Wayne State College head women's soccer coach Molly Grisham announced today the signing of six recruits to the 2012 recruiting class that have either signed national letters of intent or scholarship offers to attend Wayne State College and play soccer for the Wildcats in the 2012-13 academic year.  Joining the Wildcat program are Josie Brown of Elk River, Minnesota; Makenzie Evans of Glenwood, Iowa; Bridget Hansen of Lincoln, Nebraska; Hannah Thayer of Aurora, Illinois; Courtney True of Yankton, South Dakota and Kelly Voigt of Lee's Summit, Missouri.
                Josie Brown is a 5-8 midfielder from Elk River High School in Minnesota where she was a four year starter and letter winner in both soccer and hockey while also starting three years in track. She was a soccer team captain in 2010 and 2011, earning All Northwest Suburban Conference honors in 2011 and honorable mention All-Conference honors in 2010.  Brown helped Elk River reach the Minnesota 2A State Soccer Tournament in 2009 and 2010.  
                “Josie made a great impression on the coaches when she visited. It was clear right away that she would fit in very well with our team,” said Coach Grisham. “We believe she is an athletic player who will do well in our midfield or backline.”
                Makenzie Evans is a 5-5 midfielder from Glenwood Community High School in Iowa where she started four years and is a four time letter winner.  Last spring, Evans scored four goals as a junior while helping Glenwood to a 15-2 record and the Iowa Class 2A state semi-finals.  She was a First Team All Hawkeye 10 Conference selection as a junior and was also named to the Iowa Class 2A All State Tournament Team.  Evans played club soccer for the Omaha FC 93/94 Elite 1 team which earned Nebraska State Cup runner-up honors the last three seasons.  She also excels in the classroom, earning President's Education Award and Merit Roll honors with a 3.5 or better grade point average.
                “Makenzie is a player who has experience at a variety of positions on the field and we are excited to see where she will fit best on our team,” stated Coach Grisham. “Her versatility will give her an opportunity to contribute to our success. Makenzie is a former high school teammate of current Wildcat Mallory Hoyt.”
                Bridget Hansen is a 5-8 center/midfielder from Lincoln Pius X High School.  She is a two year starter and four year letter winner in soccer, helping Pius to district championships and state tournament berths in 2009 and 2011.  Hansen was an Academic All-State selection in 2011 and served as student body president.  She played club soccer for the Capital Soccer Association and Lincoln Gold Rush.  
                “Bridget will give us much needed depth in our central midfield. Her ability to hit a ball from a distance is a great asset,” remarked Coach Grisham. “She is a former high school teammate of current Wildcats Heather Feltes and Norma Volkmer.”
                Hannah Thayer is a 5-4 defender/midfielder from Metea Valley High School in Illinois where she was a three year starter and letter winner in soccer and one year starter/letter winner in basketball. She  was a Metea Valley captain in both soccer and basketball in 2010 and 2011. Thayer was also an Upstate Eight Scholar Athlete in soccer and basketball and was Academic All-Conference in soccer and basketball in 2010 and 2011. Her soccer team was Illinois High School Regional champions in 2009 and she played for the Fox Valley Strikers Premier Team from 2009-2012.
                “Hannah will be a great addition to our team. Depending on our system we think she will make an impact as an outside back or an outside midfielder,” stated Coach Grisham. “She comes from Illinois and is used to playing a high level of competitive soccer.”
                Courtney True is a 5-5 goalkeeper from Yankton High School in South Dakota where she started three years in soccer and one year in basketball. She was Second Team All-State in soccer her junior year and First Team All-State as a senior. Her soccer team was a State Tournament qualifier three consecutive seasons and advanced to the state tournament quarter finals in 2011, the highest finish in school history. Her 2011 basketball team also was a state qualifier. During her three years of soccer, True recorded 442 saves in 44 games (10 saves per game). She played club soccer for the River City Renegades and Dakota Alliance Under 18 team that was a regional qualifier.
                “Courtney will join our team as a goalkeeper and we are very excited about the opportunity to train her at the next level,” said Coach Grisham. “Her work ethic is tremendous and we believe she is going to excel each and every day in our training environment.”
                Kelly Voigt is a 5-9 forward/midfielder from Blue Springs South High School in Missouri where she started four years in soccer and three in softball. Individual honors while at Blue Springs South include: 2011 All-District First Team, 2011 All-Suburban Big Six Conference honorable mention, 2010 Academic All-State First Team and Presidential Honor Roll (4.0 every semester).  Voigt played her club ball for the Kansas City FC Ice team.  
                “Kelly is an attacking player that we are excited about. The last thing she said on her visit was, 'I'll play anywhere but I just want to be scoring goals' and we loved hearing that,” remarked Coach Grisham. “We think Kelly will be a great addition as an outside midfielder or as a forward.”
                Wayne State is an NCAA Division II school located in Wayne, Nebraska and competes in the 14-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Wildcats finished the 2011 season with an overall record of 5-11-2.