Northwestern Signs Trio to National Letters of Intent
Nov. 19, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Keylor Chan has announced the signing of three future Wildcats to National Letters of Intent. Alex Ayers (Playa del Rey, Calif./Marymount), Kathryn Chrystal (Crystal Lake, Ill./Crystal Lake Central) and Maddy Shalter (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf) comprise the incoming Class of 2012 that will matriculate to Evanston and begin play in the fall of 2008. With this group, Chan has put together yet another versatile and strong recruiting class. Chan's incoming classes have been ranked in the top-20 in the nation three out of the last four seasons by PrepVolleyball.com. "Overall, the 2008 class fulfills all of our program's needs," Chan says. "We needed help at the middle blocker position, the outside hitter position and we needed a player who could set or play right side. It is a very exciting class with the potential to make an impact on the team quickly." Ayers is an outside hitter who has earned national recognition from USA Volleyball, Volleyball Magazine and PrepVolleyball.com during her career, coming back from ACL surgery in 2005 to lead her high school to the 2006 California state title. "Alex is a very skilled and dynamic outside hitter," Chan says. "I believe Alex could grow into a six rotation outside hitter for us. She has great court sense and understands how to score points. She is a gifted attacker and in our conference that will be a great asset." Chrystal is a Club Fusion product who earned a spot on PrepVolleyball.com's Senior Aces list. The two-time All-Fox Valley Conference selection will continue Northwestern's strong tradition at the middle blocker position. "We are very excited about Kathryn and her potential as a middle blocker in our program," Chan says. "She is tremendously quick and explosive, and has been training with one of the best club teams in the Midwest."
Shalter, an outside hitter with the potential to set and play right side, also is a PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces selection, and is a three-time All-Ohio honoree. She was named Player of the Year twice in both State District 8 and the Western Buckeye League conference.
"Maddy is a very intelligent and skilled volleyball player," Chan says. "She can play almost any position on the floor and her utility will serve our program well. Her greatest strength, however, is her ability to lead. I feel she will bring the intangibles of success to our program such as team play, chemistry and vision." Following are complete bios for the three members of Northwestern's Class of 2012:
Alex Ayers High School: Named first-team CIF in 2004 and 2006-07 ... Had more than 500 kills as a freshman in 2004 ... Evaluated by USA Volleyball in 2004 as "one of the top 10 outside hitters in the country in her age group" ... Named "Best of the Beach" by Volleyball Magazine and a Top-50 Freshman by prepvolleyball.com in 2004 ... Missed sophomore season after ACL replacement surgery ... High school won CIF championships in 2004-07 and the Division 4 state title in 2006 ... Attained an "AA" beach rating in 2007 ... Played nine years of club with TCA ... Club team won national title in 2006 and finished third in 2007 ... California Scholarship Federation and high school honor roll in ninth, 10th and 11th grades ... Student Council member. Personal: Born Alexandra Ayers on 1/4/90 ... Daughter of Jim and Paula Ayers ... Sister, Kelly, played volleyball at William & Mary ... Plans to major in journalism and film.
Kathryn Chrystal High School: Ranked No. 83 on prepvolleyball.com's Senior Aces list ... Two-time All-Fox Valley Conference selection ... 2006 All-State honorable mention selection ... 2007 All-Area honoree ... MVP of high school team in 2006 ... High school won four regional championships during her four years ... Played two years with Club Fusion ... Club placed fifth in the nation at 2007 nationals ... High Honor roll honoree. Personal: Born Kathryn Ann Chrystal on 4/18/90 ... Daughter of Jim and Nancy Chrystal ... Father played rugby at Illinois ... Anticipated major at Northwestern is undecided.
Maddy Shalter High School: Ranked No. 89 on prepvolleyball.com's Senior Aces list ... Three-time All-Ohio selection ... Three-time first-team All-District 8 and two-time District 8 Player of the Year ... Three-time first-team Western Buckeye League honoree including two Player of the Year honors ... High school team was 93-11 during her four years, winning three WBL titles and making the state tournament quarterfinals in 2005 ... Played three years of club with Team Atlantis ... Team finishing third at the 16 Nationals, with Shalter earning all-tournament team honors ... Also played four years of basketball ... National Honor Society member ... National Society of High School Scholars ... Named Biology and Spanish II Student of the Year in 2005-06 ... Earned a Putnam County Sentinel Senior Spotlight ... Honor roll. Personal: Born Madalyn Lee Shalter on 11/28/89 ... Daughter of John and Nancy Shalter ... Chose Northwestern over Florida State ... Plans to major in psychology. |
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