans. Stevens, the all-time winningest coach in Division I with 681 career wins, has been named the NFHCA National Coach of the Year three times and has led UConn to three NCAA Championships.
