NAMPA, Idaho - The Northwest Nazarene University women's soccer program announced today that ten high school seniors have signed National Letters of Intent or Letters of Commitment to attend and compete at NNU in the fall. Included in the class are six athletes from Idaho and four from Washington.
Leading the group of incoming freshmen from Idaho is
Lacey Strickler, who will graduate from Skyview High School in Nampa this May. A standout midfielder at Skyview, Lacey has been a Southern Idaho Conference All-Academic Selection all four years. She helped her team to Idaho 4A State Tournament Final Four appearances in 2008, 2009, and 2010. An Idaho SIC 4A All-Conference selection in 2010 and 2011, Lacey furthered this honor by being named the Southern Idaho Conference 4A Player of the Year in 2011. Lacey currently plays club soccer for FC Nova here in the Treasure Valley and is joined by three of her current Nova teammates in signing with NNU.
Sarah Smith also comes to NNU from Skyview High School in Nampa, having played alongside teammate
Lacey Strickler for years in both club and high school soccer. Another standout at Skyview, Sarah has anchored the back line in her time there, being named to the 4A Southern Idaho Conference first-team eam as a defender in both 2010 and 2011. An SIC All-Academic selection as well, she also shares the distinction of three Idaho 4A State Tournament Final Four appearances with her friend and teammate Lacey. Sarah comes in with club experience playing for the Boise Capitals as well as her current club, FC Nova.
Argia Phillips joins the NNU women's soccer program from Meridia n High School, where she has made a significant impact as a goalkeeper during her high school c areer. A 5A Southern Idaho All-Conference selection as a junior, Argia was named to the SIC All-Conference first-team as a goalkeeper in 2011. She was named the Meridian High School Soccer Defensive Player of the Year in 2011 and helped lead her team to the 2011 5A Idaho State Tournament. Her high school program was also the recipient of the Southern Idaho Conference Sportsmanship Award for 2011. In addition to her athletic honors, Argia has been a three time SIC Academic Award recipient for her work in the classroom. She has been an Idaho State Cup Champion at the club soccer level in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011. The first several championships were won while playing for the Les Bois Soccer Association, but her most recent state titles have been with FC Nova where she is the current starting goalkeeper.
The final inc
oming freshman from the Treasure Valley is
Catlin Jensen. Catlin graduates this May from Rocky Mountain High School in Meridian. An SIC All-Academic selection in 2009, 2010 & 2011, Catlin helped her team to three consecutive 5A State Championship Final Four appearances. S he capped off her high school career this past season winning the 5A Idaho State Title after having finished in third place and runner-up the previo us two seasons. A former club soccer member of the Les Bois Soccer Association, Catlin currently plays for FC Nova and also holds the distinction of having won numerous Idaho state titles for both teams.
Coming to NNU from Ucon, Idaho,
Rachel Ball is a senior at Bonneville High School in Idaho Falls. During her time playing for the Bonneville girls soccer program, Rachel has been a three time 4A High Country Conference first-team eam selection. With experience in both the midfield and the back line, Rachel has been a member of the Odyssey Soccer club since 2007 and during that time has helped lead her team to a second place finish at the Idaho State Cup in 2009 and a third place finish at State Cup in 2011. In addition to her club and high school experience, Rachel has spent time as a part of the Olympic Development Program at both the state level for Idaho and on the regional level as part of US Youth Soccer Region IV.
Hailey Patterson joins the NNU soccer program from Idaho Falls, where she will graduate from Skyline High School this May. As a midfielder for Skyline, Hailey helped her team to a 5A district championship and an Idaho 5A State Tournament appearance in 2009. She plays club soccer for the Odyssey Soccer Club alongside fellow NNU signee
Rachel Ball, having also been with the club since 2007. For Odyssey Hailey also helped take the club to State Cup finishes as runner-up in 2009 and third place in 2011, playing both as a center midfielder and as a winger.
The first of four incoming freshman athletes from Washington, Courtney Randall is currently a senior at Eatonville High School. Courtney played only one season of high school soccer for Eatonville, but was named to the 2009 Nisqually League All-League first-team eam as a forward that year. Choosing to pursue club soccer instead of high school soccer, Courtney has been competing at the Premier-1 level in Washington since 2007. From 2009-2011 she played for Washington Premier FC as a member of the 93' ECNL team where her team was a Washington State Cup quarter-finalist in 2010 and a semi-finalist in 2011. Courtney is currently playing in the Puget Sound Premier League for Fire CPT, where she plays in both midfield and forward roles.
Kaylee Cropper joins the Crusaders soccer program from Battle Ground High School in Washington. Playing in the midfield for Battle Ground, Kaylee has been a three time Greater Saint Helens League 4A All-League selection. Kaylee has played club soccer at the premier level for the Columbia Timbers for the past eight years, during which time her team has been a three-time quarter finalist in the Washington State Cup Championships. This past summer Kaylee and her club teammates were the US Club Soccer U-17 Far West Regional Champions. She then capped off her club career by helping to lead her team to win the 2011 US Club Soccer U-17 National Championship. In addition to her club and high school experience, Kaylee has also been further involved with soccer as a member of the Oregon ODP State Pool for 2009 and 2010.
Coming to NNU from Tacoma, Washington,
McCrea Nirider is currently a senior at Fife High School. A standout defender for Fife,McCrea was named to the second-team All-League in the 2A South Puget Sound League as a junior and to the first-team All-League SPSL as a senior. Named Fife's Defensive MVP in 2010, McCrea helped lead her team to the Washington State Tournament three times, reaching the quarterfinals in both 2009 and 2011. In addition to high school soccer, McCrea plays club in the Puget Sound Premier League for South Hill Soccer Club as a member of the Revolution Black '93 team.
The final member of the 2012 recruiting class is
Lexi Fesenbek, who joins the NNU program from Olympia High School in Washington. As a forward at Olympia, Lexi has been a four time 4A All-Narrows League selection, being named to the first-team in 2009, 2010 & 2011. She was named to the Olympian All-Area first-team from 2009-2011 and was also the 2011 Olympian All Area Player of the Year. Named the Olympia High School Most Valuable Player in 2010 and 2011, Lexi led the 4A Narrows League in scoring for 2011 with 28 goals. She capped off her high school honors by being named to the Washington 4A All State first-team as a forward for 2011. Lexi's premier club experience includes the South Sound Futbol Club, the Puget Sound Slammers, and her current club, the Thurston County United Soccer Club.
“Every year I'm excited to see the impact that our incoming freshman class will make,” comments NNU head coach Jamie Lindvall. “This year is definitely no exception and as I look through this list of very talented soccer players I can't wait to see this group add to our team. We're blessed with a very solid group of returning players and a positive team environment that I think will help this incoming class really compete at the best level they're capable of.”
