Feb. 11, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford University soccer coach Todd Yelton announced the signing of nine players to national letters-of-intent Monday as the Bulldogs continued their quest to reach the NCAA Tournament for a third time in four seasons.

Samford's highly-touted 2008 recruiting class consists of Jordan Chase, Tori Delmonico, Brittany Gordon, Jordan Gotfredson, Shannon Healy, Theresa Henry, Shannon Weathington, Sarah White and Alyssa Whitehead. All nine of the talented prep stars have signed to play for the Bulldogs next season.

"I'm extremely excited about this group of players and I'm looking forward to working with them for the next four years," said Samford head coach Todd Yelton. "This is a very versatile class and a number of these players will be able to come in and contribute right away. Not only are all of these players extremely talented athletes, but they are also great people as well."

Jordan Chase comes to Samford from Thompson Station, Tenn., where she played for the Brentwood Real Madrid club team under Brandy and Daniel Gagliano.

She helped lead Real Madrid to four-consecutive state championships (2004-07), three-straight Germantown Invitational championships (2003-05) and a pair of Region III Premier League North second-place finishes in 2005 and 2006. Chase was also selected to the '90 Tennessee Olympic Development Program team in 2005 and 2006, and attended the Region III camp.

Chase played her high school soccer at Independence High School where she set a single-season record in goals in 2005. She earned all-district team honors in 2004, 2005 and 2007, and was also named to the all-region team in 2007.

Academically, Chase earned the Excellence of Academics Award in 2006 and was inducted into the National Technical Honor Society. She was also inducted into the National Society of High School Scholars in 2006.

"Jordan is an extremely physical player who has an edge to her game," Yelton said. "Her ability to consistently win 50/50 challenges will allow her to make the transition to the college game. She is one of the top players in Tennessee and we are extremely excited to add her to our program."

Tori Delmonico is a native of Littleton, Colo., and played her club soccer for the Real Colorado National under the tutelage of head coach Lorne Donaldson. She led Real Colorado to the state championship in 2007 and was named the Most Valuable Player of the competition.

Prior to her time with Real Colorado, Delmonico competed for the Colorado Rush Nike club team and led her squad to three state cup championships in 2002, 2003 and 2005. She also helped guide the Rush to the state cup finals in both 2004 and 2006.

Delmonico was a two-time all-state performer at Chatfield Senior and earned all-conference honors as both a sophomore and a junior. Recently, she was named one of the top soccer players in Colorado by Rise Magazine.

"Tori is a very smart soccer player," said Yelton. "She has great vision and has the ability to find the seams in the defense that allows her to score a significant number of goals. She has played at a tremendously high level with her Real Colorado team and we are extremely excited to add another quality player from the state of Colorado to our squad. Adding Tori should make our front line the most competitive group that we have had in six years."

Brittany Gordon comes to Samford from Cumming, Ga., where she played her club soccer with the Atlanta Fire United 90 Elite team under the guidance of coaches Nathan Borror and Jay Miller. In 2006, she helped lead the Fire to the Georgia state cup championship and more recently guided the squad to a semifinal appearance in 2007.

At Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, Gordon led the Titans to a pair of 3A state championships and was named the team's MVP in 2007. She was also named First-Team All-Northside Atlanta in 2006 and earned honorable mention honors a year ago.

Gordon was a three-year starter and 2008 team captain at Blessed Trinity Catholic. She garnered Athlete of the Week accolades from the Roswell/Alpharetta Neighbor and led her team in assists, tackles and headers.

"Brittany is a very skillful playmaker," Yelton said. "She has great vision that enables her to play great balls into the attacking third. She has been successful on every level that she has played and we believe that will also be true at Samford. We are very excited that Brittany chose to be a Bulldog."

Jordan Gotfredson comes to Samford from Duluth, Ga., where she was a member of the GSA Phoenix 90 Red under the tutelage of head coach Judson Hamby. In three seasons on the team, she led the Phoenix to a pair of Georgia state cup finals in 2005 and 2007, as well as a semifinal appearance in 2006.

Gotfredson also helped guide the squad to the championship title of the 2007 PDA Girls College Showcase and the finals of the prestigious 2005 Disney Soccer Showcase.

A four-year starter at Providence Christian Academy, Gotfredson was named a team captain in both 2006 and 2007. Last season, she led her team to the Georgia State championship. Gotfredson was named second-team all-county by the Gwinnett Daily Post as a junior and garnered both Most Versatile honors and Defensive Player of the Year accolades.

"Jordan is a very physical defender and is very confident with the ball at her feet," said Yelton. "She is very hard-working and has great composure in the back. Her versatility to play centrally and also wide will be a great benefit to our team in the fall. Jordan is a great addition to our team and we are excited that she decided to attend Samford."

Shannon Healy comes to Samford from Crystal Beach, Fla., where she played for the nation's top-ranked club team, the IMG Soccer Academy. Her head coach at the IMG Soccer Academy was Ian Martin.

As a member of the formerly-named Countryside Lightning, Healy helped lead her talented squad to the championship titles of the Disney Soccer Showcase and the U.S. Region III Premier League East. She also guided the Lightning to the prestigious Raleigh Shootout in four-straight seasons and was named a USYS Southern Regional finalist.

During her four years at Palm Harbor University High School, Healy played in the midfield and guided her team to the 2006 Florida 5A state championship. She also helped Palm Harbor to a second-place finish in 2007 and the 2008 5A District title in 2008. She also earned a near-perfect 3.8 grade-point average.

Healy qualified for the Florida State ODP team in 2003, 2004 and 2006, and has played nine-consecutive years of competitive club soccer.

"Shannon is a very skilled player who controls the center of midfield," said Yelton. "She can dominate a game physically and is always a threat on set-pieces. She has obviously played at a very high level and her experience playing in big games will benefit her at the next level. We look for Shannon to make an immediate impact within our program.

Theresa Henry joins the Bulldogs as a native of Marietta, Ga., where she was an elite captain with the North Atlanta Soccer Association (NASA) under the guidance of head coach Dave Smith. She was also a member of Georgia's ODP team for four seasons (2004-07) and has been a part of Region III Pool.

During her prep career at Kell High School, Henry led her team to the 2006 Georgia Cup finals and was named the school's Best Defensive Player in 2007.

"I was very impressed with Theresa from the first time I had the opportunity to see her play," Yelton said. "She is a very gifted athlete who has the skill and strength to be a force within our back line. With her ability to win balls in the air, challenge and win tackles, as well as her ability to strike a long ball, it will allow her to compete for playing time immediately."

Shannon Weathington comes to Samford from Duluth, Ga., where she was a member of the Atlanta Fire United 90 Elite. She led both the Fire and Woodward Academy to Georgia state championships in 2006. Weathington was a four-year varsity starter at Woodward and was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player in both the ninth and 10th grade.

As a team captain her junior season, Weathington earned second-team all-area south accolades and was a member of the honor roll. She was also a club teammate with fellow-signee Gordon.

"Shannon is a very dynamic player who likes to take players on," Yelton said. "Her one-v-one ability and the fact that she is a left-sided flank player who delivers great service will give us another dangerous option on that side. Quality left-sided players are hard to find and we believe we got a great one in Shannon."

Sarah White comes to Samford from Germantown, Tenn., where she played under the tutelage of head coach Jody Grant for the Lady Lobos 90. She was a three-year starter in goal for the Lobos and earned invitations to the Tennessee ODP Regional camp in 2004, 2005 and 2007.

At Briarcrest Christian High School, White captained the team for two seasons and earned all-state honors in both 2006 and 2007. She was named both the Top Female Athlete and the Rookie of the Year in 2004, and earned MVP honors at the 2007 Blues City Blowout.

White is also a top performer in the classroom and was a member of both the National Honor Society and the National Honor Art Society. She is the Vice President of the Art Club and will graduate with Honors this spring.

"Sarah is an outstanding goalkeeper," Yelton said. "In fact she may be one of the best kept secrets in the Southeast. Her athleticism and work rate will help her as she transitions to the next level. She is a great competitor and will be a great addition to a goalkeeping corp. We look forward to working with Sarah over the coming years."

Alyssa Whitehead joins the Bulldogs from Hattiesburg, Miss., where she played for the Mississippi Fire 90 club team under the tutelage of head coach Corey Rose. At 6-foot-3, she is also one of the top goalkeepers in the Southeast and was invited to attend California's prestigious Inter-regional event held in January.

During her prep career at Oak Grove High School, Whitehead was named the Pine Belt Athlete of the Year in both 2006 and 2007. She was the starting goalkeeper at OGHS for five seasons and earned First-Team All-Mississippi honors as a junior. She was named all-district three times and led Oak Grove to the 5A state championship title in 2007.

Whitehead attended the regional ODP camp from 2005-07. Academically, she is a Distinguished Scholar and was ranked among the top 10 of her class. She is a member of both the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta.

"Alyssa is one of the top goalkeepers in the Southeast and has continued to improve over the last few years," said Yelton. "Her experience with the region team has allowed her to play at a very high level. With her work rate and determination, we believe she can become one of the best goalkeepers in the nation. She has excellent range and has the ability to make the big save. We look forward to seeing Alyssa grow into a great keeper over the next four years."

All five of Samford's most recent recruiting classes have been ranked among the top-20 teams in the talent-laden Southeast Region.

Last season, Soccer Buzz Magazine tabbed the Bulldogs' recruits as the 15th-ranked team in the region. In 2006, Samford's class was named the No. 9 grouping in the Southeast Region, while the Bulldogs garnered a No. 16-ranked squad in 2005. Samford's previous classes came in at No. 14 and No. 19 in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

This season's rankings will be announced after the various magazines and Web sites are able to evaluate each team's talent.

Samford finished the 2007 campaign with a 15-4-1 overall record. With the impressive season, the Bulldogs earned their first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in school history. Samford's NCAA Tournament appearance was its second in three years.

2008 Samford Soccer Recruiting Class

Player, Ht., Pos., Hometown, High School, Club Team
Jordan Chase, 5-9, D, Thompson Station, Tenn., Independence HS, Brentwood Real Madrid
Tori Delmonico, 5-5, F, Littleton, Colo., Chatfield Senior HS, Real Colorado National
Brittany Gordon, 5-8, MF, Cumming, Ga, Blessed Trinity Catholic HS, Atlanta Fire United 90 Elite
Jordan Gotfredson, 5-6, D, Duluth, Ga., Providence Christian Academy, GSA Phoenix 90 Red
Shannon Healy, 5-8, MF, Crystal Beach, Fla., Palm Harbor University HS, IMG Soccer Academy
Theresa Henry, 5-7, D, Marietta, Ga., Kell HS, NASA 08 Elite
Shannon Weathington, 5-3, MF, Duluth, Ga., Woodward Academy, Atlanta Fire United 90 Elite
Sarah White, 5-7, GK, Germantown, Tenn., Briarcrest Christian HS, Lady Lobos 90
Alyssa Whitehead, 6-3, GK, Hattiesburg, Miss., Oak Grove HS, Mississippi Fire 90