Crumpton Selected by Atlanta as 13th Pick in WUSA Draft
2/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
ATLANTA, Ga. -- University of Michigan women's soccer All-American Abby Crumpton (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) became the second Wolverine player ever selected in the Women's United Soccer Association draft when the 2003 draft was held Sunday (Feb. 2) at Cox Headquarters in Atlanta. Crumpton was called by the Atlanta Beat as the fifth pick of the second round and 13th overall choice in the draft. She was the Beat's third overall pick.
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Leading the Wolverines in 2002 with 35 points on 11 goals and 13 assists, Crumpton became Michigan's all-time leading point scorer with 116 points. In her four seasons with the Wolverines, Crumpton compiled 43 goals and 30 assists. She ranks second all-time in career goals and assists and is second in school history with 10 game-winning goals. Her 35-point total in 2002 was the second-highest single-season total in program history.
A team tri-captain this year, Crumpton was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for the week ending Sept. 23. Crumpton was also named to the first-team Great Lakes Region All-America squad in 2002, the third time in her career she had received the honor.
Crumpton joins Kacy Beitel (1997-2000) as the only Wolverines to be selected in the WUSA Draft. Beitel was drafted by the Washington Freedom with the second pick of the third round in the WUSA's inaugural draft in 2000. Crumpton was the second Big Ten player named in the 2003 draft, behind Penn State's Christie Welsh (second overall).
The Atlanta Beat were the fourth-seeded team in the 2002 WUSA playoffs after compiling a 11-9-1 regular-season record. Atlanta was eliminated by eventual league champion Carolina Courage in the Founder's Cup semifinals by a 2-1 score in overtime. The Beat will open their 2003 season April 5 at home against the New York Power.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Debbie Rademacher
On the draft ... "As you go down the list and look at the names on the draft list you'll realize it's an excellent list. Abby's in the company of a lot of great players and she's right there with any of them. She's in a great situation going to Atlanta. They're a great team with a lot of quality players and that will help her as she learns how to play on the next level. This has been something Abby has wanted to do for a long time and she's trained and prepared hard to get there. I think she was going to do well with any team she was drafted by, but I think she will be a great complement to what they have in Atlanta."
On what Crumpton's opportunity means to Michigan ... "For a player to have the opportunity to play professionally is a great honor. This is an honor for Abby and for the University of Michigan. For us as a program, it shows that we are graduating the caliber of athlete that can compete at the next level and is gaining the recognition a person like Abby deserves."
On Crumpton having the opportunity to play in the WUSA ... "When Abby started here, the opportunity to play professionally wasn't a reality. We had always thought she had the potential to take the next step and play the Under-21 National Team and maybe go on from there with the national team. But now with the WUSA available you can see a player like Abby have the ability to regularly play with the best players there are and really see her true potential."
Official Sites: WUSA | Atlanta Beat
Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423
