CEDAR CITY, Utah - Feb. 8 - Eight student-athletes have given their commitment to play for Southern Utah University women's soccer following signing day on Wednesday. The list includes five from the state of Utah, two from Nevada and one from Idaho.

“This is an exceptional class for SUU Soccer," head coach Brian Stock said of the class as a whole.  "They bring a diverse talent base to our team and are all tremendous athletes.  We will have some dangerous new weapons in the squad and have met the needs that opened up by graduation.

"This class has also proven their success in the classroom and will be great assets to the culture of this program," he continued.  "I am confident that they will push us to the championship level we are capable of reaching.”

Charly Booth will fill a need between the posts for the Thunderbirds with the departure of senior goalkeeper Holly Senter.  The Bountiful and Viewmont High School product will join current senior Sutton Fox as options for Southern Utah in goal.  As a senior at Viewmont HS, she helped the Vikings to the State 5A quarterfinals and a second-place finish in Region 1.  Booth played for the LaRoca FC club team and helped the team to back-to-back State Cup semi-finals in 2006 and 2007.  In 2005, LaRoca claimed the State Cup Championship and then went on to a US Club Soccer Region Champion in 2006 and a semi-final appearance in the 2006 US Club Soccer Nationals.

“Charly is one of the hardest working goalkeepers I've seen," Stock said. "She is technically clean, aggressive off the line and brave in the challenges.  Her improvement over the recent past is a direct result of her commitment to training.”

Nikki Packham (American Fork HS) will bring versatility with experience in the midfield and as a defender.  As a four-year varsity letterwinner at AFHS, she garnered first-team all-region honors as a sophomore, first-team all-state honors as a junior and all-state honorable mention kudos as a senior.  Packham played for the Utah Avalanche in the club circuit, helping the team to three State Cup Championships (2004, 2006 and 2007) and second-place finishes in 2003 and 2005.

“Nikki is a constant presence wherever she is on the field," Stock said.  "She is a confident leader and relentless worker.  She is dominant in the air, will stick any tackle, but also has some dangerous attacking weapons.”

Southern Utah will have three additions to the midfield in Michelle Judd (Washington, Utah/Pine View HS), Riley Bassett (Las Vegas, Nev./Centennial HS) and Elyse Alexander (Riverton, Utah/Riverton HS).

Judd is another four-time varsity letterwinner and was a three-time first-team all-Region 9 selection.  She also received pundits with second-team all-state honors in 2006 and 2007 and all-state honorable mention honors in 2007.  She was voted PVHS Most Valuable Player as a senior and also stayed strong in the classroom, being named to the Region 9 all-academic team as a senior.  Judd played for the Utah Rush club team and helped the squad to a Utah State League runner-up finish in 2006 in the U17 Division I.

“Michelle is one of the best players ever to come out of our area and I am excited to see her wear the Thunderbird colors," Stock said.  "Her greatest attributes are her composure on the ball, tenacity in the air and her ability to strike the ball over distance.  I've seen her score goals from deep in the midfield and that brings another element of danger to our attack”

Bassett also brings four years of varsity experience with four varsity letters from Centennial HS.  She helped CHS to a state title in 2005 and state semi-final appearances in 2006 and 2007.  Her efforts produced all-Southern Nevada honors during her junior and senior campaigns.  Bassett found a great deal of her success in club soccer by leading FC Las Vegas to four consecutive Nevada State Cup Championships from 2004-2007.

“I am absolutely thrilled to have Riley come to Cedar City," Stock said.  "She is a player who drew a lot of attention from college coaches and the fact that she is here is a sign of where we are headed as a team.  Her touch and vision are outstanding and she can create scoring opportunities out of any situation.”

Alexander compiled eight goals and 29 assists during a four-year varsity letterwinner career at Riverton HS.  She was a member of the 2007 Region 3 championship team, earning all-state honorable mention and first-team all-region honors as a senior.  She also garnered all-region honorable mention honors as a junior.  As a member of the Utah Avalanche club team, Alexander helped the team to a 2008 Vegas Cup Championship.

“Elyse is an extremely crafty player," Stock said.  "She is very confident on the ball and makes things happen on the dribble.  She also has the ability to be dangerous on the pass.  Her work rate is through the roof and makes her difficult to defend.”

Stacey Brinkman (Las Vegas, Nev./Arbor View HS) and Kendel Murray (Provo, Utah/Timpview HS) will bring versatility with experience in the midfield and attacking third.

Brinkman is a four-year letterwinner at AVHS and a two-time all-Northwest division selection.  As a junior, she led the Las Vegas Valley in goals scored with 32, earning all-Southern Nevada honors and AVHS Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year awards.  As a sophomore, Brinkman was named the Arbor View MVP for both soccer and volleyball and was a three-time letterwinner on the volleyball court.  Brinkman is a second member of the FC Las Vegas club team to sign with the Thunderbirds, helping her club team to four consecutive Nevada State Cup Championships.  She currently serves as the student body president at Arbor View.

“Stacey brings a tremendous amount of individual creativity to our roster," Stock said.  "She loves to attack and has the unique ability to keep defenders on their heels.  She has such a dynamic personality on the field that she opens up a lot of opportunities for the players around her as well.  Her success in two sports also shows that she has tremendous athletic potential."

Murray is a three-year letterwinner at THS, two-year captain and 2007 Most Valuable Offensive Player for the Thunderbirds.  She is the second signee from the Utah Avalanche club team (Elyse Alexander), helping the team to the 2008 Vegas Cup Championship.

“Kendel brings another level of athleticism to our team," Stock said.  "She has the ability to break teams down with her pace and tough tackling.  Recently, her coaches have been playing her in the back, but she knows how to cause problems on the forward line and will be asked to do that for us.”

McKenzie Hadley rounds out the recruiting class and is a true forward and four-year letterwinner for Eagle High School in Eagle, Idaho.  She helped EHS to back-to-back Idaho 5A state championships in 2004 and 2005 and a runner-up appearance in 2007 after a 13-2-4 record.  She also helped the team to consecutive district championships in 2006 and 2007 and was named Eagle's Most Valuable Offensive Player as a senior.  Hadley is a member of the 2003 State Cup Champion Boise Capitals club team with finalist appearances in 2005-2007.  Her successes go well beyond the pitch as she is a two-year member of the National Honors Society, four-year member of the honor roll and 2008 Valedictorian of Eagle HS.

 “McKenzie has a great knack for creating goals," Stock said.  "She is very intelligent and does the simple things right.  She is a fighter in the box and has great ability in the air."

Southern Utah soccer will officially kick-off its fall season when the Thunderbirds host UC-Riverside on Friday, August 22.