Illinois States 2003 womens soccer recruiting class has been ranked No. 75 nationally by Soccer Buzz Magazine. The rankings are compiled from 285 NCAA Division I womens soccer programs. The class is also ranked 12th in the Great Lakes Region.
Its always nice to be recognized and commended by your peers, said head coach Pete Kowall. Pete Cuadrado (former assistant coach) and Mike (Bristol) did most of the off-campus recruiting last year, so they deserve a lot of the credit.
Our players also did a really good job of hosting the recruits and accentuating the positives, added Kowall. I think the rising status of the academic program at Illinois State over the last year helped too.
The nationally ranked class consists of nine freshman including Andrea Shaw, a goalkeeper from Lakeville, Minn. (Lakeville); Jaclyn Rucinsky, a forward from Seattle, Wash. (Seattle Prep); Amanda Lauber, a defender from Wildwood, Mo. (Lafayette); Kim Conolty, a midfielder from Batavia, Ill. (Batavia); Stephanie Brencic, from Everett, Wash.; Crystal Lanski, a forward from Darien, Ill. (Downers Grove South); Kanisha Campbell, a defender from Brampton, Ontario (St. Marguerit dYouville Secondary); Geneva Baran, a forward from Peachtree City, Ga. (McIntosh); and Meghan Boler, a forward/midfielder from Wheaton, Ill. (St. Francis).
The Great Lakes Region top 10 is usually Big Ten schools, Marquette and Notre Dame so its good to see some other schools in there like Oakland and Miami of Ohio, added Kowall.
The Redbirds, who finished 12-5-2 in 2002, are looking forward to another strong year. The team finished second in the regular season of the Missouri Valley Conference and second in the conference tournament. With nine seniors, three juniors and three sophomores returning, the future of Redbird soccer looks very bright.
Coach Pete Kowall returns for his seventh season as head coach of the Birds. During his time at the helm of the soccer program, the Redbirds have gone 69-35-6. Kowall will be joined on the sidelines by assistant coach Mike Bristol (2nd year) and graduate assistant Jenny Kehl (1st year).
