6 Liberty Players Set to Compete at USA Field Hockey 2025 Nexus Championships
7/3/2025 11:07:00 AM | Field Hockey
LYNCHBURG, Va. – A total of six Liberty field hockey players have been invited to compete in prestigious USA Field Hockey events in the month of July.
Ava Murphy, Malena Magnano, Madie Baker and Caroline Richard have been invited to compete at USA Field Hockey's 2025 Senior Nexus Championship (NXC), presented by Osaka Hockey. Meanwhile, Autumn Albright and Liz Bustillo will play in the 2025 U-21 Junior Nexus Championship.
The three-day Senior Nexus Championship will be contested July 18-20 at the Virginia Beach Regional Training Center in Virginia Beach, Va. The event will start with a team training session on Friday, July 18, with games starting on Saturday, July 19.
The Senior NXC, formerly known as the Young Women's National Championship (YWNC), is held annually and features 144 elite collegiate and post-collegiate athletes. During the spring and early summer, athletes trialed and trained at one of the seven USA Field Hockey High Performance Centers throughout the country for an opportunity to be selected to the Senior NXC, a step along the Olympic Development Pathway program.
All athletes that were previously named to the U.S. U-18 Junior Women's National Team's White Team Roster and U.S. U-21 Women's National Team were also included within the selection. A step along the Olympic Development Pathway program, the Senior NXC serves as a selection opportunity for the 2025-26 U.S. U-21 Women's National Team Selection Camps, Junior USWNT Selection Camps, U.S. Women's National Development Squad and U.S. Women's National Team.
The three-day U-21 Junior Nexus Championship (NXC) will also be held July 18-20 at the Virginia Beach Regional Training Center. The selection marks the completion of the Regional Selection Camp sessions and the next step in the Olympic Development Pathway and tryout process for the Junior U.S. Women's National Teams.
At the conclusion of the Junior NXC, top performing athletes in qualifying age groups will be invited to additional Junior National Team camps and training opportunities.
This will be Murphy's third straight year competing in a Nexus Championship after having competed in the U-21 Junior Nexus Championship in 2023 and 2024. A sophomore from Boston, Mass., Murphy appeared in 16 games with one start during her rookie campaign in 2024. The midfielder tallied one goal, one assist and three points. Her first career goal came in a 5-0 win over William & Mary.
Richard is a freshman defender/midfielder from Towson, Md. who spent her the spring semester on campus. She will be playing in the Nexus Championships for a fourth straight year.
Magnano and Baker will both be making their third appearances in a Nexus Championship event. Magnano is a rising sophomore forward for the Lady Flames. She appeared in 14 games last season, totaling one goal, one assist and three points. Magnano scored her first goal in a 9-0 home triumph over Quinnipiac. Baker, a midfielder/defender, is a redshirt sophomore and appeared in five games last year.
Albright and Bustillo will each be making their third Nexus appearances. Both players will be freshmen this fall at Liberty. Albright is a defender from Loysville, Pa., and Bustillo is a midfielder/forward from Millersville, Pa.
Ava Murphy, Malena Magnano, Madie Baker and Caroline Richard have been invited to compete at USA Field Hockey's 2025 Senior Nexus Championship (NXC), presented by Osaka Hockey. Meanwhile, Autumn Albright and Liz Bustillo will play in the 2025 U-21 Junior Nexus Championship.
The three-day Senior Nexus Championship will be contested July 18-20 at the Virginia Beach Regional Training Center in Virginia Beach, Va. The event will start with a team training session on Friday, July 18, with games starting on Saturday, July 19.
The Senior NXC, formerly known as the Young Women's National Championship (YWNC), is held annually and features 144 elite collegiate and post-collegiate athletes. During the spring and early summer, athletes trialed and trained at one of the seven USA Field Hockey High Performance Centers throughout the country for an opportunity to be selected to the Senior NXC, a step along the Olympic Development Pathway program.
All athletes that were previously named to the U.S. U-18 Junior Women's National Team's White Team Roster and U.S. U-21 Women's National Team were also included within the selection. A step along the Olympic Development Pathway program, the Senior NXC serves as a selection opportunity for the 2025-26 U.S. U-21 Women's National Team Selection Camps, Junior USWNT Selection Camps, U.S. Women's National Development Squad and U.S. Women's National Team.
The three-day U-21 Junior Nexus Championship (NXC) will also be held July 18-20 at the Virginia Beach Regional Training Center. The selection marks the completion of the Regional Selection Camp sessions and the next step in the Olympic Development Pathway and tryout process for the Junior U.S. Women's National Teams.
At the conclusion of the Junior NXC, top performing athletes in qualifying age groups will be invited to additional Junior National Team camps and training opportunities.
This will be Murphy's third straight year competing in a Nexus Championship after having competed in the U-21 Junior Nexus Championship in 2023 and 2024. A sophomore from Boston, Mass., Murphy appeared in 16 games with one start during her rookie campaign in 2024. The midfielder tallied one goal, one assist and three points. Her first career goal came in a 5-0 win over William & Mary.
Richard is a freshman defender/midfielder from Towson, Md. who spent her the spring semester on campus. She will be playing in the Nexus Championships for a fourth straight year.
Magnano and Baker will both be making their third appearances in a Nexus Championship event. Magnano is a rising sophomore forward for the Lady Flames. She appeared in 14 games last season, totaling one goal, one assist and three points. Magnano scored her first goal in a 9-0 home triumph over Quinnipiac. Baker, a midfielder/defender, is a redshirt sophomore and appeared in five games last year.
Albright and Bustillo will each be making their third Nexus appearances. Both players will be freshmen this fall at Liberty. Albright is a defender from Loysville, Pa., and Bustillo is a midfielder/forward from Millersville, Pa.
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