NEWARK, Del. – Senior Casey Howard and sophomore Florence Sijbrandij have been named co-captains of the University of Delaware field hockey team, head coach Carol Miller announced today.

Howard will begin her second season serving as a captain after guiding the 2007 squad to a 10-9 record last year, while Sijbrandij (at right) becomes the youngest player in team history to fill the position.

Howard, a first-team All-Conference and All-Region selection last year, enters her senior season in 17th place on the Blue Hens’ all-time scoring list with 64 career points. During her outstanding career, she has scored 29 goals and posted six assists in 57 games.

Last season, she found the net 13 times while earning the UD Alumni Association Team Most Valuable Player Award. It was the second straight season during which she received the squad's highest honor after also earning MVP nods as a sophomore.

Sijbrandij, a standout back, anchored the Delaware defensive unit as a freshman last season. During her inaugural campaign, she started 14 of the team’s 19 contests and helped the team surrender just two goals or less in all but five games.

Successful in the classroom as well as on the field, Sijbrandij was named to the CAA Academic Honor Roll last year and earned a spot on the ZAG/NFHCA National Academic All-American team.

With her selection, she becomes the first sophomore in the program's 38-year history to serve as a captain on the Blue Hen field hockey team.

Delaware, picked sixth in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason poll, will kick off the 2008 campaign by competing in the Louisville Classic. The Blue Hens will take on the Michigan State Spartans at 2 p.m. on August 30 before battling either Duke or Louisville the following afternoon.