The Northwest Nazarene University women’s soccer program announced today that nine high school seniors have signed letters-of-intent to attend NNU and play soccer for the Crusaders this fall.

Leading out the 2010 class is a trio of local athletes from the Treasure Valley.  Jenny Field comes to NNU from Nampa, Idaho, where she is currently a senior at Skyview High School. A four year varsity standout, Jenny has helped lead her team to the 4A Idaho State Soccer Tournament Final-Four in each of her four years, finishing as state runner up in both 2008 and 2009.  In her final two years at Skyview Jenny tallied a total of 46 goals and 27 assists, serving as a captain for both years.  Her senior season she earned 1st-Team All Conference Honors and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Skyview HS team.  In addition to her high school pursuits, Jenny currently plays club soccer for the Boise Capitals Soccer Club U18 Premier team, having also played for the Boise Nationals Soccer Club and Kaos FC over the past 4 years.

Bringing more local talent to the class is Rachel Hendershott, a senior attending Meridian Medical Arts Charter High School and playing her high school soccer for Meridian High School.  Playing as a midfielder and a forward her junior year, Rachel led her team in assists and was third in goals scored for her team.  As a senior this past season she took on a key defensive role as a captain and was named the Defensive Player-of-the-Year for Meridian High School.  Rachel’s club soccer experience also includes the Boise Nationals Soccer Club and her current team the Boise Capitals Soccer Club, where she plays alongside fellow NNU signee Jenny Field. With the Nationals, Rachel was a 2008 State Cup Finalist and finished third in the 2009 State Cup.

The third signee from Idaho is Monique Ray, who comes to NNU from Middleton High School in the Treasure Valley.  A four year varsity member of the Middleton team, Monique has been the starting goalkeeper for the Vikings for the previous three seasons.  Named the Freshman-of-the-Year in 2006, Monique went on to captain her team in 2008 and 2009, also being named to the 4A Idaho All-State team both of those years.  Monique’s club experience includes a year with the Boise Capitals Soccer Club, as well as playing this past season at the premier level with the Boise Nationals Soccer Club.

Coming to NNU from Tacoma, Washington, Celina Mortensen will be graduating from Franklin Pierce High School this June.  A four-sport athlete at Franklin Pierce, Celina has competed in soccer, basketball, and track in addition to being the starting kicker for her high school’s football team in 2008.  A four year starter at Franklin Pierce, Celina has also been a four year Washington 3A South Puget Sound League All-League selection as both a midfielder and a forward.  Named Best Offensive Player for Franklin Pierce as a freshman, Celina capped off her high school career by being named the Most Valuable Player in 2009.  Celina plays club soccer for Federal Way United Reign in the Washington State Premier League where she plays predominantly as a midfielder and a forward.

Janelle Davis comes to NNU from Snohomish, Washington, where she attends Monroe High School and has been a four year member of their varsity soccer program as both a center and outside back. Her senior season Janelle helped lead her team to a first place finish in division as Monroe placed 1st in the WESCO North for 4A and ultimately finished eighth in the Washington state quarterfinals. She was honored as a First-Team selection all-WESCO North for her efforts.  Janelle plays club soccer for Northwest Nationals Soccer Club in the Washington State Premier League, where she plays as both a back and a midfielder.  Janelle and her teammates were Surf Cup semifinalists, Pleasanton Rage finalists, and Washington State Cup finalists in 2007, en route to winning the Washington State Championship in 2008 at the Premier 1 level and going on to the Region IV regional championships the same year.

Also from the greater Seattle area, Courtney Lewandowski will be coming to NNU from the town of Seabeck, Washington, where she graduates from Klahowya Secondary School this June.  A four year varsity athlete and team captain for Klahowya this past season, Courtney currently plays predominantly as a forward, but also brings experience as both a center back and a midfielder with her to NNU, having earned All-Kitsap County honors following her junior season as a defender for Klahowya.  Courtney plays club soccer for Harbor FC 92, a Premier 1 team competing in the Washington State Premier League.  Accomplishments with her team include being Tyee Cup champions, Starfire Labor Day Cup champions, San Diego Open Cup champions in 2008, and advancing to the Albion Cup semifinals in 2009. 

Julianne Steele is from Brush Prairie, Washington, where she attends Hockinson High School. A four year varsity soccer player at Hockinson, Julianne has helped lead her team to four Greater Saint Helens League Championships, three District 4 Championships, and four straight state tournament appearances. A three time all-League selection, she was named 1st Team all-League and honorable mention all-State her senior season.  Active as an attacking player in both the midfield and as a forward, Julianne plays club soccer for FC Vancouver Liberty in the Washington State Premier League.  Finishing 2nd in Washington’s P-1 Division in 2007, her team went on to the semifinal round of the 2008 US Club Soccer Regionals, and in 2009 were semifinalists in the Washington State Youth Soccer Association Championships.

A four year varsity standout at Selah High School in Selah, Washington, Monik Martinez will be joining former high school teammate Kendra Courcy, who is currently in her junior year playing for the Crusaders.  Monik made a clear impact playing at Selah, earning 2nd Team All League honors her sophomore year, 1st Team honors following her junior year, and capping her career off as 2009 League MVP for the Central Washington Athletic Conference and selection to the Washington all-State Team her senior season.  A very active presence in the midfield, she led her team in assists for the past three seasons.  Monik’s club experience includes playing for Three Rivers United Soccer Club, the Yakima Reds, and most recently the Sun City Strikers.  In addition to her club and high school experience Monik has also been a two time National ODP Camp selection.

Rounding out the 2010 class is Michelle Huttema, a senior from Everson, Washington.  Michelle will be graduating from Cornerstone Christian High School in Lynden this June. Due to the fact that Cornerstone does not have a soccer program, Michelle has played her prep soccer for Nooksack Valley High School in Everson, Washington, where she competes in the Northwest Conference of WIAA District 1.  Predominantly a midfielder, Michelle earned Northwest Conference honors both her junior and senior seasons, being named named Offensive MVP for Nooksack her junior year.  Her senior season she was selected as a captain and also earned the distinction of being named Most Valuable Player for her team.

“Our 2010 class brings both a great level of talent and a significant amount of much needed depth to our program,” commented NNU coach Jamie Lindvall. “This is one of the largest recruiting classes we’ve had in some time and I’m really excited about what each of these girls add to our program and our team dynamic. They come in with great club and high school experience and bring a level of technical ability and tactical understanding that I think will be key to our success as a program over the next several years. As we continue to build our program this group joins an outstanding collection of returning players here at NNU.  I’m looking forward to seeing this team climb the ranks in our conference and earn the opportunity to compete on the national stage!”