Special Field Hockey Trio Wvw, Crestwood Stars On A-a 1st Team; L-l Ace On 2nd Squad

By STEVE SEMBRAT Times Leader Sports Writer
Monday, December 06, 1999 Page: 1B

Three incredible journeys brought April Fronzoni, Sara Silvetti and Janelle
Perlis to the same destination on Sunday, as the three were named
All-Americans by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.

Fronzoni, a Wyoming Valley West senior forward, and Silvetti, a Crestwood
senior midfielder, were among the 16 players named to the first team. Perlis,
a Lake-Lehman senior forward, was among the 16 picked for the second team.
For a player to be nominated for national honors, her coach had to be a
member of the NFHCA, located in Glen Allen, Va. The player also had to meet
eligibility requirements.

Once nominated, players were considered for one of six regional squads.
Fronzoni, Silvetti and Perlis made the Mideast Regional team along with
Wyoming Valley West’s Haley Dervinis.

Those picked for regional teams were then considered for All-America
honors. The final selections were made at the National Field Hockey Festival
in West Palm Beach, Fla., during Thanksgiving weekend. Heavy emphasis was put
on participation in national tournaments and events.

Fronzoni and Perlis earned All-America honors for the second consecutive
year, while Silvetti earned national recognition for the first time.

All three had set an individual goal of making the All-America list, and
reached it along different paths.

Fronzoni made the first team again thanks to a resume full of
accomplishments on the national level. She started for the U.S. Under-20
National team, a squad comprised mostly of college stars, and was its leading
scorer at the Four Nation Tournament in June.

“It’s kind of a relief,” Fronzoni said. “It was my goal to make
All-American again and there was a lot of pressure to play up to par.

“But it is special to make All-American again and I’m very proud of this
honor.”

Fronzoni was the leading scorer in the Wyoming Valley Conference this
season, and was part of a renaissance in Valley West’s program. During her
four years, Fronzoni helped transform the Spartans into a state power.

“We had high hopes for our four years,” Fronzoni said. “What we
accomplished certainly wasn’t out of our reach, but we were surprised it came
so quickly. We wanted to leave our mark.”

Silvetti made first team not only on her individual ability, but also as a
result of Crestwood’s success. She was the main cog on a squad that featured
nine first-year starters but won the PIAA Class 2A state championship.

“It still makes me smile, thinking about that day, that feeling,”
Silvetti said.

She also boasts a nice national resume, as she took part in the National
Futures Tournament at the University of Maryland during the Fourth of July
weekend.

“It was a goal of mine to make first team All-American,” Silvetti said.
“I knew I could do it.”

Perlis said that she was disappointed that she didn’t make the first team,
but added “I do understand that it was because I missed everything during the
summer.”

She was sidelined during that time by a serious knee injury she suffered at
the National Indoor Tournament in March. The original prognosis was that she
would be out until November.

“The doctor said I would miss the whole season,” Perlis said. “I knew I
was going to play. I knew I wasn’t going to miss the season, even if it hurt.
It was my senior year.”

Playing in pain, Perlis helped Lehman win the WVC title, its fifth
consecutive District 2 Class 2A crown, and then reach the state quarterfinals.

While Perlis was hurt by the lack of nation credentials in 1999, she helped
her cause enormously with her performance at the National Hockey Festival.
Perlis scored 13 goals in seven games for Pocono Too, which finished 7-0 and
won its pool (there was no crossover play).

One of Perlis’ best performances came as she scored twice in Pocono Too’s

twin sisters Alexis and Natalie Martirosian, both first team All-America
selections.