Women's Soccer Announces Nation's No. 4 Recruiting Class
2/7/2018 3:27:00 PM | Women's Soccer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's soccer team announced the signing of the No. 4 recruiting class in the nation (according to TopDrawerSoccer) on Wednesday (Feb. 7). The class of eight student-athletes signed National Letters of Intent to join the Maize and Blue for the 2018 season.
The Class of 2022 includes:
Defender/forward Skylar Anderson (Boulder, Colo./Fairview)
Midfielder Emily Ashby (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Northern)
Forward/midfielder Brianna "Sammi" Atterbury (Gilbert, Ariz./Hamilton)
Midfielder Meredith Haakenson (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove)
Defender Janiece Joyner (Medina, Ohio/Medina)
Forward Kierra Krawec (Lafayette, Calif./Acalanes)
Midfielder Raleigh Loughman (Sunnyvale, Calif./Global Odyssey Academy)
Defender Sydney Shepherd (Danville, Calif./Monte Vista)
"We are absolutely thrilled with the quality of this recruiting class," said coach Tiffany Hansen.
"Nationally, they are garnering attention as one of the top classes in the country, and while we are certainly excited about their soccer acumen and their abilities on the field, we are even more proud of their genuinely authentic character and their personal drive to excel off the field as well. Without question, each of these young women exemplifies our foundational beliefs as Leaders and Best, and Team 24 cannot wait for them to arrive in Ann Arbor. This class will be an immediate compliment to what is already in place here with the high quality of our returning group of players and leaders. We are excited to welcome these eight new members to our Michigan women's soccer family!"
Defender/Forward | Boulder, Colo. | Fairview High School | Club: Colorado Rush
Anderson, a defender/forward from Boulder, Colorado, is a three-year letterwinner in soccer at Fairview High School. During her freshman and sophomore years, she was named Colorado 5A All-League honorable mention. As a junior, she was named CHSAA 5A All-State honorable mention, BoCoPreps All-Region, and was a BoCoPreps Player of the Week recipient. Beyond her high school team, Anderson has competed for FC Boulder (2008-14), Colorado Rush ECNL (2014-17) and Colorado Rush DA (2017-18). In her 2016-17 season with the Rush, she helped lead them to the ECNL Playoffs North American Cup championship. Anderson was also named to the ODP Region IV Championship All-Tournament Team in 2017, and was a two-time ODP Colorado team captain in 2016 and 2017. In addition to soccer, Anderson is a four-year Honor Roll student who will follow in her parent's footsteps to attend the University of Michigan.
Midfield | Ada, Mich. | Forest Hills Northern High School | Club: Midwest United FC
Ashby, a midfielder from Ada, Michigan, is a three-year letterwinner in soccer at Forest Hills Northern High School. She is ranked as the No. 114 recruit nationally by TopDrawerSoccer. During her junior year, Ashby was named All-State first team, a USA Today Second Team All-American, and was the Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year. She also helped lead her team to the OK Bronze Conference, District and Regional championships, as well as a runner-up finish in the state of Michigan. Beyond high school, Ashby competes for Midwest United FC. She also was selected to the ODP Region II Team (2014-16) and competed in the US Youth Soccer National Championships and the US Youth Soccer Region II Championships this past season. Off the field, the Honor Roll student also competed for the Forest Hills Northern varsity basketball team and is a member of National Honor Society.
Brianna "Sammi" Atterbury
Forward | Gilbert, Ariz. | Hamilton High School | Club: Sereno Soccer Club
Atterbury is a forward from Gilbert, Arizona, and attends Hamilton High School. She is ranked No. 49 overall and No. 17 among forwards in the 2018 recruiting class by TopDrawerSoccer. During both her sophomore and junior years, she was named to the Division 1 All-Arizona first team and 6A Premier Region first team. She was also a TopDrawerSoccer High School All-America Team selection and AZCentral Player of the Year finalist as a junior. Most recently, she was named an Esmark All-American. Atterbury did not play high school soccer as a senior, choosing to compete solely with her club team, the Sereno Soccer Club. Atterbury has been invited to camps with the U.S. Women's National Team on the U-17, U-18 and U-19 levels. On the ODP scene, she represented Region IV in the Thanksgiving Region Tournament in Boca Raton, Florida. Off the pitch, Atterbury is an active member of National Honor Society, received an AP Scholar Award and has had a GPA of 4.0 or above since 2014.
Midfield | Maple Grove, Minn. | Maple Grove Senior High | Club: Minnesota Thunder Academy
Haakenson, a midfielder from Maple Grove, Minnesota, is Michigan's highest-ranked recruit in its incoming class, according to TopDrawerSoccer, coming in at No. 36 overall and No. 13 among midfielders. The four-year All-State first team selection was the recipient of the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year award in 2016 and is nominated once again in 2017 (winner announced in spring 2018). During her four years at Maple Grove High, she was the team's leading scorer and was selected as the Offensive MVP each year. Haakenson helped lead her team to a Class 2A State runner-up finish during her senior year, en route to being named to the United Soccer Coaches All-America team. On the club scene, Haakenson plays for the Minnesota Thunder Academy. She was selected to compete for the ODP Region 2 Team (2013-2016) and the ODP National Team in 2014. Off the pitch, Haakenson is a member of National Honor Society and has been on Honor Roll throughout her four years.
Defender | Medina, Ohio | Medina High School | Club: Cleveland Futbol Club
Joyner, a defender from Medina, Ohio, is a four-year letterwinner and two-year captain in soccer at Medina High School. She is ranked No. 94 overall in the 2018 recruiting class and No. 19 among defenders by TopDrawerSoccer. Joyner capped her senior season as an Esmark All-American, a United Soccer Coaches Youth Girls All-Midwest Region selection and was selected to the High School All-America Game, where she was named to the Best XI list by TopDrawerSoccer. She also led her team to the District finals as a junior and senior. As a junior, she was named First Team All-District and helped her team win the Greater Cleveland Conference title for the second straight season. On the club scene, she has played for the Cleveland Futbol Club since 2014. This past season, Joyner helped lead them to the OYSAN State Cup championship, the Midwest Regional title, and guided them to a third-place finish in the 2017 USYS National Championships. Off the field, Joyner is a member of National Honor Society and an Honor Roll student.
Forward | Lafayette, Calif. | Acalanes High School | Club: California Magic Soccer Club
Krawec is a midfielder from Lafayette, California, and attends Acalanes High School, where she has competed in soccer all four years. She was a varsity starter as a freshman, where she helped lead her team to the CIF North Coast Section semifinals. As a sophomore, she was named MaxPreps/NSCAA Player of the Week, and was a three-time Player of the Game. During her junior year, she was selected as the Max Preps Player of the Game (Jan. 25, 2017), and was named Acalanes' Offensive MVP. She is currently in the midst of her senior year and is leading her team in goals. Beyond high school, Krawec competes for the California Magic Soccer Club, where she has been the leading scorer throughout her time (2012-2018). She helped lead the Magic to the 2017 Region IV U18 Championships, where she continued to display her scoring abilities and was the leading scorer in the tournament. She also led them to the 2016 Surf Cup championship. In addition to soccer, Krawec was a founding member of the Acalanes Ski and Snowboard Club and is a member of the Distinguished Scholastics Team.Â
Midfield | Sunnyvale, Calif. | Global Odyssey Academy | Club: MVLA SC
Loughman, a midfielder from Sunnyvale, California, attends Global Odyssey Academy, but did not play high school soccer, as she competed year-round with her club team, Mountain View Los Altos Soccer Club and for the U.S. Futsal Women's National Team. Loughman is ranked No. 91 overall in the 2018 recruiting class and No. 33 among midfielders by TopDrawerSoccer. During the summer of 2017, she competed with the MVLA Wolves of the WPSL. She helped MVLA finish in the top 10 at the U-18 ECNL Nationals in 2016, and finish runners-up at the 2015 U-18 Champions League and Surf Cup. In the summer of 2016, she was invited to the ECNL/Id2 National Training Camp. In futsal, Loughman competed with the U.S. Futsal Women's National Team before being invited to four Argentina Women's National Team camps and to the U-20 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in 2017. In the classroom, Loughman is an AP Scholar with Honors and was a Gold Medal recipient of the U.S. Congressional Award.
Defender | Danville, Calif. | Monte Vista High School | Club: Mustang Soccer Club
Shepherd, a defender from Danville, California, is a three-year letterwinner in soccer at Monte Vista High School and is currently competing in her fourth and final season. She is ranked No. 129 overall in the class of 2018, according to TopDrawerSoccer. During her junior year, Shepherd helped lead her team to the North Coast Section (NCS) semifinals. Individually, she was named to the All-East Bay Athletic League first team and All-NCS first team. On the club scene, she competes for the Mustang Soccer Club. Shepherd was named to the ODP Cal North Team from 2014-2016, and is a member of the ODP Region IV pool. In 2016 and 2017, she represented the ECNL PDP Northwest team. Off the field, the four-year Honor Roll student is a part of the National Society of High School Scholars and a four-year NCS Scholastic Team member.
