University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Sign Eight for 2016-17 Season
2/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota women's soccer program announced the signing of eight student-athletes for the 2016-17 season - Cherry Mae Fast, Haley Mennes, Taylor Beitz, Catherine Billings, Nikki Albrecht, Marisa Windingstad, Maya Rajacich and TJ McKendrick.
"We are excited to add this group of student-athletes in 2016," said head coach Stefanie Golan. "They are fantastic people who happen to be good soccer players as well. We have players coming in for every area on the field and we know there will be some who will be ready to contribute right away and they will all grow tremendously over their time here. We feel that they all fit our culture as well as the way we want to play, so we cannot wait to welcome them to campus."
Cherry Mae Fast joins the Golden Gophers from Eagan, Minn., where she is homeschooled and trains with David Alberti of the Minnesota Thunder Academy and Kenny Hills of Henry Sibley High School. Fast was named to the USYS Olympic Development Program Region II Team in 2013, attended the Olympic Development Program Thanksgiving Interregional in 2013 and ECNL Player Development Program in 2014. She has also been invited to attend the Philippines Women's National Soccer Team training camp. Fast was named All-Conference during her junior and senior seasons and was voted by teammates for the "Rock the Defense" award. She assisted her team in winning the 2015 ECNL North American Cup, 2015 USA Cup U19 A-flight, 2012 MYSA State Tournament, 2012 All-American Cup, 2015 MYSA Summer State Tournament, and more.
"Cherry has already joined the team this spring and we have been excited about the potential we already see in her," said Golan. "Cherry is super quick, technical and can play almost anywhere on the field. Coming in the spring is giving us the benefit of figuring out where she will most positively impact the team and it is giving her the benefit of settling into college life and adjusting to the speed of play and physicality at this level. We are excited about what she can bring to our team as we look ahead and she is already a Gopher."
Haley Mennes of McLean, Va. will suit up in Maroon and Gold after training under Rob Bouchard and Mark Cascio for her Freshman through Junior Year at McLean High School. Mennes also played for FC Virginia ECNL. She is an AP student, vice president of her student council and member of the National Honor Society. Mennes was the top scorer for McLean High School in 2015. Haley is currently living in Seoul, South Korea for her senior year of high school and playing club soccer for Seoultus.
"Haley is a unique individual in that she brings a lot of the intangible qualities you look for, yet her soccer environment hasn't been consistent enough for her to really grow as much as she could have by this point," said Golan. "She is mature, focused, competitive, coachable and a natural leader. Her dad happens to be a General in the Army, so the family has moved quite a bit and her soccer environment has changed a lot through those moves. For us, we liked a lot of things about her, but we feel that when she gets into a consistent environment, her potential for growth is tremendous and we can't wait for her to be a Gopher."
Taylor Beitz, Cornwall, Ont. native comes to Minnesota from the Ottawa South United of the Ontario Youth Soccer League. Beitz has been coached by Dominic Oliveri, Tania Singfield, David Bellemare and Jeff Gibbs. She also trains with the Golden Gloves Academy and Gibbs Training System for strength and conditioning. She has been apart of the Ontario provincial program, an Ontario Cup Finalist, ERSL Champion, EOSSA Champion and a part of the Ottawa Showcase of Champions.
"Taylor is a very talented goalkeeper with a relentless work rate," said Golan. "She sets a high standard, is competitive and she consistently seeks feedback on how to improve herself. She is technical, athletic and has a fantastic mentality. We are excited about the corps of keepers she is joining and that corps will be better with Taylor coming on board."
Catherine Billings joins Minnesota from Sandy, Utah where she plays for Juan Diego Catholic High School and the Celtic Storm. She is coached by Myriah Fankhauser, Scott Platz and Daniel Chavar. Billings was named All-State in 2012 and 2014 and team captain in 2014 and 2015. Her team has won the State Championships three consecutive years, were named Regional Finalists in 2015, 2015 Surf Cup Champions, NPL Champions, FWRL Champions and the US Youth Soccer Rankings has the team ranked as No. 13 in the nation. She has attended the Utah Olympic Development Region Camp and ID2 National Camp. Billings is an honors student, a member of the National Honor Society and is also a letterwinner in tennis and track and field.
"Catherine is another fantastic human being who fits our culture so well," said Golan. "She is a center back who is a natural leader and has a fantastic work rate. Catherine has experienced adversity through injury and her mindset throughout that recovery process shows us how driven she is to be impactful at the next level. We are excited to work with her and look forward to her wearing the Maroon & Gold this fall."
Nikki Albrecht of Cedarburg, Wisc. trains under Sinisa Angelovski, Pat Sorenson and Trent Berg. In addition to Cedarburg High School, Albrecht plays for North Shore United Soccer Club and is a part of the Olympic Development Program Region II Pool. Albrecht is a scholar athlete that boasts a 4.2 cumulative GPA. She was named to the All-Conference First Team in 2014 and 2015 and was selected as the conference player of the year in 2015. Albrecht was named All-Area and All-State in 2014 and 2015. She was named MVP and team captain in 2014 and 2015 as well. Further accolades include: WIAA State Champion Division I, WIAA State Semifinalist, and five-time Club State Champion. Albrecht is also a letter winner in basketball and volleyball.
"Nikki brings everything that you want in a student-athlete: she is driven to excel both on and off the field, has the right team-first mentality and is always ready to work," said Golan. "When you watch her play, you can see how much she loves it. Nikki is athletic, reads the game well, is good on the ball and makes good decisions. We anticipate her competing to play right away in our backline, whether centrally or out wide. She is a great addition for our Gopher soccer family."
Marisa Windingstad from Omaha, Neb. will join the Gophers under training of head coach Alex Mason the Omaha Football Club. She is an honor roll student and was awarded the NCPA Academic All-State honor in 2015. Windingstad has been named Omaha FC Elite Player of the Year and has been a team captain since 2011. Her team has been Club State Champions for five-straight years and she was a high school state finalist in 2013 and 2014. She was named All-Conference and All-State in 2015.
"Marisa will come in and provide immediate depth at our outside back position," said Golan. "She is technical and very smart and we feel like she will grow a lot in the first couple of years here as she adjusts to the speed of play and physicality at this level. Marisa is very driven and wants to challenge herself, so we are excited to see how quickly she can make the transition to this level."
Maya Rajacich of Minneapolis, Minn. hails from Washburn High School and the Minnesota Thunder Academy. Rajacich trains under Reuben Ndely, Cheryl Peterson as well as David Alberti. She has earned High Honors freshman through senior year. Rajacich has been named All-State her freshman, junior and senior seasons and was Ms. Soccer Runner-up. She was captain for Minneapolis United U13-U15 and her senior year. While a part of Minneapolis United, her team won the State Cup in 2012 and 2013. Her time at Minnesota Thunder Academy was highlighted by an ECNL North American League Nationals win in 2015.
"Maya adds a new dynamic to our attack that we are excited about," said Golan. "She has a big physical and athletic presence, but she is still very good on the ball and can strike from almost anywhere. She has overcome adversity through injury on more than one occasion and is still so driven to play at this level. We feel that she can come in and compete immediately and we are excited to see how she mixes in with the rest of the attack. We welcome her to the Gopher soccer family."
TJ McKendrick from Highland, Utah has experience playing for Lone Peak High School and Celtic FC under the training of Robyn Bretzing. McKendrick was named an ESPN 700 Student Athlete of the Month and an Outstanding Physics Student from 2013-14. She was named All-Conference midfield MVP 2013, 2014 and 2015, All-Area in 2013 and 2015 and 1st team All-State in 2013 and 2015. McKendrick and her teams have been named Surf Thanksgiving Cup Champions, UYSA Region IV Finalists, Utah High School 5A Finalists and are five-time Utah State Cup Champions.
"TJ is an exciting addition to our midfield," said Golan. "She is super smart and simple, yet has moments of dynamic combination play that really impact a game. She is strong in the air, can crack the ball from distance and is super consistent with what you see in her every time out. TJ is all business when it comes to soccer and we are excited to add her to our Gopher soccer family."
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