University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gopher Soccer Program to Retire McElmury Jersey
3/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
"Jennifer was such a fantastic player and person during her years with Minnesota Soccer," head coach Mikki Denney Wright said. "She is one of the best soccer players and student-athletes this program has ever produced and it is a pleasure to finally honor her. She is one of the founders of this program and has been instrumental in building the Minnesota Soccer tradition."
The only player in the history of the program to earn All-American honors, McElmury was honored three times by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, including first-team accolades in 1997. She was a four-time Minnesota team MVP (1994-97) and two-time Big Ten Player of the Year (1996-97). McElmury was also a four-time Big Ten first-team selection.
McElmury ranks second in school history with 124 career points, 49 goals and 26 assists in 86 career matches. She still holds the school's single-season record with a goal in six straight matches.
A team captain, McElmury helped lead Minnesota to a pair of Big Ten Championships in 1995 and '97 and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1995-97. The Golden Gophers finished 9-0-0 in the Big Ten during her senior season and posted a school-best 18-3-2 record. Minnesota was awarded a home game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time and defeated Wisconsin-Milwaukee for the school's first victory in the national tournament.
A standout in the classroom as well, McElmury was a three-time Big Ten All-Academic selection and earned GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America Second-Team honoree. She was the Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient in 1998, the only Minnesota Soccer player to earn the award.
The jersey retirement ceremony at Williams Arena will follow the Golden Gophers' annual alumni match at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium on April 17. The match will begin at 1 p.m.
Former Golden Gopher and current Santa Clara assistant coach Erin Hussey will speak at the ceremoney. Hussey was a four-year letterwinner for Minnesota from 1993-96. She still holds the single-match school record for goals with four and points with eight vs. Valparaiso on Aug. 31, 1996. Hussey is fifth in school history in scoring with 82 points in 82 career matches.
"We are excited to have our alumni come back to celebrate the first 10 years of the Minnesota Soccer program," Denney Wright said. "Our program is lucky to have so many special alumni, and they continue to be important to our success."
