El Dorado, KS - All eight Butler Soccer sophomores have signed national letters of intent to play at four-year institutions across the country. This year's graduating class has raised an already exceedingly high bar in which Butler uses to measure its standard of success. The eight players and the schools that they have signed with are: Melanie Nuessen with Emporia State University, Mandi Roan with Pfeiffer University, Natausha Sanchez and Perla Hernandez with Columbia College, Kelsey Garrison with McPherson College, Abi Schnetzler with Ottawa University, and Kelsey Gresham and Dusti Greenlee with Southwestern College.
Over the past two years these eight young ladies have numerous individual honors but their true worth rests in their contributions to their team. During their time in a Grizzly uniform the team compiled an overall record of 36-9-1 with an astonishing 28 shutouts (a school record 17 shutouts in 2011). In the same two year span the team finished with a 21-3-1 conference record and a share of the 2011 conference title. However, their greatest on-field accomplishment came when they qualified the team for the program's first ever trip to the NJCAA National Championships in 2011. The team finished the tournament in 5th place while allowing only one goal in three matches, fewer than any other team in the tournament. The team was also named the Lea Plarski Sportsmanship Team of the Tournament.
For all the on-field accolades that this group of sophomores has accumulated, they will not soon be forgotten for their leadership in the classroom. Seven times they have been selected as Academic All-Conference honorees while leading the team to the 2010-11 Academic Conference Championship. The team has been twice selected as an NSCAA and NJCAA Academic Team of the Year. Four of the girls are on pace to graduate as NJCAA Academic All-Americans.
"When recruiting at the community college level, each recruiting class has a profound impact on your program. These eight young ladies have proven to future Grizzlies that you can set goals, work hard, and have those goals materialize. The graduating class of 2012 will forever hold a special place in Butler Soccer history and my personal coaching career, as they were the first to lead us to the national tournament. We look forward to watching them continue to make an impact at their four-year institutions and beyond. We always want our players to leave our program and institution having a pride in what they have done with their time here. I know that this group has accomplished that and will forever be a Grizzly." -Butler Soccer Head Coach, Adam Hunter
Below is what each girl's new head coach had to say about signing a Butler Grizzly...
Kelsey Gresham and Dusti Greenlee- Southwestern College (Winfield, KS)
"Greenlee will help solidify our defensive effort. We plan to utilize Gresham's left foot in our midfield next fall. Both of these women know how to compete at the national level and we are looking forward to their influence and experience on our team. We hope their experience as conference champions helps to raise SC Women's Soccer to a higher standard." –Joe Wood
Perla Hernandez and Natausha Sanchez- Columbia College (Columbia, MO)
"Perla is a skilled midfielder with tremendous vision and distribution ability. She will be a strong attacking contributor in our program. Natausha has been a consistent goal scorer through her high school and junior college career. We look for her to continue that success at the top level in the NAIA." –John Klein
Abi Schnetzler- Ottawa University (Ottawa, KS)
"We are very excited to have Abi as part the Ottawa University Women's Soccer Team. She brings with her from Butler, a winning attitude and tradition, as well as the intangible of playing at the national level while at Butler. Abi is very coachable and is projected to fill our right back role. Abi is an excellent server of the ball and is hardnosed in tight spaces with would-be attackers. While Abi is new to the program, she will be a mentor and leader to the incoming freshmen class. Abi will be able to provide insight from her previous experience at the college level." –Marc Gordon
Mel Nuessen- Emporia State (Emporia, KS)
"I believe adding experienced players to your roster will lead to a more balanced all around team. It is especially beneficial when they come from a winning program like Butler. Melanie Nuessen is coming back home and will be competing at the goalkeeper position. Mel is long and athletic and will be a great asset to our young team. With her skill set and experience on her side, she has all the makings to be an impact player at the Division 2 level. I am excited to be able to work with Mel as we move this program into a new era." –Bryan Sailer
Mandi Roan- Pfeiffer University (Misenheimer, NC)
"We are very excited to have Mandi join our program this coming fall. She is a smart, athletic player with a bit of pace that will have an immediate impact because of her versatility and work-rate. Beyond her attributes on the field, Mandi is a tremendous person. She brings character and leadership to our team along with a positive attitude. We feel confident she will do well here at Pfeiffer and will be a big part in our continued success." –Elijah Denton
Kelsey Garrison- McPherson College (McPherson KS)
"We are very excited to have Kelsey Garrison joining the McPherson College women's soccer program for 2012. She had a tremendous career at Butler Community College including a 5thplace finish at the NJCAA National Tournament this fall. Kelsey plays a smart, aggressive style of soccer which is what we're looking for in our back line. Having a player like Kelsey join our program with the college experience she already has is going to make a big impact for us next fall. We're expecting Kelsey to challenge right away for playing time in our defensive third." –Robert Talley
