Field Hockey Assistant Coach Michelle Vizzuso Chosen As New Jersey Player Of Century
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Oct. 11, 1999
NEWARK, N.J.– Virginia assistant field hockey coach Michelle Vizzuso(Fairfield, N.J./West Essex) was named the state’s best field hockey playerof the 20th century by the Newark Star-Ledger.
A member of the United States National Teams since 1994, Vizzusowas the youngest member of the 1998 USA National Field Hockey Senior teamthat competed in the FIH World Cup in Amsterdam. In 1999, Vizzuso won asilver medal at the Pan American Games held in Winnipeg. The USA also justwon the silver medal at the Hockey Test Event in Sydney, Australia, wherethe USA tied defending World and Olympic Champion Australia in thetournament.
Vizzuso holds the Virginia record for both assists in a career (60)and in a season (25). Her 60 assists ranks second all-time in the ACC andin the top-15 all-time nationally. She was a four-time All-American,earning first-team honors in both 1997 and 1998. She is the only person inACC history to record 50 goals and 60 assists in a career. Her 13career-game-winning assists is also a Virginia record, and she is the onlyperson in school history to record double digits in both game-winning goals(12) and assists for a career. Vizzuso was the first person in schoolhistory to reach double-digit scoring in both goals and assists in a singleseason, which she did in 1996, 1997 and 1998. She led the team in scoringwith 53 points in 1998 and finished her career ranked third all-time inscoring at the University with 160 points. Her 53 points as a senior is thehighest total for a senior in Cavalier history.
Vizzuso still holds records in New Jersey for goals in a season(69), goals in a career (145) and points in a career (348). Her jersey wasretired by her high school, West Essex. She led West Essex to three statechampionships and a state-record 65-game winning streak.
Virginia Cavaliers Jessica Coleman (Oceanport,N.J./Shore Regional) and Meredith Elwell (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) wereboth named to the state’s field hockey team of the century by the NewarkStar-Ledger.
Elwell, the 1996 ACC Rookie of the Year, has moved into fifth placeall-time in scoring and stands just 14 points away from holding thirdposition. Her 61 goals ranks fourth all-time at UVA and also 10th all-timein the Atlantic Coast Conference. A third-team All-American in 1998, Elwellwas named a team captain for 1999.
A member of national teams since 1995, Elwell led the state inscoring in 1995 and was a member of the state championship team thatseason. She holds the career record at Moorestown for goals with 83.
Coleman was named to the USA Senior Reserve team in 1998 and hascontinued her torrid scoring pace from high school this season for theCavaliers. She leads the team with 36 points on 14 goals and 8 assists,which place her in third-position as a sophomore already.
While at Shore Regional, Coleman set the school record for scoringwith 245 points and won two state titles and was named a first-teamAll-American twice.