By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information Coordinator
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – With one of the largest incoming classes in recent recollection, head coach Steve Springthorpe and the Tennessee Tech soccer team certainly made a splash during Wednesday's National Letter of Intent Signing Day.
Eight incoming freshmen dotted the i's and crossed the t's for Tech's largest Signing Day haul since 2014, as Cassidy Bereda, Ashley Grimes, Taylor Hornback, Haylee Koger, Natalie Rolen, Chloe Smith, Kaylee Sunders and Carly Vargas all put pen to paper to signal the beginning of their purple and gold tenures.
"We wanted to make sure the class was a littler large in number than what we typically have had over the last few years," TTU head coach Steve Springthorpe said, invoking his initial insight on the process of gathering the newest Golden Eagles. "Usually we've been around five or six, but given the fact that we will have had eight players graduate from last year's team, we wanted to make sure that from a number's perspective we were able to replace them."
"Then of course specifically what we are looking for from this new group is to keep us on our course of continued success within the conference," Springthorpe followed up. "These eight players will give us this chance and one of the main things that will jump out about them is their athleticism and versatility. We specifically wanted to recruit players that are potentially versatile in terms of the position that they play, and a number of the players in this class can fill different spots on the field for us. They are both athletic enough and skilled enough to be moved around the field as we go into next season."
Cassidy Bereda is one of three newest Golden Eagles that come from the Buckeye State, hailing from Bellbrook, Ohio. A two-sport athlete that was a four-year letter winner in both basketball and soccer at Bellbrook High School, Bereda secured first-team All-Southwestern Buckeye League (SWBL) honors, in addition taking home the All-Miami Valley Sportsmanship Award. A two-time Dayton Daily News Athlete of the Week, Bereda helped lead Bellbrook to three league titles and two district championships.
"Cassidy was a bit of a late addition for us and we are excited to bring her aboard," Springthorpe said. "We saw her last year in a tournament up in Ohio, and while watching this team play, I saw Cassidy out there and was immediately impressed. We saw her play as an attacking midfielder, and her size, ability to play a great ball, ability to get forward and knack for scoring goals all jumped out at us."
On the club circuit with the Ohio Galaxies, Bereda helped pace the squad to three Ohio South State League (OSSL) championships and two Midwest Regional League (MRL) titles. The 5-foot-9 incoming freshman was also a two-time Olympic Development Program (ODP) state team and regional camp attendee.
"Cassidy brings a great understanding of the game and her impact can be felt not just this year, but also in future seasons," Springthorpe said. "After this upcoming year we will lose three senior midfielders, so we needed to make sure we brought someone in of the quality of a player that could potentially take over that position in the future, and Cassidy could help fill that void. The big thing for us is that we feel she can be a good goal-scorer and has the ability to create goal-scoring opportunities."
Ashley Grimes is one of two incoming freshmen right out of Tennessee, entering her Golden Eagle tenure from nearby Lebanon. A two-sport athlete as a four-year letter winner in both soccer and track at Lebanon High School, Grimes was a four-year captain on the pitch, suiting up as a center midfielder and wing.
"We found Ashley somewhat late in the recruiting process and the thing that stood out with her is her overall athleticism," Springthorpe said. "She has speed, quickness and a certain level of aggressiveness to her. Ashley should be an attacking player for us, probably a winger, but depending on the situation can play in multiple places. I think adding her to the group is going to be big for our team and she should have an opportunity to compete right away."
Grimes compiled a star-studded resume during her days at Lebanon High School, collecting a spot on the All-District first-team in three separate seasons. Her athleticism was also put on full display during her track stint, earning two-time All-State recognition in the 300-meter hurdles and an All-State accolade in the 60-meter high hurdle, setting school records in both events.
Taylor Hornback, a four-year letter winner out of St. Croix Preparatory Academy in Stillwater, Minn., suited up all over the pitch during a successful tenure, chock full of honors and awards. A two-time team captain, Hornback received All-Conference recognition as a junior and senior, in addition to earning team MVP honors in each of those seasons.
"I had the chance to see Taylor at a camp that I worked out in Colorado and she impressed me immediately," Springthorpe said. "The first thing that struck me was her work ethic, and of the group that I coached out there, I thought she was probably the one that fit the best profile of what we would be looking for. She played outside back on that camp team and she could play that here for us. Taylor has great size and is not afraid of going forward. She has an aggressive mentality and fits the profile of being a really good athlete. She's also played as a forward for her club and high school team and there is a possibility that we could see her in that role here because of her versatility."
Hornback served as her high school's leading goal-scorer in each of her final three seasons, including a combined 16 scores and 8 assists in her final two years.
Haylee Koger is the only one of the group out of Kentucky, arriving to Cookeville from Bardstown where she played basketball, soccer and track at Bardstown High School. A center midfielder, outside back and forward, Koger was a three-time All-District recipient, a three-time first-team All-Region performer and a two-time All-State player.
"We saw Haylee at a tournament maybe a year and a half or so ago, and I keep going back to this, but she is just another really good athlete in this class that is also aggressive with good size to her," Springthorpe said. "We are comfortable with what she brings to the table because we've had the chance to see her play a number of times, which is always a plus. We've seen Haylee play as a defensive player and we recruited her as an outside back. She can get it done defensively, but at the same time wants to get forward. Haylee will have a good opportunity to get on the field early in her career."
Koger scored 91 goals and tallied 42 assists throughout her high school tenure, highlighted by a 28-goal, 16-assist senior campaign. Off the pitch, her athleticism spanned through successful high school basketball and track careers as well. The 5-foot-8 incoming freshman has over 650 career rebounds and over 500 career points midway through her senior season on the hardwood and a 400-meter region championship, in addition to four state medals during her time on the track.
On the club ranks, Koger suited up for Louisville United and helped lead her squad to three-straight State Final Fours from 2015-17.
Natalie Rolen joins the Golden Eagles out of Franklin, Tenn., having enjoyed a successful high school career as a two-sport athlete in basketball and soccer at Summit High School. Among the highlights, Rolen was recognized as a four-year All-District Player, accompanied by three seasons as team Defensive MVP and one year as team MVP.
"Natalie comes from the Nashville area and has been part of a great club team over there as well," Springthorpe said. "If you watch her play, Natalie's size and athleticism will jump out. We saw her as a center back, but she can also play as a defensive midfielder with her size and ability to play in the air. Once again, this is another player in this class that provides versatility and has the chance to make an immediate impact."
Chloe Smith, an incoming freshman out of Cincinnati, Ohio, will suit up in purple and gold this fall after compiling a sturdy resume during her playing days at Turpin High School. A two-sport athlete that included two years as point guard on the basketball team, Smith was named the team's Offensive MVP her senior season in soccer, to go along with a spot on the All-Eastern Cincinnati Conference second-team. Smith also teamed up with fellow incoming Golden Eagle, Kaylee Sunders, on Total Futbol Academy Club Soccer in Cincinnati.
"Chloe comes from the same club team as Kaylee [Sunders] and is more of an attacking player, so that is where we see her here," Springthorpe said. "She can either play as a target player of play wide. Chloe has an aggressive mentality and wants to score goals, which is an area that I can envision her helping us in. We need some attacking personality and she should help us in that regard, and has the chance to play rather quickly for us. Chloe also has family in the Cookeville area so it should be a smoother transition for her coming to Tennessee Tech."
Kaylee Sunders rounds out the trio of incoming Golden Eagles out of Ohio, entering her TTU playing stint from Cincinnati. A four-year starter in both basketball and soccer at Roger Bacon High School, Sunders is the school's record holder in career points (118) and her career assists (34), while Sunders' 42 career goals is good enough for third most on the all-time list. A three-time team Offensive Player of the Year winner, Sunder also took home first-team Greater Cincinnati League honors in each of her four seasons, Southwest District Honors in each of her four years and was named a three-time All-Ohio State award winner.
"Kaylee and Chloe [Smith] came to us from the same club team, and we started recruiting both of them two years ago," Springthorpe said. "At the time we first saw her, Kaylee was playing multiple positions, but we saw her mostly as a defender. She's played as a center back, but is also capable of playing as an outside back, and at the same time is definitely athletic enough and skilled enough to play in an attacking role. Kaylee is a great athlete and we are definitely excited that she is joining us."
On the hardwood, Sunders further displayed her athleticism as the school's all-time single-season assist leader this year with 344 assists and counting as this season still isn't over. As far as the club soccer circuit is concerned, Sunders was the team captain for Total Futbol Academy Club Soccer and was also a member of the Cincinnati Development Academy Club.
Carly Vargas is set to join the TTU ranks out of Richmond Hill, Ga. after compiling a strong career at Richmond Hill High School. A two-year player during her junior and senior seasons, Vargas served as an attacking midfielder and forward, capturing All-Region honors during a stint that included five goals and seven assists. During her junior campaign, Vargas helped lead Richmond Hill to a region championship and Elite 8, 6-A appearance. As a senior, she was named team captain.
"We recruited Carly awhile back and were familiar with her club team in Georgia," Springthorpe said. "I think the thing that impresses me most about Carly is that she's a really good soccer player, and what I mean by that is she understands the game in a variety of ways. Carly is tactically astute and technically sound which fits into what we want our players to be. She is the type of player that you know when she has the ball she will make the right decision."
Athleticism, versatility and potential help highlight this group of eight new Golden Eagles, but as Springthorpe notes in his finishing remarks on the class, it's the off the field contributions that are just as striking.
"We want players who are enthusiastic about coming to Tennessee Tech and this class certainly feels that way," Springthorpe claimed. "They fit the right profile of the kind of players we want. They all come from great families and we are confident they will succeed in the classroom. They are all high quality individuals and we know they will all help continue to build this program."
