MACCABI USA ANNOUNCES THE OPEN WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM FOR THE 20TH WORLD MACCABIAH GAMES
Philadelphia, PA, May 2, 2017 – The Maccabi USA Open Women’s Soccer Chairman Marc Backal, along with Head Coach Wendi Whitman and Assistant Coach Catie Chase are pleased to announce the Open Women’s Soccer Team for the 20th World Maccabiah Games, which will take place July 4-18, 2017 in Israel. Maccabi USA will bring a team of 1,100+ athletes who will be part of the 10,000 Jewish athletes from 80 countries, participating in 43 different sports.
The athletes are Chayse Bauer of Frisco, TX, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Samantha Bell of Lafayette, CA, University of Texas at Dallas; Sienna Drizin of Las Vegas, NV, University of California-Davis (’16); Emily Duner of Atlanta, GA, Northwestern University; Alexis Elowitch of Portland, ME, Saint Anslem College; Natasha Friedman of Phoenix, AZ, Simmons College; Ellie Greenberg of Gladwyne, PA, Middlebury College; Ally Grunstein of Warren, NJ, Quinnipiac University; Danielle Kaufman of Wilmette, IL, Bucknell University; Ariel Kupritz of Maryville, TN, University of Tennessee-Knoxville; Sara Messinger of Cherry Hill, NJ, George Washington University; Pamela Pierre of Houston, TX, University of Alabama-Birmingham (’07); Jessica Ritchie of Glencoe, IL, Cornell University; Gabrielle Rosenfeld of Holland, PA, Bucknell University; Rachel Sharkey of Bowie, MD, Drexel University; Jessica Shreck of Lido Beach, NY, Boston University; Olivia Silverman of Cincinnati, OH, Saint Louis University; Sydnie Telson of Trabuco Canyon, CA, University of San Francisco (’16); Monica Weiss of Boca Raton, FL, Lafayette College; and Libby Zelikowitz of Flushing, NY, Mercy College.
Since 1932, over 62,000 athletes have participated in the Maccabiah Games, in a celebration of Jewish Strength and Solidarity. Team USA’s success is not only measured by the medals won, but by the impact that the Maccabiah experience had on their lives as well as the friendships they formed.
Maccabi USA builds Jewish pride through sports, generating the emotional intensity, high ideals, and powerful camaraderie of competition. We connect athletes, volunteers, and supporters with the global Jewish community. Our athletic, educational, and cultural experiences build Jewish identity, perpetuate Jewish continuity worldwide, and strengthen support for the State of Israel.
For more information, please contact Maccabi USA Program Director Shane Carr at 215-561-6900 or by email at scarr@maccabiusa.com.
About the organization:
Maccabi USA (MUSA) is a federally-recognized not-for-profit 501(c)(3) Organization with an extensive history of enriching Jewish lives through athletic, cultural and educational programs. The Organization is the official sponsor of the United States Team to the World Maccabiah Games, and the Pan American and European Maccabi Games, as well as a sponsor of the JCC Maccabi Games for teens in North America. As the official Maccabi representative in the U.S., Maccabi USA supports Jewish athletic endeavors, enhanced by cultural and educational activities in the United States, Israel and throughout the Diaspora.
MUSA develops, promotes and supports international, national and regional athletic-based activities and facilities. It strives to provide Jewish athletes all over the world the opportunity to share their heritage and customs in competitive athletic settings. MUSA supports programs that embody the Maccabi ideals of Jewish Continuity, Zionism and Excellence in Sport. Maccabi USA Builds Jewish Pride Through Sports.
Maccabi USA has been selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) as a Multi-Sport Organization (MSO). The nonprofit Organization becomes one of 35 MSOs nationwide to be recognized by the USOC for its ability to cultivate a national interest in sport and increase opportunities for participation internationally, nationally and at the grassroots level.
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