The Ute soccer team’s incoming class of recruits for the 2005 season was ranked 37th overall by Soccer Buzz magazine last week.
The five newcomers include Emalee Rogers (goalkeeper, Centerville), Katy Reineke (midfielder, Salt Lake City), Jen Christoffers (forward, Phoenix, Ariz.), Lynzee Lee (goalkeeper, Kalispell, Mont.), and Danielle Sample (midfielder, Salt Lake City).
“This year’s high ranking doesn’t surprise me,” Ute head coach Rich Manning said.
“This is the third straight year that our recruiting class has been ranked in the Top 50 in the country. For me, it says that excellent young players are coming to Utah.”
Reineke and Christoffers were all-region team players in high school, and Lee is one of the top-rated goalkeepers in the nation.
Coach Manning adds that he’s also “excited about the potential” of Sample and Rogers. He calls the recognition “quite a compliment to our program and university.”
The top recruiting class honor belongs to Southern California. The Trojans are followed by UCLA, Virginia, Santa Clara and Tennessee.
Only San Diego State (19th) and BYU (36th) were ranked higher than the Utes in the Mountain West Conference.
The Utes open up the 2005 slate Aug. 26, when they travel to face San Francisco. The first home game comes Sept. 3 at 1p.m. against UVSC.