Sydney Carlson, Midfielder
5-9, Bellevue, Wash. (Interlake)
Club:Crossfire Premier
HIGH SCHOOL: Carlson helped the Interlake Saint Bernards to the 2011 Washington state championship her junior season, earning her second-team 2A/3A All-League honors. She was a member of the Crossfire Premier Elite Clubs National League team who took home the 2011 state and regional club league titles. Carlson and Crossfire were also champions in the US Club Nationals Super Group and finalists in the Washington Championships Cup. Carlson competed for Interlake's cross country team her freshman year, when the Saint Bernards were state finalists.
IN THE CLASSROOM: Carlson enters CU as an open option major.
PERSONAL: Sydney Carlson was born on March 17, 1994 in Katy, Texas. Her parents, Chris and Barb Carlson, are a consultant and a photographer. Her mother was an athlete at the University of Arizona. Carlson has two siblings, Jeremy and Brandi. She took three years of Spanish at Interlake. She enjoys snowboarding. She says she chose Colorado because she loved the campus, the environment and the soccer program.
Tori Cooper, Midfielder
5-7, Torrance, Calif. (South Torrance)
Club: So Cal Blues
Previous School: Georgia
SOPHOMORE (2012 at GEORGIA): Cooper started 15 of her 18 games played, totaling 1,035 minutes. She led the team in shots and shots on goal with 52 and 23, respectively. She scored her first collegiate goal in the 86th minute of the Bulldog's 4-1 loss to SEC foe Florida.
FRESHMAN (2011 at GEORGIA): Cooper came off the bench for the Bulldogs in 12 games, seeing increased minutes in conference play. In her first appearance in a Georgia uniform, she contributed an assist in the 4-1 victory over Georgia State.
HIGH SCHOOL: Cooper played three seasons at South Torrance before an injury sidelined her in her final year. She was a three-time first-team All-CIF, All-Pioneer League and All-South Bay selection. Cooper scored 17 goals and added five assists as a freshman, helping her to most offensive player honors and the Spartans to a 22-4-3 record. The next season, with 14 goals and 10 assists, Cooper led the Spartans to a 24-4-5 mark and a CIF championship. In her junior season, Cooper had 22 goals and eight assists, was named the Pioneer League MVP and helped the Spartans to a runner-up finish at the CIF championships. Cooper was also a stellar club player and a 2008 California state ODP camp and pool selection. Cooper was a member of the state, regional and national champions So Cal Blues. She was a three-time finalist at the San Diego Surf Cup. As a captain for three years with Force Soccer Club, she won three Cal South League championships. She also won tournament championships at North Orange and South Holiday Classic (2009), Long Beach Swim & Surf ('07) and Huntington Beach Classic ('06).
IN THE CLASSROOM: Cooper majors in journalism with an emphasis on broadcast news.
PERSONAL: Victoria Renee Cooper was born on Nov. 24, 1993 in Redondo Beach, Calif. Her parents are Steven and Saundra Cooper. She has two older siblings, Joanie and Christopher. She was a student body secretary at South Torrance. She is interested in art. She is fluent in American Sign Language. She has volunteered for charities to help the people of Nicaragua and to support disabled children and women.
Hannah Dearborn, Forward
5-4, Moorpark, Calif. (Moorpark)
Club: Real So Cal
HIGH SCHOOL: Dearborn was a multi-sport stand-out at Moorpark. A four-year letter-winner in the forward and midfield positions on the pitch, Dearborn was the rookie of the year, leading goal scorer and captain of the Musketeers. Her Real So Cal club became 2012 National Cup Champions in the B bracket. With the Eagle Soccer Club, Dearborn won the 2010 Surf Cup Championship. A versatile track athlete, Dearborn was a three-time All-Marmonte League selection and a two-time All-Ventura County honoree and California Interscholastic Federation Selection. She was a league champion in the 400-meter and a school record holder in the 4x800. In one season with the cross country team, Dearborn was named the rookie of the year and earned All-League honors.
IN THE CLASSROOM: Dearborn is currently an open option major.
PERSONAL: Hannah Kimberly Dearborn was born on Aug. 25, 1995 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Dearborn comes from a very athletic family. Her father, Robert, played football at California Lutheran University and is the Moorpark High School athletic director. Her mother, Denise ran track and cross country at UCLA. Her brother is a member of the Colorado State University - Pueblo football team. Dearborn has two other siblings, an older brother, James, and a younger sister, Sarah. She enjoys hanging out with friends and going to the beach. She was on honor roll all four years of high school and worked as a vacation bible school counselor. She says CU has always been her dream school.
Alyssa Herwatt, Midfielder/Defender
5-6, Fairfield, Calif. (Carondelet)
Club: Mustang SC
HIGH SCHOOL: One of the top players in the country, Herwatt has helped her teams to multiple championships. She has been ranked as high as No. 81 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer, ranking fourth in her region. She is also No. 126 on the ESPNHS Class of 2013 Top 150 College Prospects list. As a freshman at Justin-Siena, she started all her games played, contributed nine points and earned All-Marin County and second-team All-Napa County honors. She continued to thrive at Carondelet, helping the Cougars to an 18-3-2 record and North Coast Section and East Bay Athletic League championships as a sophomore. Starting all games her junior season, she played 1,622 minutes, scored one goal, contributed five assists and earned second-team All-East Bay honors as the Cougars earned a finalist spot in the NCS championships. She has started every game she's played so far her senior season, totaling 1,360 minutes, scoring six goals and contributing two assists. She is a CSF member and a two-time NCS and CIF scholar athlete. Herwatt has also excelled for club and ODP teams. Asa four-year captain with the Mustang Fury, who has been nationally ranked in the top eight since 2008, Herwatt was a champion in the CYSA-N State Cup in 2008 and '10, the 2008 Far West Regional and the 2009 Nor Cal State Cup Premier. She has participated in the Cal North State ODP since 2008, of which she was a team captain in 2011, and the Region IV ODP teams from 2009-11. She competed in numerous events, including the 2009 and '11 Thanksgiving Interregionals and the 2010 RIV Costa Rica International Trip.
IN THE CLASSROOM: Herwatt is interested in psychology and business.
PERSONAL: Alyssa Herwatt was born in Berkeley, Calif. on Oct. 6, 1995. Her parents, James and Marilyn, are a CEO and accountant. Her father, also a soccer player, coached her as a youth. She has two siblings: Stephanie, a Harvard club soccer player, and Eric, a high school football and baseball player. Her grandfather Frank Herwatt played football at UC Davis, and her great uncle Larry Nichols played football at Oklahoma. Herwatt was a junior varsity cheerleader her freshman year. After graduation she hopes to play professional soccer and participate in the Peace Corps. She enjoys singing, snowboarding, skiing, camping and swimming. She has volunteered with the Youth Action Council and at a school for special needs.
Brianna Hooks, Forward/Midfielder
5-1, Maple Valley, Wash. (Tahoma)
Club: Crossfire Premier
HIGH SCHOOL: Hooks was truly a leader for the Tahoma Bears. She has scored 36 goals in her career, and her 79 assists became a school record. At Tahoma she won three South Puget Sound League North Championships and back-to-back league championships. Hooks continued to improve, from a 19 point, 14-3-2 freshman season to a 58 point, 21-1 senior campaign. That season, she also set the record for most assists with 28. The Bears placed second at the state championship when Hooks was a sophomore and finished third in her final two seasons. Hooks' accolades are nearly endless. She was selected as first-team SPSL North four times, Seattle Times All-Area three times, first-team Tacoma News Tribune All-Area and first-team All-State twice and was a WIAA Team Academic Award winner twice (for athletes with a grade-point average of 3.85 or higher). She was her team's offensive and overall MVP twice a piece, as well as a two-time 4A state MVP. As a senior, she was the SPSL North's Co-MVP and TNT's player of the year. She played two seasons of basketball and ran track, but she also excelled beyond Tahoma. Her crossfire ECNL club team won the state championship in 2011. In ODP, she competed in numerous events and camps, including two Thanksgiving Interregional Events, where she was the leading scorer in 2011. She was named All-Tournament second team at the 2011 and '12 Region IV ODP Championships. She was also invited to the US Youth Soccer National Training Sessions in 2010 and '11.
IN THE CLASSROOM: Hooks intends to major in psychology.
PERSONAL: Brianna Hooks was born in Seattle on Feb. 10, 1995. Her family is no stranger to sports. Her father, Kim Hooks, played baseball at Edmonds Community College, and her mother, Kelly Wirtala, played tennis at Shoreline Community College. Her grandfather, James Hooks, played football at Central Oklahoma before joining the Detroit Lions. She has two younger brothers, Kim and Julius. She hopes to become a sports psychologist. Hooks sang alto in Tahoma's treble choir, where she had a superior score at the state competition. She has taken three years of American Sign Language and hopes to become fully fluent while at CU. She liked the sense of home CU's campus gave her and is excited to avoid the Washington rain.
Alex Huynh, Defender
5-6, Sadleir, New South Wales, Australia (Westfields Sports)
Club: Western Sydney Wanderers
HIGH SCHOOL: Huynh succeeded on the pitch with multiple teams. A talented player at Australia's first selective sports school, she helped her team to four consecutive state championships. She was selected for the Under-15 and U-17 New South Wales Teams on her way to appearances with the U-17 and U-20 Australian National Teams. She was a member of the Australian Schoolgirls and NSW Combined High Schools teams from 2009-11, winning championships each season, and taking home national titles in 2009 and '10. As a senior, she was a team captain and was named the NSW CHS player of the final. She was also awarded NSW CHS Blue in addition to blue honors from Westfields Sporting and Sydney South West as a junior. Huynh also played club ball with the Western Sydney Wanderers of the Australian W-League.
IN THE CLASSROOM: Huynh intends to major in business.
PERSONAL: Alexandra Huynh was born on July 24, 1994 in Sydney, Australia. Her mother is Jo-Anne Piper. She has a twin sister, Samantha, and two brothers, Joshua and Christopher. She is the first ever Australian women's soccer player at CU. She enjoys reading, skateboarding and making clothes. She chose Colorado because she was attracted to the school's culture and the surrounding environment.
Mikaela Kraus, Midfielder/Defender
5-6, San Diego, Calif. (Cathedral Catholic)
Club: San Diego Surf
HIGH SCHOOL: Kraus was a four-year letter-winner at Cathedral Catholic. Her freshman season she was named to the San Diego Hall of Champions Student Athlete Leadership Program. She scored her first goal as a sophomore and earned the Coaches Varsity Award. Kraus scored two goals and contributed three assists as the Dons went 18-7-5 her junior season. That year she earned first-team Western League and second-team All-CIF and All-North County honors. She was also named to the Union Tribune All-Academic Team and was a CCHS Scholar Athlete. She continues to grow as a player in her ongoing senior season, scoring six goals and helping the team to a 13-2-3 record. The Dons took home the 2012 CIF Championship, while her San Diego Surf club has also excelled. The club won the Surf College Cup in 2011 and was victorious in back-to-back Surf Thanksgiving Cups ('09 and '10) and won three straight Surf Cups (2008-10). Kraus and the Surf were also Cal South National Cup semi-finalists in 2009 and '10.
IN THE CLASSROOM: Kraus is interested in sociology and applied physiology.
PERSONAL: Mikaela Jayne Kraus was born on Oct. 11, 1995 to David and Jennifer Kraus. Her sister, Kendall, plays soccer at Dartmouth. Kraus hopes to work in sports law after graduation. She is of Puerto Rican descent. She enjoys scuba diving, skiing and making homemade ravioli. She volunteers for multiple causes each year. She chose CU because she believes it is the perfect combination of academic and athletic opportunities.
Brooke Rice, Midfielder
5-7, Jackson, Wyo. (Jackson Hole)Club: Utah Avalanche
Previous School: Santa Clara
SOPHOMORE (2012 at SANTA CLARA): Rice played in 20 games and made four starts as Santa Clara advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament and earned a 12-4-6 record. Rice took 16 shots, half of which were on goal. Her first collegiate goal was the game-winner in the Broncos' 4-2 victory over the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
FRESHMAN (2011 at SANTA CLARA): Appeared in six games as a freshman, taking two shots and sending one on goal.
HIGH SCHOOL: Rice had an active prep career. Her Utah Avalanche soccer club won the state championship three years in a row from 2008-10. They were also Surf Cup
champions in 2009. She was on the Utah state ODP region pool and team in 2010. Though focusing mostly on a club, Rice made the move to high school soccer her senior season, earning All-State honors. At Jackson Hole, she also participated in two years of track, cross country and basketball (a team which won four straight state championships). She was All-State both seasons with the track team, competing in the 800, 1600 and 3200 meters and taking home an individual state title. She also won team and individual state titles in cross country, where she ran a 19:50 3-mile and earned All-State honors as a freshman.
IN THE CLASSROOM: Rice's intended major is business. She is also interested in journalism.
PERSONAL: Brooke Rice was born in Voorhees, N.J. on Feb. 16, 1993. Her parents Joe and Denise Rice own their own business and created a family of athletes. Joe competed in the 800 meter at Clemson. Rice's sisters have both also played collegiate soccer. Ellie currently plays at Santa Clara and Nicole played at Wyoming under then head coach Danny Sanchez. Rice enjoys cooking, hiking and being with friends. She has volunteered for the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative (BAWSI) and is a member of the National Honor Society. She chose CU to play soccer for a good team with a good coach in the Pac-12 Conference.
Kenzie Tillitt, Goalkeeper
5-5, Carson City, N.V. (Carson)
Club: Nevada Elite FC
HIGH SCHOOL: A four-year letter-winner at Carson, Tillit excelled at every position on the pitch. The Senators were back-to-back champions in both the Sierra League (2009 and '10) and the Northern Nevada Region ('11 and '12), while becoming state finalists for three consecutive seasons (2010-12). As a sophomore forward, the Senators went 14-1-4 as Tillitt was named second-team All-State and won her team's golden boot award. Next season, Tillitt led the Senators in assists in the midfield, helping her to first-team All-State honors and her team to an undefeated 16-0-4 record. In her senior season, Tillitt was her team's leading scorer with 20 goals. She was named the Senators' MVP and the league's offensive player of the year. With five goals in a single match, Tillitt holds the CHS record. A two-time All-State Academic, Tillitt also proved herself with club and ODP teams. Her Nevada Elite FC club won the US Club Region IV Championship in 2012. With Davis Legacy in 2009, she took home a championship at the Disney Showcase. She was a member of Nevada state ODP from 2007-11, earning invites to the Region IV pool in 2010 and '11 and to the USYS Youth National ODP Development Camp in 2011. Tillitt also earned two letters in track at CHS, competing in long jump, triple jump and hurdles.
IN THE CLASSROOM: Tillitt plans to major in environmental architecture.
PERSONAL: Kenzie Tillitt was born on Nov. 15, 1994 in Albuquerque, N.M. Her parents, David and Karen, are an emergency room physician and a florist. Her mother was a member of the University of California ski team. Her brother, Matthew, recently graduated from CU with a degree in political science. Tillitt is a member of the National Honor Society and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. She hopes to play professional soccer after graduation. She enjoys rock climbing, snowboarding, hiking, wake boarding and scuba diving. She says music is her other half and loves being in the spotlight while singing and performing with her guitar in local coffee shops.
