Feb. 11, 2002

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern men's soccer coach Tim Lenahan announced the signing of 12 players to National Letters of Intent. The class of 2006 will begin play for the Wildcats next season.

In his first recruiting class at NU, Lenahan concentrated on the defensive end of the field, signing two goalkeepers and four defenders. He also added five midfielders and one forward. The 12 athletes represent eight different states, including three Illinois natives.

"This will be the recruiting class that puts Northwestern University on the soccer map," said Lenahan. "All the players we recruited truly believe that great things are in store for NU soccer. The size and talent level of this class puts it among the top recruiting classes in the Big Ten. We've added speed, size, athleticism, and both attacking and defending players."

"What impressed me most was that each player coming in understands fully the work that needs to be done to build this program," he continued. "I couldn't be more pleased with the quality and character of the players that have decided to make Northwestern their home for the next four years."

Recruits By State
Illinois (3)
California (2)
Michigan (2)
Texas (1)
Ohio (1)
New Hampshire (1)
New York (1)
Kentucky (1)

Recruits By Projected Position
Goalkeeper (2)
Defenders (4)
Midfielders (5)
Forwards (1)

Adrian Adkison, Midfielder/Defender, Novato HS/Novato, California
5'9, 170
Chose Northwestern over Georgetown and Columbia.
High School: Four-Year Team Captain, Team MVP junior and senior year. Club/ODP: Three-year Northern California State Team 1999-2001, Region IV team 2000. Captained the Santa Rosa Rebels to California North State Cup Finals in 2001.
Personal: Born 6/26/84 to William And Melissa Adkison. His father was a former swimmer at UCLA.
Coach Lenahan's comments:
"Adrian is a great athlete and has a great work ethic. He will bring an upbeat personality and energy level to every practice and game. With improved tactical awareness, Adrian should make an immediate impact and could be a very good player at the college level."

Eric Brin, Forward, Westlake HS/Westlake, California
6'2, 190
Chose Northwestern over Columbia, Brown and Stanford.
High School: Four-year starter. 2001-Led team in goals and assists. 2002-Currently leading his team to 21-1-3 record. Leading scorer on team with 18 goals and 21 assists. Top candidate for League Player of the Year and All-CIF to be named in March.
Club/ODP: Captain of club team, So Cal United, 2000 Coast Premier Champs. Has led the team in assists for the past seven years. Selected to California South State ODP. Selected to Region IV ODP Pool in 2000.
Personal: Born 2/6/84 to Rob and Aime Brin. Grandfather, Mort Bloom, played minor league baseball in the Red Sox organization.
Coach Lenahan's comments:
"Eric has a big body and can play with his back to the goal. He has the ability to score goals as well as distribute the ball. He should help us improve our attack immediately and hopefully be a key goal scorer for us."

Kevin Earnest, Midfielder, Lemont HS/Lemont, Illinois
6'0, 165
Chose Northwestern over Bradley University, Cincinnati and Tulsa.
High School: 2001-Named All-State from the Illinois HSCA, All-Conference, All-Area by the Daily Southtown. 2000-Conference MVP, All-Sectional, and All-Area for the Star Newspaper. MVP in the Suburban Prairie White Conference. Scored 31 goals and had 17 assists senior year. Career totals: 69 goals and 35 assists.
Club/ODP: A member of the Chicago Magic Soccer Club, considered one of the nation's top clubs, leading them to the State Championship finals in 2001.
Personal: Born 1/20/84 to John and Melanie Earnest. Father was a college football player at Millikin College in Decatur, Illinois.
Coach Lenahan's comments:
"Kevin is one of the best athletes in the area. We were attracted to his speed, leaping ability and intelligence. I believe that he has a tremendous upside in terms of potential and his best playing days are in front of him."

Brian Heckenbach, Goalkeeper, Harry B. Jacobs HS/Algonquin, Illinois
6'4, 180
As a future medical student, Northwestern was Brian's only choice High School: Started as a sophomore. Did not play high school the last two years to participate in Chicago Sockers Top Talent Program.
ODP/Club: Led Chicago Sockers to consecutive Illinois State Championships in 2000 and 2001, teaming with fellow NU recruit Jaro Pylpyczak. Club National Champion runner-ups in 2000.
Personal: High school valedictorian, ranking first out 550 students. Born 3/16/84 to Kevin and Kathy Heckenbach. His grandfather, also a goalkeeper, was former professional player in Germany.
Coach Lenahan's comments:
"Brian has great quickness and is a great shot stopper. He only needs to add a little size to his frame and he could be an excellent goalkeeper in the Big Ten. He has been a winner at the club level, and that success will hopefully follow him into the college ranks."

Taylor Huber, Goalkeeper, Henry Clay HS/Lexington, Kentucky
6'4, 200
Chose Northwestern over Dartmouth and Wake Forest.
High School: Team captain and four-year letterwinner. Named First Team All-State in Kentucky, as well as All-City, All District, All-Region and team MVP-despite missing part of the season with a separated shoulder. Named MVP of the Hoosier Cup, Bowling Green Tournament and the Catholic Cup.
Club/ODP: Six-year member of the Kentucky ODP team. Led his club team, Lexington FC, to three state cup championships (1996, 1998, 2001).
Personal: Born 8/26/83 to Randy and Mari Anne Huber.
Coach Lenahan's comments:
"Taylor has a huge frame and with the proper training has a chance to be a great goalkeeper in the Big Ten. He is very coachable, has great size and presence in the box. He just flat out hates giving up goals."

Brad Napper, Defender, Jesuit HS/Dallas, Texas
6'1, 180
Chose Northwestern over Boston College, Vanderbilt and Creighton.
High School: Three-year starter. Named All-State in 2001. Two-year captain while leading Jesuit to TCIL Championship in 1999. Holds school freshman scoring record.
Club/ODP: Eight-year captain of the Dallas Comets Soccer Club. Led Comets to the 2001 North Texas State Championships, 2001 Snickers Southern Regional Semi-Finals and 2001 Capital Cup Championships. Member of 2001 '83 North Texas State Team. Picked for Adidas ESP Camp in summer 2001, an invitation-only camp for the nation's top 150 players.
Personal: Born 9/24/83 to Jon and Suma Napper. Oldest brother, Jonathan, plays soccer for Harvard. His father played football at North Carolina State.
Coach Lenahan's comments:
"Brad has great leadership abilities and is great in the air. He has a winning mentality in that he will do whatever it takes to be successful. I look forward to his development over the next four years."

Jaro Pylypczak, Defender, Benet Academy/Lombard, Illinois
5'9, 165
Chose Northwestern over Princeton and Penn.
High School: Freshman starter. Chose not to play high school soccer his sophomore, junior and senior years to participate in Chicago Sockers Top Talent programs.
Club/ODP: Played as a part of the Chicago Sockers Top Talent program. Led the Sockers to consecutive state championships in 2000-2001 and national runners-up in 2000. Club teammate with fellow NU recruit, goalkeeper Brian Heckenbach.
Personal: Born 11/20/83 to Mike and Chrystyna Pylypczak.
Coach Lenahan's comments:
"Jaro is the Most Valuable Player on his club team, the Chicago Sockers, one of the nation's best teams. He is the glue that holds the team together because of his leadership, personality and competitive nature. I expect these important qualities and his ability to organize the defense to be key components in the development of Northwestern men's soccer."

Alexander Renzi, Midfielder, Rochester Adams HS/Rochester Hills, Michigan
5'9, 160
Chose Northwestern over Michigan, Vanderbilt and Boston University.
High School: 2001-Michigan Dream Team, First Team All-State and NSCAA Regional All-American. Captained Rochester Adams to state final with 12 goals and 15 assists.
Club/ODP: Led Rochester Knights to Michigan State Championship in 2000 with fellow NU recruit Chris Zdenek. Named to the Region II ODP Regional Team in 1999, 2000 and the State Team 1997-2000.
Personal: Born 7/12/84 to Jean Pierre and Lucy Renzi. Father is a former professional soccer player.
Coach Lenahan's comments:
"Alexander is one of Michigan's top players. He has a great competitive nature. I expect him to make an immediate impact and be one of the top players in the Big Ten in future years."

Sammy Samwangu, Midfielder, Williamsville North HS/Getzville, New York
5'10, 175
Chose Northwestern over Harvard and Yale.
High School: Two-year starter as a freshman and sophomore. Did not participate in high school soccer the last two years to play with club team full-time.
Club/ODP: Eight-year captain of Buffalo Premiere Soccer Club. Captain of New York West State Team 1998-2001. Member of Region I ODP Team 1998-2001. Member of the US National Team Pool in 1999. Captained and led Western New York to a gold medal in the Empire State Games in 2000.
Personal: Born 6/1/84 to Jamson and Kathy Samwangu. Brother Dave was an All-ACC performer and four-year starter at Wake Forest from 96-99, while another brother, Richard, played at Harvard from 1986-1989. Served as president of high school Student Council in 2001-2002.
Coach Lenahan's comments:
"Sammy has experience playing at the highest levels with the National Team and the Region I ODP team. He has great athleticism and technical ability, and only needs a little experience to be an excellent player in the Big Ten."

Adam Sirois, Midfielder/Defender, Berwick Academy/Rochester, New Hampshire
5'10, 165
Chose Northwestern over New Hampshire, Lafayette and Villanova.
High School: 2001-30 goals, 20 assist. Eastern Independent League All-Star. NEPSAC-Tourney Team. Foster's Daily Democrat Dream Team Player of the Year, Team MVP. Career stats: 86 goals, 58 assists.
Club/ODP: Led Seacoast United to state championships in 1999 and 2000. Selected for Region I ODP Pool in 2001.
Personal: Born 12/24/83 to Rick and Paulette Sirois.
Coach Lenahan's comments:
"Adam is a left-sided player who was a great scorer in high school but will probably play left back in college. He possesses a tremendous work ethic, personality and competitive nature which means he'll do whatever it takes to get the job done."

David Vargas, Midfielder/Defender, St. Ignatius HS /North Olmstead, Ohio
5'6, 145
Chose Northwestern over Pittsburgh, St. Bonaventure and Bucknell.
High School: Star player for St. Ignatius, one of the nation's top high school programs. Named All-Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2001. Leading scorer on his team with 12 goals and 11 assists. Club ODP: Member of Cleveland United, leading them to seven state championships and a Region II Championship in 1999. Three-year starter for Ohio-North State Team, leading them to Region II ODP Championship in 2001.
Personal: Born 7/5/84 to Dr. Fremio and Elizabeth Vargas. With dual citizenship, he hopes to someday play for the national team of the Dominican Republic.
Coach Lenahan's comments:
"David is a left-sided player who possesses great speed and is a pit bull on the field. I feel he is a real sleeper with tremendous potential and I'm surprised more top twenty programs didn't recruit him. I feel his speed will make him a special college player in the future years."

Chris Zdenik, Defender, DeLaSalle H.S./New Baltimore, Michigan
6'1, 180
Chose Northwestern over Michigan State, Oakland and Hofstra.
High School: Scored 47 goals and had 26 assists as a midfielder at Anchor Bay High School. Shifted to defense his senior year after transferring to DeLaSalle High School, one of Michigan's high school soccer powers. Three-time All-State player, including 2001 First Team All State. 2000 MAC Conference Player of the Year.
Club/ODP: Led his club team, the Rochester Knights, to a state championship in 2000 teaming with fellow NU recruit Alex Renzi. Michigan ODP player in 1997.
Personal: Born 11/30/83 to Mike and Jacquelyn Zdenek.
Coach Lenahan's comments:
"Chris is big, strong, tough and athletic. His size and presence in the air will help us defensively, particularly in the box which is so critical to success in the Big Ten."