Harvard defenseman Angela Ruggiero ’02-04 and Harvard captain-elect Jaime Hagerman ’03 were among 45 athletes selected for the 2001 U.S.A. Hockey Women’s National Team Festival, which will be held in Lake Placid, N.Y. from Aug. 13 to Aug. 22.

Forward Julie Chu, who is expected to attend Harvard after the Olympics in fall of 2002, and former Harvard co-captain A.J. Mleczko ’97-99 were also among the selections.

The pool of 45 players will ultimately be pared down to a roster of 20 athletes who will make the U.S. Olympic Team. At the end of the August camp, 25 skaters will be chosen to play a full schedule with the 2001-02 U.S. National Team. The final Olympic roster cut will be made in January prior to the Salt Lake Games.

“After a full season of evaluation we feel we’ve zeroed in on the top 45 players in the nation,” said U.S. National Team Coach Ben Smith. “We are looking forward to these outstanding athletes competing for a spot on the National Team this August and then potentially for a final roster spot on the Olympic Team.”

The stakes for the 2002 Olympic Team are particularly high since the Games will be played on American soil.

“We really want to win the gold medal in front of our own crowd,” said Ruggiero last October.

Ruggiero, Mleczko and Chu were on the 2000-01 U.S. National Team that earned a silver medal at the Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship last April. Hagerman has yet to appear in action with the national team, although she has played for the U.S. Under-22 Select Team.

The Canadian National Team, which featured 2000-01 Crimson co-captain Jennifer Botterill ’02-03 and winger Tammy Shewchuk ’00-01, won the world title. Botterill was named the tournament’s most outstanding player after scoring a world-best eight goals in five games.