Ashley Reid of Enfield Selected to Play for American Field Hockey Team in European Competition

Field hockey season ended more than four months ago (or looking forward, begins five months from now), but the past week has brought some incredible news for three Enfield representatives of the sport.

On the heels of the elections of Cookie Bromage to the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and Karen (Hebert) Gowen to the Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame, came an announcement that Fermi High School alumnus Ashley Reid has been selected to represent the United States in a prestigious international event.

The 2013 Italy International Field Hockey Tour, to be contested in June, will feature an American team consisting of All-Conference, All-Region and All-American players from the Division I, II and III levels who have been selected as a 2012 top NCAA statistical leader to represent the USA with team AIST (American International Sports Teams).

Reid, a 2011 Fermi graduate who is currently a sophomore at Elms College in Chicopee, MA, will be part of Team AIST and travel to Italy to compete against club and national teams. Not only will she be competing against top competition from around the world, she will also have the opportunity to play with the top athletes from the USA and around the world.

"It hasn’t sunk in yet and it's overwhelming," Reid said in an email to Enfield Patch. "It is an honor to be selected. In my wildest dreams, I never thought that I would have an opportunity like this. To be a part of a USA Team and travel to Italy and represent the United States and Enfield, CT, is a dream come true."

Reid was a four-year All-Conference player and a Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-State player at Fermi. She was also an All-State performer in softball with the Falcons.

Fermi field hockey coach Amy Bartholomew said in an email to Enfield Patch, "I am so proud of Ashley. It is so wonderful that she is being recognized for her hard work and for her skills. It will be an amazing experience for her. I get so excited when my athletes decide to play in college, and now to hear that Ashley was chosen to play with elite athletes is fantastic!"

Reid continues to play both sports in college, while majoring in Sports Management and Coaching. She received the 2011 Coaches Award, 2012 NECC All-Tournament Player and the 2012 NECC All-Conference - Honorable Mention Defender.