Nebraska Wesleyan University first-year head soccer coach Mike Lynch has released the names of 14 recruits, eight men and six women who plan to compete in soccer this fall for the Prairie Wolves. In addition, Lynch has announced the addition of four assistant coaches who will join the NWU coaching staff for the 2009 season.

The men’s recruiting class includes eight new players. The class has five high school players and three transfers. In the women’s recruiting class, five come to NWU from Nebraska high schools to go along with one transfer.

Joining Lynch on the NWU coaching staff will be Brooke Bredenberg as an assistant for both teams. Bredenberg has been the head women’s soccer coach at Wayne State College for the past three seasons. Tyler Jacobsen will serve as the goalkeeper coach for both squads. He played at Hastings College then served as goalkeeper coach at Willamette University in Oregon. Walter Gisler is a new assistant for the men’s team and will be in his second stint with the NWU men’s program after serving as assistant from 1998-2000. The other addition to the staff is women’s assistant coach Jeanie Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has coached youth and high school soccer in Lincoln for the past 11 seasons.

Coach Lynch begins his first season as the head coach of both the men’s and women’s programs at NWU. He inherits a men’s team that finished 12-6 in 2008 and was the GPAC runner-up. The NWU women were 5-10-3 last season. Both teams will open regular season play on Sept. 1.

2009 Recruiting Class

Athlete, Hometown (Previous School)

Men

Chase Farley, Pinckney, Mich. (Pinckney H.S.)

Max Hutton, Millard, Neb. (Millard West H.S.)

Grant Johannes, Manhattan, Kan. (Univ. of Indianapolis)

Brian Krajicek, Gretna, Neb. (Gretna H.S.)

Jake Lamphere, Lincoln, Neb. (Buena Vista Univ.)

Nyugen Nyugen, Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln North Star H.S.)

John Rutford, Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln Southeast H.S.)

Chris Simley, Lincoln, Neb. (UNL)

Women

Mallory Bohl, Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln East H.S.)

Lindsay Cox, Modesto, Calif. (American River CC)

Emily Dierks, Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln Southeast H.S.)

Erin Reeh, Blair, Neb. (Blair H.S.)

Sara Smith, Papillion, Neb. (Papillion-LaVista H.S.)

Leah Stevens, Columbus, Neb. (Columbus H.S.)

MEDIA REMINDER: Nebraska Wesleyan University does NOT give athletic scholarships or sign national letters of intent.