Four Wolverines Honored by <i>Soccer Buzz</i> - University of Michigan Athletics

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Michigan women's soccer team received further recognition from its 1999 season as four Wolverines were honored with All-Great Lakes Region recognition by Soccer Buzz, the leading magazine devoted solely to women's soccer. Michigan had one first team honoree, a second teamer and two third team recipients.

Poole

Senior defender Shannon Poole (Troy, Mich./Troy HS) earned first team All-Great Lakes honors from Soccer Buzz. Poole's versatility was an integral part of Michigan's success in 1999. After playing central midfield in 1998, Poole, who was a third team honoree in 1997, opened the season at outside midfield before moving to marking back at the start of the Big Ten Conference season. Upon her move to the back row, Poole was asked to mark the top offensive threat from opponents. In the 18 matches in which Poole played on the defensive back line, the Wolverines recorded six shutouts, compared to one shutout in the first six matches of the season.

Abby Crumpton (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams HS) was recognized with a pair of awards from the publication, earning a slot on the All-Great Lakes second team as well as the All-Freshman team for the region. Crumpton, who finished the season second on the team with 12 goals and 32 points, was a first team All-Region honoree by the NSCAA and is a candidate for freshman All-America honors.

Junior Kacy Beitel (Midland, Mich./H.H. Dow HS) and senior Emily Schmitt (Troy, Mich./Athens HS) each garnered slots on the All-Great Lakes third team. Beitel, making her third appearance on a Soccer Buzz All-Great Lakes team, recovered from an early season hamstring injury to lead the Wolverines in scoring with both 15 goals and 34 points, while Schmitt paced the team with 13 assists, the second-highest single season total in school history,

With four All-Region selections Michigan tied Kentucky for the second most of any school in the region, behind Notre Dame's six selections. It also represents the most players the Wolverines have ever placed on an all-region team in one season, tying the four Michigan placed on the 1997 Soccer Buzz All-Great Lakes team.

Contact: Jay Levin (734) 763-4423