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Nov. 14, 1997

Two Former Players Selected for National Team Pool

BERKELEY, Calif.--A pair of former Cal softball players have been selected to the U.S. National Team's 60-member elite athletic pool that will represent the United States in international competition leading up to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

The pool is divided into three levels, with the first level of 20 players including Gillian Boxx, a four-time All-American catcher for the Bears from 1992-95 and currently one of Cal's assistant coaches. Boxx was a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team that captured the gold medal in Atlanta.

Players on Boxx's level will be asked to take advantage of skills training, nutrition and performance enhancement programs to maintain their standing. The training will include camps at the U.S. Olympic Training Centers in San Diego and in Fort Worth, Texas. Level one athletes will also participate in competitions in China, New Zealand and Japan.

Among those in the second level of 20 players is another former Cal catcher, Lidia Stiglich, a member of Bear teams from 1989-92. Level two players will have an opportunity to compete for spots on the 17-member national team and will also be able to receive the same training as level one players.

The announcement of the national training pool is the start of USA Softball's most intensive athlete training program ever and will focus not only on the evaluation and selection of players to represent the United States, but also on the individual training and development of the program's elite athletes.

"We fully understand that the USA cannot rest on its past accomplishments if we want to remain in the number one position internationally," said USA Softball executive director Don Porter. "We feel this new program is a major step in the right direction."