Feb. 5, 2004

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford Soccer Head Coach Todd Yelton announced today the signing of seven players to National Letters of Intent. Yelton signed Jessika Mejia of Flower Mound Texas, Heather Birdsell of Plano Texas, Jamie Stout of Indianapolis, Indiana, Cassie Applegate of Zionsville, Indiana, Rebecca Bohler of Augusta, Georgia and Katherine Sweatt from Colleyville, Texas.

Coach Yelton said of this years class, "We are very excited about this years class. They are a very talented group of players that have all played at a very high level leading up to Samford. Because of their talent and experience I believe a number of them will be able to come in and make a contribution right away."

This is Yelton's third class as head coach of the Bulldogs. Last years class achieved a Soccer Buzz Top 20 Southeast Ranking and helped the Bulldogs to the schools first conference championship.

Below are capsules on Samford's 2004 signees:

Heather Birdsell is a midfielder from Plano, Texas. She also comes to the Bulldogs from the D'feeters soccer club. Heather has played with the D'feeters in a number of championships and played with the North Texas State Soccer Association Olympic Development Program (ODP) which won the Region 3 Championship. She has played ODP soccer since 1999. Birdsell plays her high school soccer for Plano Senior High School where she has been a varsity team member since 1999. In 2002-2003 she served as a team captain for Plano. Coach Yelton says of Heather, "She is a hardworking center-midfielder. She has a great work rate and an uncanny knack of putting the ball where it needs to be. I look forward to seeing her play in a Samford jersey." Birdsell is a club teammate of another Samford signee Jessika Mejia.

Jessika Mejia is a midfielder from Flower Mound, Texas. She comes to the Bulldogs from one of the prestige girls club, the D'feeters. While a member of D'feeters, the team won numerous tournaments across the country as well as playing in the Southeast Regional Championships. Mejia has been a member of the varsity soccer team at Marcus High School since 2000. In 2001, she was a member of the All-Freshman Team. In 2002 she was an All-District Honorable Mention. Her team reached the Texas State Championship in 2003 and achieved a #1 ranking in Texas in 2004. Coach Yelton says of Jessika, "She is one of the smoothest players in the southeast. She can see the entire field and has the ability to make all of the players around her better." Mejia is a club teammate of another Samford signee Heather Birdsell.

Jamie Stout is a defender from Indianapolis, Indiana. She comes to the Bulldogs from one of the most successful clubs in the country, the Carmel United Soccer Club. Her team, the Carmel Commotion, is one of the most successful teams in the region. Last year they won the Region 2 Championship and participated in the National Championship where they were a national finalist. Jamie also plays for her high school, Hamilton Southeastern. She was All-State the last two years and she also received All-County honors from 2000-2003. She was the Offensive MVP in 2001-2002, while setting a high school record for goals and assists. Coach Yelton says of Jaime, "She is a very versatile player. She will have a chance to play a number of different positions for us. She has competed at the highest level in the country and we look forward to her bringing that experience to Samford." Jamie is club teammate of another Samford signee Cassie Applegate.

Cassie Applegate is a defender from Zionsville, Indiana. She also comes to the Bulldogs from the Carmel Commotion. She was sidelined last season with a knee injury but has played with the Commotion since 2002. While playing with the Commotion she helped them to a number of tournament championships. Cassie plays her high school soccer for Zionsville. She was named First-Team All-Conference honors, Metro North First-Team, ICGSA First-Team All-State and All-District Second-Team in 2002. She also is track state qualifier, and finalist. Coach Yelton says of Cassie, "She possesses tremendous athletic ability and that combined with her soccer skill makes her an asset to us. I look forward to seeing her return to playing even better than before her injury. She has potential to be a great defender for the Bulldogs." Cassie is club teammate of another Samford signee Jamie Stout.

Rebecca Bohler is a forward from Martinez, Georgia. She has played with a number of different clubs. She most recently played with the Greenville Futbol Club and prior to that with the Atlanta Lightning Football Club. She also played for the Georgia Olympic Development Program. She was selected to the Region 3 team in 2003, which won the championship. Following that success she proceeded to participated in the ODP National Championships in 2003. Rebecca plays high school for Lakeside High School, which reached the Georgia State Semifinals in 2003. Coach Yelton says of Bohler, "Rebecca is a hard working forward that can score goals. Her athletic ability and composure in front of goal make her a dangerous front runner. I look forward to adding her to our attack next season."

Devon Paris is a defender from Columbus, Georgia. She plays for the AFC Lightning in Fayetteville, Georgia. Devon has helped the Lightning to a number of tournament championships. Paris plays high school soccer for Brookstone School. She has helped her high school team to the Georgia State Quarterfinals three times and Georgia State Semifinals once. She was also named MVP, All Bi-City, and GA 1A/2A Player of the Month. She also has played basketball and was named team MVP. Coach Yelton says of Paris, "She is a hardworking defender who has great composure on the ball. Devon continues to get better and better every time I see her play."

Katherine Sweatt is a midfielder from Colleyville, Texas. She plays for the one of the top clubs in the country, the Sting Soccer Club. She has been a part of numerous tournament championships with Sting. She also plays ODP Soccer with the North Texas State Team and helped them to a Regional Championship in 2003. Sweatt plays her high school soccer for Colleyville Heritage. She was named to the All-District First-Team in 2002 and the All-District Second-Team in 2001. Colleyville were District Finalist from 2000-2002 and State Semifinalist in 2000. Katherine rejoins former high school teammates and current Bulldogs, Kathy Nichols and Kim Matthews. Coach Yelton says on Sweatt, "She is a very skillful player on the ball. Her skill and composure make her a very good attacking player. She too has played at a very high level leading up to Samford and I look forward to her bringing that experience to the field every day."

The seven signees will be joining the Bulldogs as they begin there quest for another Ohio Valley Conference Championship. Last season eight players received conference honors, three of whom were freshman. Sharon Young made the third team, Sara Geiger made the second team, and Kim Matthews made the first team while capturing Freshman of the Year honors. The freshman class has big shoes to fill but Coach Yelton says, "This is a great class. We look forward to plugging them in right away and having a number of them battle for playing time right away."