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BUFFALO, NY - Two University at Buffalo softball players will be making a trip to the Netherlands in June to play in an exhibition tournament against the Dutch National Team.

Kelly Malone

Senior Kelly Malone (Waterford, MI/Waterford Kettering) and sophomore Ann Magur (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott) will be part of an American team consisting of NCAA Division I athletes from seven colleges and universities that has been assembled to help prepare the Dutch National Team for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

The American team will participate in a tournament in Haarlem, the Netherlands in early June. The "preparation" tournament has been arranged by the Netherlands Olympic Women's Fastpitch Softball Team in order to prepare its squad to earn a berth in the 2004 Olympic Games. The preparation tournament will also include the Phoenix Storm, a team that is considered to be one of the top teams in North America with many alternates for the US Olympic Team on its roster.

Ann Magur

The Dutch National Team will leave immediately after the preparation tournament for a tournament in Italy, and the winner of that tournament will earn a spot in the Olympics.

The American collegiate team is being sponsored by Ringor Sports, a California-based company that will provide uniforms and shoes. The team is being coordinated by Roanna Brazier, head coach at Ohio University, and a Dutch coach with National Team background will also be assigned. The team will leave the United States on June 4 and return on June 11. During their stay in the Netherlands, the players will also have time to learn about the culture of Amsterdam, including visiting Anne Frank's home and seeing shops where "klompens" (wooden shoes) are made.