NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State soccer team signed eight student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) to continue their academic and athletic careers at Illinois State, as announced by head soccer coach Drew Roff Friday. Roff, who will enter his fifth season as the head coach of the Redbirds in 2011, inked five players from the state of Illinois and one each from Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin.
"This is an outstanding class of student-athletes and I couldn't be more excited about what they bring," Roff said. "These eight players fill needs that we currently have and they will complement our current players very well. Players develop at different times during their careers, but I expect several of these players to come in right away and make an impact on the 2011 season. Their athletic ability, toughness, and leadership qualities make this a group that will improve our team considerably."
The 2011 Illinois State recruiting class includes: Micaela DeVos (Grand Rapids, Mich./Grand Rapids Christian); Jessica Hanson (Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette HS); Keri Kujawa (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove South HS); Gabbi McArtor (Palatine, Ill./Palatine); Elise Olson (Madison, Wis./Madison La Follette HS); Rachel Tejada (Troy, Ill./Triad HS); Alyse Williams (Lake in the Hills, Ill./Huntley HS); and Aimee Wronski (Huntley, Ill./Huntley HS)
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| Name | | | | Hometown (High School/Previous School) |
| B/M | | | Grand Rapids, Mich. (Grand Rapids Christian) |
Jessican Hanson | | | | Wildwood, Mo. (Lafayette) |
| | | | Downers Grove, Ill. (Downers Grove South) |
| | | | Palatine, Ill. (Palatine) |
| Elise Olson | B | 5-2 | Fr. | Madison, Wis. (Madison La Follette) |
| F | | | Troy, Ill. (Triad) |
| Alyse Williams | B | 5-7 | Fr. | Lake in the Hills, Ill. (Huntley) |
| | | | Huntley, Ill. (Huntley) |
| *2011 Classification |
Micaela DeVos | B/M | Grand Rapids, Mich. | Grand Rapids Christian
Grand Rapids Christian/Grand Rapids Crew Juniors: Three-year letterwinner at Grand Rapids Christian for head coach Larry Klaasen...all-state third team selection the last two seasons and a three-time all-conference selection...named all-conference Most Valuable Defender in 2007...member of the Grand Rapids Crew Juniors club team coach by Josh Sheldon...named team captain of the Crew Juniors in 2010...led club team to state semi-finals in 2009 and 2010...three-year letterwinner on the GRCHS volleyball team.
Personal: Born August 19, 1993...daughter of Douglas and Maria DeVos...has three siblings, Dalton, Monreau and Olivia...her father, Douglas, played football at Purdue University...plans to major in physical therapy.
Roff on Micaela DeVos...
"Micaela is an intelligent player that brings the technical ability and toughness we look for in our central players. She is a hard tackler, has a great work rate and really strikes the ball well, particularly on re-starts. I expect her to come in and compete for playing time as a holding midfielder early in her career."
Jessica Hanson | Back | Wildwood, Mo. | Lafayette
Lafayette/St. Louis Scott Gallagher: Three-year starter at Lafayette for head coach Tim Walters...named team captain entering her senior season...three-time all-conference selection...two-time all-metro selection...led the Lancers to three conference championships and two district titles...earned scholar-athlete accolades every season...member of the St. Louis Scott Gallagher club team coached by Kirk Moser...led club team to a Missouri state championship in 2009.
Personal: Born April 1, 1993...daughter of Scott and Laura Hanson...has a brother, Joe, and a sister, Rachel...is undecided on her major.
Roff on Jessica Hanson...
"Jessica is a versatile player with good technical ability that can play out wide or in the middle. She defends very well but also likes to get forward and has an aggressive attacking mentality. What I like the most about her game is she plays with a great competitive spirit and every team needs that to be successful."
Keri Kujawa | Midfield | Downers Grove, Ill. | Downers Grove South
Downers Grove South/Windy City Pride: Three-year starter at Downers Grove South for head coach Barry Jacboson...tallied 24 goals and five assists as a junior and was named IHSSCA All-State...named team captain, West Suburban All-Conference, Sun Times All-Area Third Team and Chicago Tribune All-State Special Mention as a junior...scored 11 goals and notched a pair of assists on her way to all-section and all-conference honors as a sophomore...scored 11 goals and helped the Mustangs to a fourth place finish at the IHSA State Tournament as a freshman...three-year starter for the Windy City Pride club team...2009 National College Recruiting Prospects finalist...2008 State Cup Finalist and US Club Soccer Champions.
Personal: Born June 19, 1992...daughter of John and Gail Kujawa...has three brothers, Calvin, Kyle and Ryan...plans to major in business.
Roff on Keri Kujawa...
"Keri is a very good attacking player that has the pace, fitness level, and technique to really help us up front or in the midfield. She is effective in 1-v-1 situations, has a great motor and serves the ball very well from the flanks. The ability she has shown in high school and club soccer to score goals and create chances for her teammates will help her compete to play immediately."
Gabbi McArtor | B/F | Palatine, Ill. | Palatine
Palatine/Eclipse Select 92/93: Played under coach Willie Filian at Palatine...member and captain of the Eclipse Select 92/93 club team...led club team to three regional semi-final appearances and six state cup championships...named to the Top 5 Elite Club National League in 2009 and 2010...led U-16 squad to Disney Cup Championship.
Personal: Born January 4, 1993...daughter of John and Rosario McArtor...has one sister, Raisa and a brother, John...plans to major in elementary education.
Roff on Gabbi McArtor...
"Gabbi is a smart player with good technique that brings a great deal of energyto the game. We plan to use her in a wide position where she can use quickness and well-timed runs to get forward and cause problems for our opponents. She is the captain of her very successful club team and we are excited about her leadership potential in our program."
Elise Olson | Back | Madison, Wis. | Madison La Follette
Madison La Follette/Middleton Yahara SC: Three-year starter at Madison La Follette under head coach Dean Jones...named team captain entering her senior season...led Lancers to a 19-5 record and a regional championship as a junior...three time all-city, all-conference and all-area selection...named team MVP as a sophomore...member of the Middleton Yahara SC club team...four-year starter on club team that compiled a 43-10-13 record in those four years...team captain of Middleton Yahara SC.
Personal: Born February 9, 1993...daughter of Robert and Kay Olson...has two sisters, Erica and Carly...plans to major in exercise science.
Roff on Elise Olson...
"Elise is a natural left-footed outside back that gets forward and gets involved in the attack. She is a very good 1-v-1 defender and she plays the game with a lot of toughness. I really like the way she demands the ball and is confident with it coming out of the back. She will have the opportunity to contribute right away."
Rachel Tejada | Forward | Troy, Ill. | Triad
Triad/St. Louis Scott Gallagher: Ranked No. 17 in the Heartland Region by TopDrawerSoccer.com...three-year starter at Triad under head coach Mike Villa...scored 38 goals and notched 15 assists and was named all-conference, St. Louis Post Dispatch All-Metro First Team, and Belleville News-Democrat First Team All-Area as a junior...tallied 27 goals and 15 assists as a sophomore on her way to earning team MVP, all-conference, all-metro and all-area honors...named offensive MVP at Triad and all-conference after scoring 25 goals and collecting 10 assists as a freshman...member of the St. Louis Scott Gallagher club team...led club team to four-straight state cup semi-final appearances...two-sport athlete at Triad and scored over 1,000 career points as a basketball player for the Knights.
Personal: Born July 8, 1993...daughter of Robert and Stacey Tejada...has two brothers, Jared and Eric...her father, Robert, played soccer at the University of Illinois-Springfield and her brother, Jared, is a soccer player at Southern Illinois Edwardsville...plans to major in accounting and mathematics.
Roff on Rachel Tejada...
"Rachel is a special athlete with great soccer instincts. She has scored over 1,000 points during her high school basketball career and this spring she will surpass the 100 goal mark for her high school team. There are not a lot of athletes anywhere that are capable of doing that. She truly can play any position on the field at a high level, but we are going to use her in an attacking role up top or in the midfield. She is that rare player that can change the outcome of a game in an instant."
Alyse Williams | Back | Lake in the Hills, Ill. | Huntley
Huntley/FC Premier: Three-year starter at Huntley for head coach Kris Grabner...was named team captain and led the Huntley defense to six shutouts in 10 games and scored two goals with three assists before suffering an injury as a junior...led team to a regional championship and the Fox Valley championship...all-state and all-city first team Chicago Northwest selection as a sophomore, leading the Red Raiders to 11 shutouts, a regional title and a Fox Valley championship...named team's defensive player of the year, all-conference, Northwest Herald First Team and Daily Herald First Team as a freshman.
Personal: Born September 18, 1992...daughter of David and Gail Williams...has a sister, Ashley, and two brothers, Dominic and Anthony...her father, David, played football at Miami University...plans to major in biological science.
Roff on Alyse Williams...
"Alyse is a tremendous athlete that I think will develop into an outstanding player for us in the back. She is a very good defender with excellent timing and speed. What makes her really stand out is her ability to win the ball, play out of pressure, and start the attack. I look forward to Alyse having a major impact on our program's future."
Aimee Wronski | Forward | Huntley, Ill. | Huntley
Huntley/Crystal Lake SA: Three-year starter at Huntley for head coach Kris Grabner...owns career and single season school records for goals and assists...netted 29 goals and tallied 11 assists as a junior and earned ESPN All-America, Northwest Herald Player of the Year, first team all-state, all-conference and all-area honors after leading the team to conference and regional championships...scored 20 goals and dished out 14 assists for the Red Raiders as a sophomore earning ESPN All-American, all-conference, all-area and Pepsi Showdown All-Tournament selections...tallied 18 goals and 10 assists as a freshman to earn all-conference, all-area and Pepsi Showdown All-Tournament accolades.
Personal: Born December 1, 1992...daughter of Leonard and Shari Wronski...has two sisters, Ashley and Corinne, and one brother, Ben...her sister, Corinne plays soccer at Upper Iowa...is undecided on her major.
Roff on Aimee Wronski...
"Aimee is the kind of forward that is a nightmare for defenders to deal with. She has the explosiveness, the touch, the strength and the ability to finish that every special goal-scorer possesses. Her ability to run with the ball and beat defenders at speed and finish with either foot really makes her a constant threat. We have not had a player up top this dynamic since I have been at ISU and I expect her to be an extremely productive attacking player throughout her career."
