El Dorado, KS - Butler Soccer is proud to announce that ten sophomores have committed to play at four-year institutions across the country. The 2013 class includes seven players choosing NCAA schools, four of them signing NCAA DI scholarships. This year's graduating class continued to raise the exceedingly high bar that Butler uses to measure its standard of success. The ten players and the schools that they have chosen are: Aisling Dyer and Aisling Kerr with Martin Methodist, Simone Arthur with Southern University, Mari Ruvalcaba and JeeHye Yi with Newman University, Casie Greenlee with John Brown University, Alyssa Miller with Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, Megan Snyder and Teresa Offerman with University of Texas at San Antonio, and Abby Ponce with Academy of Art University.
Over the past two years these young ladies have had 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 43-7-1 with an astonishing 29 shutouts (a school record 17 shutouts in 2011). In the same two year span, the team finished with a 24-1-0 conference record and back-to-back KJCCC conference championships. The 2012 team also spent a week at the #1 spot in the NSCAA national rankings, finishing the #5 in 2012 and #4 in 2011. However, their greatest on-field accomplishment came when they qualified their team for two consecutive NJCAA National Championship Tournaments. The teams finished both tournaments in 5th place and were also named the Lea Plarski Sportsmanship Team of the Tournament both years.
In addition to all the on-field accolades that this group of sophomores has accumulated, they will not soon be forgotten for their leadership in the classroom. Thirteen times they have been selected as Academic All-Conference honorees. The team has been twice selected as an NSCAA and NJCAA Academic Team of the Year. Six 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 young ladies have proven to future Grizzlies that you can set goals, work hard, and see those goals materialize. The graduating class of 2013 will forever hold a special place in Butler Soccer history and my personal coaching career, as they were part of the first team 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 this group has accomplished that and will forever be Grizzlies." -Butler Soccer Head Coach, Adam Hunter
Below is what each player's new head coach had to say about signing a Butler Grizzly:
Aisling Dyer and Aisling Kerr – Martin Methodist College (Pulaski, TN) - NAIA
"Dyer is an ideal signing for MMC! She has proven her ability to be successful at the college and international level. We look forward to her arrival this fall 2013! Kerr is a versatile player that every team needs! She has the ability to play anywhere needed and can do so without missing a beat. She will bring a physical presence that will be very evident in 2013!" -Head Coach Tyson John
Mari Ruvalcaba and JeeHye Yi – Newman University (Wichita, KS) – NCAA DII
"I have been following both Jee and Mari since their freshman year at Butler. Jee's ability to play on both sides of the field and to play in different kind of systems makes her a very valuable player. She is very consistent and solid, defending and attacking extremely well. She will help us in our aim of reaching the conference tournament this coming year. Mari is a player with great individual skills. She will give us plenty of options on the attacking side of the game with her ability to attack through the middle and through the flanks. She understands both sides of the game, attacking and the defending. I am very excited about Jee and Mari coming to Newman next year!" -Head Coach Victor Garcia-Bebek
Casie Greenlee – John Brown University (Siloam Springs, AR) - NAIA
"I think Casie is going to be a great fit at JBU. She brings the kind of joyful personality and commitment to her faith that will allow her to instantly integrate with our team and our university, and we expect her to compete for a starting spot right away when she arrives on campus. We believe that her time developing as a player and as a leader at Butler will lead to an easy transition to our team here at JBU." -Head Coach Scott Marksberry
Alyssa Miller – Texas A&M – Corpus Christi (Corpus Christi, TX) – NCAA DI
"We are thrilled to have Alyssa join us at the Island University. Having played at a distinguished program such as Butler, she has been thoroughly prepared to compete at the next level. We will look to her for leadership and guidance, and we believe she will bring with her intensity on the field that will ignite those around her." –Head Coach Shanna Caldwell
Megan Snyder and Teresa Offerman – University of Texas at San Antonio (San Antonio, TX) – NCAA DI
"Teresa & Megan bring everything to our program we look for in a player. They are both gifted athletes, tireless workers, talented technically, and have great field sense. Watching both play at the National Tournament it was obvious both are coached exceptionally, leaders, and committed to their team. Coach Hunter has done a fantastic job preparing each for D I soccer. A special thanks to him for assisting with the recruiting process!" –Head Coach Stephen Ballard
Simone Arthur – Southern University (Baton Rouge, LA) – NCAA DI
"We are highly excited to bring a quality student-athlete like Simone Arthur into our program. She has a witty personality, above average academics, strong work ethic, and a great teammate. We anticipate her experience as a contributing member of a well-coached, winning program at Butler, as well as her international playing background, will be the catalyst for our program's growth and future success." -Head Coach Courtnie Prather
Abby Ponce – Newman University (Wichita, KS) – NCAA DII