UNCP Inks Four To National Letter Of Intent

PEMBROKE – Lars Andersson, the UNCP women’s soccer head coach, announced the completion of his 2009 recruiting class Monday afternoon with the signing of four North Carolina prep standouts.

Keris Evans (Cary, N.C./ Green Hope HS) and Jenessa Mikolowski (Clayton, N.C./Clayton HS) represent the greater North Carolina area while Ashley Anctil (Richlands HS) and Brittany Padilla (Jacksonville HS) continue the tradition of Jacksonville players committing to play with the Black and Gold.

Anctil garnered all-area and all-conference first team honors as well as the most valuable offensive player award while leading Richlands High School – coached by PJ McManus – to a 15-7-2 record. The a 5’4” forward/midfielder from Jacksonville started 22 of 23 games while recording 13 goals and nine assists on 88 shots, 49 of which were on goal.

Anctil is currently ranked 11th in her class of 216 at Richlands High School and carries a 3.931 GPA into graduation. She is a member of Beta Club and the World Languages Club. The daughter of Mitchell and Angela Oltmann has one younger brother, Andrew and is undecided in her major at UNCP.

“Ashley is a gifted finisher with great touch and a knack for scoring big goals. She needs to get a bit quicker, stronger and a little more aggressive, however, she has great potential and we look for her to be a strong contributor in the near future.”

Evans, a 5’2” midfielder from Cary, has played for Green Hope High School under Bobby Peterson and has also competed with the 90’ CASL Spartan Premier team coached by Stephen Chaconas. In the previous year, the Spartans were 10-5-0 on the season and were finalists in the Columbus Day Tournament. Evans has been the leading goal scorer for the past two seasons.

The daughter of Dale and Coyon Evans has one sister Kelia. She started playing recreation soccer at the age of seven credits her father for teaching her how to play the game of soccer and for pushing her to play her best. Evans has not decided on a major at UNCP.

“Keris is a very fit, athletic and hard working midfielder who will buzz around the pitch for the full ninety minutes. Her speed, technical abilities and willingness to take on opponents one-on-one makes her a great weapon out on the flank.”

Mikolowski has played three years for Clayton High School coached by Sena Maziarz and led the Comets to an 18-5 clip during her junior year. The 5’7” defender has earned defensive player of the year honors for the Greater Neuse River Conference and is a two-time all-region and all-conference team member. Mikolowski is also a three-time all-academic team member. During her years at Clayton High School, her team was the conference champions and advanced to the first round of the state playoffs.

Mikolowski is the daughter of Leon and Josefa Mikolowski and has two sisters, Alishia and Selina. Holding a 4.4 weighted GPA, she will graduate 33rd in her class of 408 students. After living in Germany for 10 years, Mikolowski is fluent in German and is also a member of National Honor Society and Art Club. At UNCP, she plans to major in exercise and sports science.

“Jenessa is a very versatile player who has virtually played every position but goalkeeper in the past couple of years. My gut feeling is that she will come in and challenge for playing time as a defender for us as she has attributes like size, athleticism and great strength on her side. Jenessa reads the game extremely well and possesses the necessary poise to help us fill one of the gaps left by the graduation of senior defenders Lauren Townsend and Ashley McManus.”

Padilla rounds out the 2009 recruiting class as a 5’6” midfielder from Jacksonville. A member of the OCSA ’90 Coastal Crew team coached by Roger Carrol, the team rolled to a 29-2-2 record in the past year. Coastal was the 2009 U.S. club national champions as well as CESA Classic champions, two-time Region III premiere league champions, NICK Cup champions, Matt Helms Cup champions and the Raleigh Shootout champions.

Playing for the Jacksonville High School Cardinals, Padilla is a four-year letterman coached by D. Miller in soccer, as well as a four-year letterman in basketball. She has twice been named Female Athlete of the Year and was a two-time all-area honorable mention in basketball. A member of Math Club and the former junior class representative, Padilla holds a 3.3 GPA and will graduate 103rd in her class of 306. Padilla plans to major in Elementary Education at UNCP. The daughter of Carlos and Teresa Padilla has two siblings, Broderick and Cassandras.

“Brittany is a very tough central midfielder with the ability to control the game in the center of the park. She wins almost all the 50/50 balls and is strong in the air and decisive in the tackle. Brittany reads the game well and is not just a defensive midfielder. She is very comfortable distributing the ball and serving as the playmaker.”