MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The Morehead State soccer program, which has played in three of the last seven NCAA Tournaments, has signed 12 high school seniors to National Letters of Intent. The entire group will be eligible for the 2015 season. Twelve players concluded their MSU careers in 2014.
Charity Collins, Shelby Hay, Shelby Huddleston, Cara Maher, Karli Parker, Michelle Washburn and Dani Wilson are signees from Kentucky. Haley Best, Samantha Damante and Makenna Lavatori are from Ohio, while Abby Timm is an Illinois native and Alexis Nunn hails from Colorado.
Signee Bios | Haley Best | Midfielder / Forward | Milford, Ohio (Milford HS) |
Played club soccer for Kings Hammer Academy … Helped KHA to two state championships and one runner-up finish … Her club team registered a pair of runner-up finishes in the National Championship Series and National League Series … Also ran cross country at Milford … Named Team Most Valuable Player in both sports her senior year.
| Charity Collins | Midfielder | Ashland, Ky. (Paul Blazer HS) |
A Second-Team All-State honoree as a sophomore and senior … An Honorable-Mention All-State pick as a junior … A four-time all-region choice and four-time all-district selection … Helped Paul Blazer to district championships and region runner-up finishes as a freshman, junior and senior … Participated in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Sweet 16 as a sophomore … Tallied 107 goals and 34 assists in four seasons … Led the Kittens in scoring as a freshman (27), sophomore (32) and senior (31) … Ranks second in school history for goals.
| Samantha Damante | Midfielder | New Albany, Ohio (New Albany HS) |
A First-Team All-Ohio Capital Conference selection as a senior … A First-Team All-District choice and Second-Team All-Ohio pick her final year … Named to the
ThisWeekSports.com Super 12 Team her last season … A Second-Team All-OCC honoree as a junior … Helped New Albany to an OCC championship her sophomore season … Notched a team-best 10 goals as a senior.
| Shelby Hay | Forward | Louisa, Ky. (Lawrence County HS) |
A First-Team All-State selection as a junior and senior … An Honorable-Mention All-State choice as a sophomore … A four-time all-region honoree, including two Most Valuable Player awards … A three-time all-district selection, including two MVP awards … A four-time all-area pick … Helped Lawrence County to a four-year record of 81-19-2 … The Bulldogs won four district championships and three region titles … LCHS played in three Kentucky High School Athletic Association Sweet 16s and two Elite Eights … Collected 150 goals and 53 assists in four seasons … Tallied 51 goals as a sophomore, 38 as a junior, 34 as a freshman and 27 as a senior … Ranks sixth in state history for career goals, ninth for single-season goals and 15th for career assists … Also played basketball and tennis.
| Shelby Huddleston | Defender | Russell, Ky. (Russell HS) |
A Second-Team All-State selection as a junior and senior … An all-region and all-area choice her final two seasons … Tabbed to the All-State Tournament squad as a senior … Helped Russell to district and region championships as a junior and senior.
| Makenna Lavatori | Defender / Midfielder | Amelia, Ohio (Glen Este HS) |
An Honorable-Mention All-State and First-Team All-Southwest Ohio selection as a junior … A First-Team All-Eastern Cincinnati Conference choice as a junior and senior … A Second-Team All-ECC pick as a sophomore … Earned three academic awards from the ECC and three Scholar-Athlete awards from Glen Este … Played club soccer for Kings Hammer Academy … Listed by
TopDrawerSoccer.com as a top-10 player at the 2014 U.S. Youth Soccer Nationals … Helped KHA to a No. 2 national ranking, according to
Got Soccer … Her 2014 club team placed second in the National League, first in the Midwest Regional League and qualified for its third national tournament … Her 2013 team was a U16 national finalist, second in the National League, Ohio State Cup champions and first in the Midwest Regional League … Her older sister, Marisa, plays soccer at Charleston Southern.
| Cara Maher | Midfielder | Flatwoods, Ky. (Russell HS) |
A First-Team All-State and First-Team All-Region selection as a junior and senior … Tabbed as the Area Player of the Year her final two seasons … Started her prep career at Scott County … Helped the Cardinals to a district championship her sophomore season … Moved to Russell for her final two years … Helped the Red Devils to 35 victories, two district titles and two region championships … Recorded 60 goals and 22 assists over her last two campaigns.
| Alexis Nunn | Defender | Parker, Colo. (Legend HS) |
Earned First-Team All-Continental League honors all four seasons … Helped her club team to the Elite Clubs National League Championship Playoffs in 2012, 2013 and 2014 … Her squad was a finalist in 2013 … Won the ECNL Midwest Conference championship in 2013 and 2014 … Won the ECNL Mountain West Conference title in 2012 and 2013 … Won the ECNL Rocky Mountain Region championship in 2011 and 2012 … Claimed a Colorado state championship in 2010 and 2011 … Participated in the Western Region Championship twice, finishing as a finalist in 2010 and semi-finalist the following year.
| Karli Parker | Forward | London, Ky. (South Laurel HS) |
A First-Team All-State selection as a junior and senior … A Second-Team All-State choice as a sophomore … Claimed District Most Valuable Player honors all four years and Region MVP accolades her final three seasons … A runner-up for 13th Region Athlete of Year laurels her junior campaign … Helped South Laurel to four district championships and three region titles … Advanced to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association's Elite Eight as a sophomore and senior … Qualified for the KHSAA's Sweet 16 as a junior … Collected 164 goals and 42 assists in four seasons … Tallied 54 goals as a junior, 38 as a sophomore, 37 as a freshman and 35 as a senior.
| Abby Timm | Forward | Stillman Valley, Ill. (Stillman Valley HS) |
An All-Big Northern Conference selection as a freshman … An all-sectional choice as a sophomore and junior … Stillman Valley's Offensive Most Valuable Player as a sophomore and defensive MVP as a junior … Helped the Cardinals to regional titles her first three seasons … A conference champion her sophomore and junior campaigns … Registered 99 goals and 38 assists in three seasons … Tallied 48 goals as a junior, 26 as a sophomore and 25 as a freshman … Paced SVHS all three years and the area as a sophomore and junior.
| Michelle Washburn | Goalkeeper | Georgetown, Ky. (Scott County HS) |
Helped Scott County to district championships her sophomore and junior seasons … The Cardinals were region finalists her junior year and district finalists her senior campaign … A four-year starting goalkeeper … Recorded 44 shutouts, which ranks in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association's top 10 for a career … Helped her club team to Ohio South state championships in 2013 and 2014 … Her club team also claimed the 2014 Premiere Midwest Regional League title in 2014 … A member of the Kentucky Olympic Development program in 2011 and 2012 … Helped that squad to a state crown her second season … Her 2012 club team was a national finalist and Premiere Midwest Regional champion.
| Dani Wilson | Forward | Elizabethtown, Ky. (Elizabethtown HS) |
A First-Team All-State selection as a junior and senior … An Honorable-Mention All-State choice as a sophomore … A First-Team All-Region pick her final three campaigns … A Second-Team All-Region choice as a freshman … Named First-Team All-Area and First-Team All-District all four seasons … Chosen as the
News Enterprise Area Offensive Player of the Year her final two seasons … Tabbed as the Area Sophomore of the Year by the same publication … Helped the Panthers to district championships her first two years and district runner-up finishes her final two seasons … A member of three region championship teams … Helped Elizabethtown to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Final Four as a sophomore and Sweet 16 as a junior and senior … Posted 102 goals and 32 assists in four seasons … Tallied 45 scores as a junior and 40 her final season … Her father, Jodie Wilson, played baseball at Lipscomb … Her grandfather, Larry Wilson, played baseball at Morehead State and was the school's longtime bowling coach … The university's bowling alley was renamed in his honor in 2008.
Quotes from Head Coach Warren Lipka(on Morehead State's 2015 signing class)"We are excited about this year's signing class. I've been impressed with these individuals during the recruiting process. We are bringing in players at all positions, which will give us depth and balance. The future of Morehead State soccer is bright with the addition of these 12 young ladies."
(on what he looks for in the recruiting process)"I always look for well-rounded student-athletes. On the field, we want speed, size, athleticism and experience. We want individuals who compete, scrap and go to battle. Off the field, we look for great character. We want to see success in the classroom and involvement in our community."
(on the mix of in-state and out-of-state signees)"We have a great mix of in-state and out-of-state signees this year. Kentucky high school and club soccer has gotten better in recent years, which has allowed us to keep some players in their home state. We are also excited about the signees we have from Ohio, Illinois and Colorado."
(on creating internal competition heading into 2015)"We are bringing in 12 new players, and I would guess at least half of them will see playing time in 2015. We will definitely have to depend on some freshmen in the fall. Multiple starting positions are up in the air right now. We will need our younger players to eventually play like veterans."
(on the support the program receives at MSU)"We are lucky to have individuals like (President) Dr. (Wayne) Andrews and (Director of Athletics) Brian Hutchinson, who have a vision and give us resources to be successful. Our new practice field has been tremendous, and it's great to have an academics facility like the EAGLE Center."
(on losing 12 players to graduation)"We lost 12 players from 2014, which is a huge number. Our seniors were talented players and great people. They will certainly be missed. We are entering a new era, but that brings energy and excitement. The 2015 season will be a re-building project, but we are looking forward to it."
For more information on Morehead State soccer, visit MSUEagles.com, Twitter.com/MSUAthletics or Facebook.com/MSUEagles.
