VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- A pair of Yale Bulldogs, assistant coach Mary Beth Beiler '13 (Fairfax, Va.) and rising sophomore Luanna Summer (St. Louis, Mo.), have been chosen to compete at USA Field Hockey's 2021 Young Women's National Championship. The two are part of a group of 160 players selected for the tournament, which features top collegiate and post-collegiate players. Beiler was invited as a current member of the U.S. Women's National Team. Summer earned her spot via a virtual tryout.

The Championship takes place June 15-20 at USA Field Hockey's Virginia Beach Regional Training Center. In addition to competing for the national championship as part of a team, players will also be vying individually for spots on the 2021-22 U.S. U-21/U-22 and Women's National Development Teams. All current Rise, U-21 and National Development Team members were invited to participate. Players have been divided into 10 teams; Beiler is on Team Freedom and Summer is on Team Courage. 

Beiler, a back/midfielder, first earned a spot on the U.S. Women's National Team in November 2017, rising from the Developmental Squad. She played for the U.S. in the inaugural season of the FIH Hockey Pro League in 2019 and then earned a spot on the 2020 U.S. roster in January of 2020 after trials at Spooky Nook Sports in Pennsylvania. 

Much of Beiler's international experience has come playing for the U.S. Women's National Indoor Team, including a gold-medal finish at the women's Indoor Pan American Cup in Guyana that earned the team a spot at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in 2018. Beiler also helped the team win the Indoor Hockey Can American Series in March 2016 in Toronto and played in the 4 Nations Tournament in Durban, South Africa, in December 2015.

Beiler (née Mary Beth Barham) enjoyed plenty of success during her playing career at Yale, including an Ivy League title in her junior season (2011). In her senior season Beiler was chosen second team All-Mideast Region by the NFHCA and was a first team All-Ivy League honoree. She also was selected to play in the NFHCA Senior Game and received a pair of Yale team honors: the Player of the Year Award and the Coaches Award, given to the player who exemplifies principles, direction and persistence in pursuit of field hockey excellence at Yale.

Beiler has been on the Yale staff since 2015. A native of Fairfax, Va., she is a graduate of W.T. Woodson High School and played for Capital Pegasus. She was in Jonathan Edwards College at Yale and majored in environmental studies.  

Summer, a goalkeeper, made an immediate impression in her first season with the Bulldogs (2018). She earned the team's Senior Award, awarded by the senior class to a first-year team member who reflects positive contribution to the team's philosophy and whose individual character encourages the future direction and excellence of Yale Field Hockey. She appeared in two games, finishing the season with five saves on six shots (an .833 save percentage) in 60 minutes of action.

Summer is a member of Jonathan Edwards College at Yale. She is a graduate of John Burroughs School, where she captained the field hockey and lacrosse teams and was named to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch field hockey all-decade team. She also played for Gateway field hockey, qualifying for the National Club Championships in 2015.

In addition to the Bulldog players, there are three former Yale assistant coaches at the Championship. Tamara Durante, who was at Yale for 10 seasons starting in 2005 and is now associate head coach at Michigan State, is coaching Team Liberty. Melissa Gonzalez, who was at Yale for the 2012 season and is now associate head coach at Wake Forest, is coaching Team Spirit. Nikki Parsley-Blocker, who was at Yale for the 2014 and 2015 seasons and is now head coach at Liberty, is coaching Team Freedom.

The most recent Bulldogs to play at the Young Women's National Championship were Kiwi Comizio '18 and Carol Middough '18 in 2015.