Chelmsford’s Claire Danahy selected to USA Women’s National Team

University of Massachusetts field hockey alum Claire Danahy earned her first selection to the USA Women’s National Team, USA Field Hockey has announced.

A Chelmsford native, Danahy was a five-year starter for the Minutewomen and a leader of the 2024 NCAA Final Four team. Danahy finished her time in the maroon and white by receiving NFHCA First Team All-American honors after leading Massachusetts while ranking fifth in the A-10 with 29 points. An All-Atlantic 10 First Team and NCAA All-Tournament Team recipient, Danahy led the A-10 and ranked seventh nationally with 13 assists.

Danahy scored five game-winning goals during the 2024 campaign, including the game-sealing tally against Harvard to secure Massachusetts’ first final four berth since 1992.

Danahy will be part of a 24-athlete squad that will compete in the Cathy Bessant International Series against No. 11 Ireland. The series will feature two International Hockey Federation-sanctioned matches Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8, both starting at 10 a.m.

Danahy becomes the first Minutewomen to make the U.S. Senior National Team since Hannah Prince, who played for Team USA from 2014-21.

After some recent retirements, this competing group of 24 athletes is a mix of veterans and emerging talent. Danahy was added to the USWNT full-time following the trial in April. For each sanctioned match the competing squad will be narrowed to 18 athletes.

UML shines

In the NCAA’s latest four-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) report, UMass Lowell Athletics earned a 985 APR mark, which exceeds the national average of 984, while eight River Hawk athletic teams also met or exceeded this four-year average, including baseball, men’s cross country, ice hockey, men’s track & field, women’s cross country, field hockey, women’s lacrosse, and women’s track & field.

“This is yet another shining example of the caliber of our River Hawk student-athletes,” said Director of Athletics Lynn Coutts. “They are as dedicated and determined to their success in the classroom as they are to their sport. I am incredibly proud of their academic performance and commitment, and grateful to our coaches and staff for supporting them so well in all their endeavors.”

Each academic year, every Division I sports team across the country calculates its APR using a simple and consistent formula. Each term, scholarship student-athletes can earn one point for remaining eligible, and one point for staying in school or graduating. For schools that do not offer scholarships, recruited student-athletes are tracked.

The UMass Lowell baseball team once again was recognized by the NCAA APR report for having earned a perfect four-year average of 1,000, with ice hockey now joining the perfect ranks in the 2020-24 four-year average cycle.