Connect with us

Published

3 years ago

on

7:30 AM ET

When 18-year-old Caroline Harvey showed up to the U.S. women’s national team selection camp in June, she was the youngest player there. And she had no idea what her next few months would look like.

If Harvey didn’t make the national hockey team, she was set to enroll for her freshman year at the University of Wisconsin the following week. She already had an English 100 class picked out.

And if she made the roster? Harvey would defer, joining her much older teammates for the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship in Calgary, a months-long residency program in Minnesota, and ultimately the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.

“It was a little nerve-racking,” Harvey said, “not knowing how things would play out.”

Harvey, a defenseman who grew up in Massachusetts, stood out during the tryouts. She was too good not to put on the roster.

“She’s so skilled,” veteran U.S. defenseman Megan Keller said. “I just enjoy watching her in practice. She’s so fun to watch, especially at her age, the things she can do with the puck, her skating ability. She’s a little Energizer bunny out there too.”

Harvey will join the Badgers next spring. By the time she gets there, she might be a household name.

U.S. women’s hockey sits atop the international throne right now. The team got over its Olympic hump by beating rival Canada in 2018 for its first Olympic gold medal in 20 years. Before they get the chance to defend in Beijing, the women will compete in the world championship, which begins Friday and runs through Aug. 31. The Americans have won the past five tournaments, and eight of the past nine.

But the stop-and-go nature of the pandemic has been challenging — a cruel gambit of cancellations, decreased ice time and decreased visibility. When the U.S. opens worlds with a game against Switzerland on Friday, it will have been 859 days since the team last played in a major international tournament.

In that time, there has been significant turnover on the roster. Captain Meghan Duggan, twins Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando (who scored the winning and tying goals in the 2018 Olympic gold-medal game) and 15-year veteran Kacey Bellamy all have hung up their skates in the past year.

“We’ve had a lot of veterans, and girls that have made this program what it is, retire,” Keller said. “Especially in these past two years with worlds being canceled twice, you have more new faces, new teammates and some new blood mixed in. It’s exciting to get this new group together finally. I think we have a really good mix.”

Enter Harvey, who ushers in a youth movement. She’s one of four Americans born in the 2000s playing at the world championship — joining forwards Britta Curl, Lacey Eden and Abbey Murphy — and one of seven rookies overall.

As Keller said, “One of the coolest things about being on the national team is being able to play with your role models,” and Harvey already is experiencing that. Growing up, Harvey said she always looked up to Bellamy.

“We were at a couple camps together before she retired; I got to learn a lot from her,” Harvey said. “It was cool to hear what she had to say, but also just see the way she handled herself. She was really fun to be around, but when it was time to be serious, when we were practicing, or even warming up, or cooling down, you could see how locked in she was. She was funny, and let that side of herself out when it was appropriate, but she changed and could be so locked in when she needed to be.”

Harvey will get to play with some players she looked up to — like Hilary Knight, who enrolled at Wisconsin 14 years before Harvey — but she’s trying to soak up as much wisdom from as many sources as she can.

For her five-day quarantine in Calgary, Harvey brought along the Lamoureux twins’ book, “Dare to Make History.”

She also has some experience with her new teammates, though not a typical relationship. One of the Americans’ alternate captains, Brianna Decker, was an assistant coach with the U-18 team Harvey played on. And Keller’s roommate at Boston College was one of Harvey’s coaches in club hockey, who revealed that Harvey is rarely called Caroline by anyone.

“When I was young, my sister couldn’t pronounce Caroline, so she called me KK instead,” Harvey said. “We were really young, but it stuck.”

Harvey hasn’t found it too hard to mesh with the senior team. She and Keller have been plotting a TikTok dance for their teammates. Harvey has similar interests as her older teammates, including Netflix shows such as “Outer Banks” and “All-American.” Music in the locker room is a different story.

“When the music gets going, we’re constantly asking, ‘OK, who knows this one,’ whether it’s a new one or old one,” Keller said.

Adds Harvey: “I know of the songs from my parents. They’re not my parents’ age, but I know some of the songs, just in a different way.”

For Harvey, it has been a transition to level up with the top competition.

“When you’re invited to a national team camp, it’s the best of the best,” she said. “It’s pretty intimidating to see who you are going up against. I was really nervous at first, I was just getting used to these girls, and the pace. It was definitely a scary thing at first to be the youngest and be here, but now I’m feeling comfortable around them.”

Harvey has been comfortable around the rink her entire life. Her dad used to take her to her older brother’s practices, and would turn the stroller around to let Harvey watch. By 3, she was on skates. Aside from a brief cameo at goalie, Harvey has played defense her entire life.

“I like being able to see the whole ice, and seeing plays develop,” she said. “I also like being offensive at times, and having that aspect to my game.”

Keller said besides Harvey’s skill, the best aspects of her game are her speed and offensive knack, “but she’s not afraid to be physical.”

Harvey is off to a good start. In the first exhibition against Russia this week, Harvey took a penalty. Shortly after, she collected a pass from Knight, took a shot, then scored on her own rebound to give the U.S. a 3-0 lead. It fits into the advice she received from Decker: Play free. Don’t think too much. Let your instincts take over.

Harvey knew she wanted to play at this stage eventually. She never thought it would come this soon.

“I didn’t really think much of it a year ago,” she said. “Looking at it now, thinking about the position I’m in, it’s crazy how things happen sometimes.”

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Sports

Penn State QB Allar off injury report vs. Buckeyes

Published

36 mins ago

on

November 2, 2024

By

Penn State QB Allar off injury report vs. Buckeyes

Nov 2, 2024, 10:25 AM ET

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is set to play in Saturday’s key Big Ten matchup against No. 4 Ohio State.

Allar missed the second half of last week’s win over Wisconsin after suffering a left knee injury, but he was not listed on the injury report for the No. 3 Nittany Lions on Saturday morning.

Penn State coach James Franklin said earlier this week that Allar could be a game-time decision and that backup Beau Pribula would take snaps with Allar in practice.

Allar ranks 10th nationally with a QBR of 83.6. He has completed 71.3% of his passes for 1,640 yards and totaled 15 touchdowns with four interceptions.

Penn State starting defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton will be a game-time decision, a source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. Dennis-Sutton, who is listed as questionable, is expected to warm up and try to play.

Information from ESPN’s Jake Trotter was used in this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Army star QB Daily to miss game vs. Air Force

Published

36 mins ago

on

November 2, 2024

By

Army star QB Daily to miss game vs. Air Force

  • Chris Low, ESPN Senior WriterNov 2, 2024, 10:33 AM ET

    Close

    • College football reporter
    • Joined ESPN.com in 2007
    • Graduate of the University of Tennessee

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army star quarterback Bryson Daily will miss Saturday’s game against Air Force with an undisclosed injury/illness, Army officials told ESPN.

Daily leads the country with 19 rushing touchdowns and leads all FBS quarterbacks with 909 rushing yards. He was unable to practice this week. The No. 21 Black Knights had a bye last weekend after beating East Carolina 45-28 on Oct. 19 to win their seventh straight game this season.

In the win over ECU, Daily carried the ball 31 times for a career-high 171 yards and accounted for six touchdowns, five rushing and one passing. The 6-foot, 221-pound senior has already set Army single-season records for touchdowns responsible for (26) and rushing touchdowns (19) in seven games.

With Daily sidelined, junior Dewayne Coleman will fill in at quarterback and make his first career start. Daily, one of four team captains, has been Army’s starting quarterback over the past two seasons and the main cog in a Black Knights offense that has eclipsed 400 yards of total offense in all seven games this season.

Army (7-0, 6-0) travels to North Texas next week for an AAC contest. They get a bye week on Nov. 16 and then face Notre Dame on Nov. 23 at Yankee Stadium.

There’s no timetable at this point on how long Daily might be out of the lineup, but Army officials don’t think it’s a season-ending setback.

Army, off to its best start in nearly 30 years, will be one of the top contenders for the Group of 5’s spot in the College Football Playoff if the Black Knights can win the American Athletic Conference championship.

Continue Reading

Sports

MLB All-October team: The stars who ruled the 2024 playoffs

Published

50 mins ago

on

November 2, 2024

By

MLB All-October team: The stars who ruled the 2024 playoffs

Nov 1, 2024, 07:00 AM ET

The 2024 World Series ended with the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the championship in a stunning comeback in Game 5, with Walker Buehler the unlikely pitcher to close out the 7-6 win over the New York Yankees. First baseman Freddie Freeman was handed the World Series MVP award for his record-tying 12-RBI performance.

But that doesn’t tell the full story of everyone who played a starring role in October — a postseason that featured a record six grand slams, among other wildness. So, to honor the best of the entire postseason, we’ve created our first MLB All-October Team.

From wild-card-round sensations to World Series standouts, here are the players our ESPN MLB panel of experts voted as the best of the best at every position along with some award hardware for the brightest stars of October.

2024 All-October Team

Catcher: Kyle Higashioka, San Diego Padres

Why he’s here: To be honest, it wasn’t a great playoffs for catchers — they hit just .184/.254/.310. Higashioka is the one catcher who did hit, belting three home runs and driving in five runs in the seven games the Padres played.

Honorable mention: Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers

1B: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers

Why he’s here: Freeman didn’t have an extra-base hit and drove in just one run in the first two rounds of the playoffs as he tried to play through the severely sprained ankle he suffered at the end of the regular season. He didn’t even play in two games of the NLCS and required hours of physical therapy before each game just to get on the field. But the five days off before the World Series clearly helped, and he homered in the first four games, including his dramatic walk-off grand slam in Game 1 that will go down as not only the signature World Series moment of 2024 — but a World Series moment for the ages.

Honorable mention: Pete Alonso, New York Mets

2B: Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees

Why he’s here: Torres had a solid October as he heads into free agency, although he had little competition here. Indeed, second basemen collectively hit just .219 with three home runs the entire playoffs — two of those from Torres — and drove in 24 runs, with Torres driving in eight himself. He had three multihit games and scored five runs in five games in the ALCS, while also taking walks to help set the table for Juan Soto.

Honorable mention: Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers

3B: Mark Vientos, New York Mets

Why he’s here: Max Muncy set a record when he reached base 17 times in the NLCS, including a single-postseason-record 12 times in a row, but he went hitless in the World Series. Vientos, meanwhile, had a stellar first trip to the postseason, hitting .327/.362/.636 with five home runs and 14 RBIs in 13 games. That followed a breakout regular season in which he posted an .837 OPS with 27 home runs in just 111 games. He looks like he’ll be a fixture in the middle of the Mets’ lineup for years to come.

Honorable mention: Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers

SS: Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers

Why he’s here: Edman was an under-the-radar pickup at the trade deadline, in part because he was still injured and hadn’t yet played for the St. Louis Cardinals. Most of Edman’s starts came at shortstop, especially after Miguel Rojas was injured in the NLDS, but his bat got him here. Edman was the NLCS MVP after hitting .407 with a record-tying 11 RBIs in the series. He had started at cleanup just twice in his career but was slotted there twice against the Mets, driving in seven runs in those two games. Then he went 2-for-4 in each of the first two games of the World Series, including a home run in Game 2, and finished the Fall Classic hitting .294/.400/.588 with six runs.

Honorable mention: Francisco Lindor, New York Mets

OF: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
OF: Juan Soto, New York Yankees
OF: Enrique Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers

Why they’re here: Betts entered this postseason in a 3-for-38 postseason slump going back to the end of the 2021 NLCS — and it initially looked like it would be more of the same when he went 0-for-6 the first two games of the NLDS, including being robbed of a home run courtesy of Jurickson Profar. Everything turned in Game 3 when Profar almost robbed him of another home run — but didn’t. After that, Betts was in the middle of most of the Dodgers’ big rallies, hitting .321/.394/.625 with four home runs and 16 RBIs over the Dodgers’ final 14 playoff games.

Soto’s at-bats spoke for themselves: He never seemed to have a bad one. His big at-bat was the three-run home run in the 10th inning of Game 5 of the ALCS to send the Yankees to the World Series. Getting intentionally walked twice while batting in front of Aaron Judge speaks to Judge’s struggles, yes — but also to how locked in Soto was all postseason. He finished the postseason slashing .327/.469/.633 with 4 home runs, 9 RBIs and 14 walks in 14 games.

Hernandez actually began October on the bench, but we’ve seen him perform big in the postseason before, and he stepped up when Rojas was injured in the NLDS. Hernandez homered in the Dodgers’ 2-0 victory to close out the Padres in the NLDS, had a big two-run home run against the Mets in Game 3 of the NLCS and got the series-turning five-run rally against the Yankees in Game 5 started with a leadoff single in the fifth as well as the series-winning rally in the eighth with another leadoff base hit. Overall, he hit .294/.357/.451 with 11 runs and six RBIs.

Honorable mentions: Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians; Teoscar Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers; Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres

DH: Giancarlo Stanton, New York Yankees

Why he’s here: The Yankees were often a two-man show in the postseason, just like they were in the regular season — except it was Soto and Stanton, not Soto and Judge. Stanton blasted seven home runs in the playoffs, including in the final three games of the ALCS (earning MVP honors) and in Games 1 and 5 of the World Series. He finished the playoffs hitting .273/.339/.709, and those seven homers are the most in a single postseason in Yankees history.

Honorable mention: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers; David Fry, Cleveland Guardians

SP: Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees
SP: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

Why they’re here: Certainly, it seems as if the status of the starting pitcher in the postseason continues to decline — although, that doesn’t mean they’re not important. There were certainly some stellar individual outings along the way: Corbin Burnes allowed one run in eight innings (but lost 1-0) for the Baltimore Orioles; Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings (but that would be his only start); and the Padres’ Michael King fanned 12 to beat the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. Skubal had two scoreless starts against the Houston Astros in the wild-card series and Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS, confirming his status as one of the best in the game — or maybe the best, as his soon-to-be AL Cy Young Award will attest.

Cole was really the one consistent starter throughout the postseason, making five starts with a 2.17 ERA. Unfortunately, that ERA doesn’t register the five unearned runs from the final game of the World Series when the Yankees’ defense turned into a comedy of errors — including Cole himself opening up the floodgates by failing to cover first base to get what would have been the inning-ending out.

Honorable mention: Walker Buehler, Los Angeles Dodgers; Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers; Sean Manaea, New York Mets; Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals

RP: Luke Weaver, New York Yankees
RP: Blake Treinen, Los Angeles Dodgers

Why they’re here: It also wasn’t the best of postseasons for closers — not even great ones. The Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase allowed five earned runs all regular season — and then eight in the playoffs. Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams blew that wild-card game against the Mets. All-Star Jeff Hoffman lost two games for the Phillies. Weaver, however, was the one consistent late-game performer and was great while often pitching more than one inning. He posted a 1.76 ERA across 15⅓ innings. Who knows how the World Series ends if Yankees manager Aaron Boone keeps Weaver in the game in the 10th inning of Game 1. (Weaver had thrown just 19 pitches.)

Treinen, meanwhile, capped his comeback season — he had missed almost all of 2022 and then all of 2023 — with a 2.19 ERA across 12⅓ innings, winning two games and saving three others. In the World Series clincher, he recorded seven outs and got out of a two-on, no-out jam in the eighth inning to preserve the Dodgers’ 7-6 lead before handing the ball to Buehler to close out the ninth.

Honorable mention: Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians; Michael Kopech, Los Angeles Dodgers; Beau Brieske, Detroit Tigers

All-October Award Winners

October MVP: Freddie Freeman

Pitchers of the month: Gerrit Cole, Walker Buehler (tie)

Best October introduction: Mark Vientos

Clutch performer: Freeman

Continue Reading

Trending