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Two Releases from Finlandia University Athletics
Coach Kristan Schuster adds three more key volleyball players to the 2014 roster, Melissa Putala (Baraga, MI), Kelsey Shope (Rapid River, MI) and Kellie Maddox (Tucson, AZ).
Melissa Putala played as an outside hitter at Baraga High School where she was awarded MVP her senior year and made the first team All-Conference., She is an incredibly strong and fast player with great ability to see the court well. Putala will be majoring in Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA).
“Melissa will definitely be a contributing factor to our successes this season and will help strengthen our offense from the outside position,” said Coach Schuster. “She makes great, smart offensive plays.”
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Kelsey Shope played as an outside hitter and middle blocker for the Mid-Peninsula Wolverines., She made 1st team All Conference her senior year for volleyball along with, Mid-Pen All-Around Athlete of the Year, All-Conference Defensive Team (basketball), All-Conference 1st & 2nd team (basketball). Kelsey will also be playing basketball at Finlandia for Coach Terry Klemett. Shope will also be majoring in PTA.
“I am excited to bring in such a talented athlete who will add to our offense both on the outside and middle,” said Coach Schuster., “Kelsey is, another strong athletic player with a great court awareness and competitiveness.”
Kellie Maddox was a setter and a three-year team captain back in Arizona and will be looked upon to help run the offense and bring some leadership to the program. Maddox is a versatile player with experience at several positions. In 2013, she was named MVP of her high school team and was an All-State honorable mention selection in the state of Arizona.
“I am excited to bring in another setter who will help bring our offense to another level,” said Schuster.
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Finlandia University Men’s Soccer is proud to announce of the 2014 Recruiting Class. This group of young men along with new Head Coach Brent Chase and Assistant Coach Felix Darko will be charged with the duty of building a strong and successful program.
Coach Chase has toured the country looking for highly talented players that will fit into his highly creative and fast paced style of soccer. We believe that he accomplished that by bringing in the best recruiting class in school history. This group of players is comprised of 8 All-League Award Winners, 6 All-District, 2 All-Region, 1 All-State, 1 All-Conference collegiate transfer, and a National NSCAA Excellence Award Winner. The incoming freshman are: Tyler Borkadi (Escanaba, MI), Jordan Darnell (Imlay City, MI), Rolph Fleurissaint (Lehigh Acres, FL), Cory Gardner (Marysville, MI), Robert Hernandez (South Pasadena, CA), Brandon Hylton, Saul Ibarra(Riverside, CA), Christian Martinez (San Bernardino, CA), Tyler McCullough (Farmington, MI), Ethan McMahon (Marysville, MI), Brandon Roeske(Marysville, MI), and Juan Tapia (Fullerton, CA). Incoming transfers include Chris Hockstok (Peteskale, OH), Brett Schmidt (Warren, MI), and George Vazquez (Rancho Cucamonga, CA).
Here is what Coach Chase had to say about this year’s incoming players. “I am very excited about the quality of players that we are bringing in to the Finlandia family this year. These young men are highly technical and creative players that should produce not only a successful season but also an attractive brand of soccer to watch”.
This is shaping up to be a very exciting season for Finlandia Soccer and we are looking forward to great things from our young men.
