FREDERICK, Md.--Hood College head field hockey coach Staci Thomson has added two local standout athletes to her program for the upcoming season.

Sarah Balukoff, a versatile player from nearby Tuscarora High School, and Ashley Parker, a defender from Urbana High School, will suit up for the Blazers this fall.

Balukoff (right) played four years of field hockey and lacrosse at Tuscarora. In field hockey, she served two years as team captain. She earned the Titan Award and an honorable mention selection by the MVAL and the Frederick News-Post as a junior, and she was voted team MVP and also took home Frederick News-Post first team, All-MVAL second team and Gazette honorable mention honors as a senior.

Balukoff will also play lacrosse for Hood and Thomson beginning next spring. She was a three-year captain of the Titans lacrosse team. As a sophomore, she was named team MVP and earned All-MVAL honorable mention and Frederick News-Post all-area honorable mention honors.

She then took home team MVP honors and was a second-team selection by the MVAL and the Frederick News-Post as a junior. As a senior, Balukoff was a second-team all-area choice by the Frederick News-Post and was also an All-MVAL honorable mention and Gazette honorable mention pick.

Balukoff was also a standout in the classroom. She was a four-year member of the Honor Roll and a two-time Scholar Athlete award winner. She also earned an MVAL academic award as a senior. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the literary magazine and the senior class executive board.

"Sarah caught my eye in field hockey camp when she was just a junior," Thomson said. "She is a vocal player who supports her teammates well on both offense and defense. After watching her skills develop these past two years in high school, I knew she would be a prefect fit for Hood both academically and athletically."

Parker (left) played field hockey for three years and was also a member of the swimming team for two years at Urbana and lettered twice in both sports. She helped the Hawks win Chesapeake Conference and Frederick County field hockey championships in 2003.

She earned the Urbana High School Athletic Award as well as the scholar-athlete award in each of her three seasons of field hockey.

Parker, whose older sister Crystal will enter her sophomore season with the Blazer field hockey program this fall, garnered Highest Academic Honors as a junior and High Academic Honors as a senior. She was also a meritorious scholar honorable mention and was named to the National Honor Roll. Additionally, she was a member of the Latin Club, the Salsa Club, the National Honor Society Club, the Class Club and SADD.

"Ashley is a hardnosed, tough player who has exactly what you need in a defender," Thomson said. "She is familiar with our system since her sister is a sophomore in our program, and she will be competing for playing time on defense."