INDIANAPOLIS - Coming off a Horizon League championship, the IUPUI women's soccer program reloaded for a repeat earlier this week, announcing the additions of seven newcomers for the upcoming 2018 season. Head coach #Chris Johnson# inked players from five different Midwestern states as part of his signing class.

"With our senior class moving on, we lose key players for our program in all thirds of the field. I think this class goes a long way towards replacing those losses and adds some much needed depth at the same time. Depending on how these players develop and adjust to the college game, I could see several of them challenging for starting positions this fall and all of them seeing some significant minutes in every game," Johnson said. 

Grace Bammer (Patoka, Ind./Gibson Southern)
6-0 I Defender I Sporting SI Lady Courage
Awards & Honors
-Four-year captain and Mental Attitude Award Winner at Gibson Southern
-Was a two-time All-Conference honoree
-Earned All-District and Second Team All-State honors as a junior
-Four-year All-County selection
 
"Grace is a solid defender who should adjust quite nicely into the college game. We like to see our defenders get into the attack and I believe Grace has improved in this area a lot over the past year and I look for that to continue when she arrives here in the fall," Johnson said.

 
Renae Blevins (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North)
5-4 I Midfielder I Sockers FC
Awards & Honors
-Helped Plainfield to a conference and regional crown as a freshman
-Starred for Sockers FC, appearing in 12 matches and making nine starts in 2017-18
-Selected to the first-ever US Youth Futsal U16 national team
-Four-year High Honor Roll honoree and two-year National Honor Society member
 
"We lost some very dynamic players in our senior class and I think Renae has the ability to step in and make those losses less of a problem. She is a very technical player with good vision and awareness who will have the opportunity to immediately impact our program," Johnson said.


Elizabeth Bueckers (Milwaukee, Wisc./Wauwatosa East)
5-7 I Forward/Midfielder I Elmbrook United U19
Awards & Honors
-2017 First Team All-State; honorable mention pick in 2016
-Tallied 30 goals and 12 assists as a junior, helping Wauwatosa East to a state runner-up finish
-Two-time First Team All-Conference honoree and Team MVP
-Wauwatosa's top scorer each of the past three seasons
-Named to the honor roll every semester of her high school career
 
"Liz is a tough, fast forward who will also cause problems for opposing defenses. She brings a very physical presence to the attack and will be a handful for whoever is marking her," Johnson said.


Sophie Crews (Fenton, Mich./Fenton)
5-8 I Midfielder I Waza East 00
Awards & Honors
-First team All-Conference in 2016-17
-Second team All-Conference in 2014-15 and 2015-16
Second team All-Regional in 2015-16 and 2016-17
-All-District in 2014-15
 
"Sophie is a very versatile player who will have an opportunity to come in and help us at several different positions. She has played at a very high level with her club team and I felt she was effective for them in the midfield as well as the back. Sophie is a very hard working young lady and will really be an asset to our program," Johnson said.

Alison Hieston (Brownsburg, Ind./Brownsburg)
5-6 I Forward I USAi Soccer Club
Awards & Honors
-Two-time First Team All-Hoosier Crossroads Conference
-3rd team All-State as a senior and honorable mention All-State as a junior
-First team All-District as a junior and senior
-Tallied 22 goals as a senior and 16 as a junior
-Will graduate with an honors diploma
 
"Alison is a fast athletic forward who has a knack for scoring goals. She really knows how to find the ball in good situations and is quite good at tucking it away," Johnson said.


AP Woodall (Chandler, Ind./Castle)
5-7 I Goalkeeper I Sporting Southern Indiana
Awards & Honors
-3rd team All-State honoree as a senior
-Helped Castle to three sectional crowns ('14, '15 & '17) and back-to-back regional and semistate titles in 2014 and 2015
-Three-time All-District team selection
 
"AP is a hard working, tough competitor who will challenge for playing time right away. She is a very good shot stopper, but I think her bravery and overall game presence really set her apart from other keepers we were pursuing," Johnson said.


Megan Wurth (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West)
5-6 I Forward I Kansas Rush
Awards & Honors
-Two-year honorable mention Eastern Kansas League (EKL) selection
-Two-time 6A State Finalist, including winning the 2017 state championship
 
"Megan is a speedy left-footed attacking player who is going to cause problems for opposing defenses. She has a great work ethic and attitude that will help her get on the field to make a positive impact for our team," Johnson said.

 

IUPUI Women's Soccer Signees (as of 2/13/2018)
Name	Pos.	Ht.	Hometown	High School	Club
Grace Bammer	D	6-0	Patoka, Ind.	Gibson Southern	Sporting SI Lady Courage
Renae Blevins	MF	5-4	Plainfield, Ill.	Plainfield North	Sockers FC
Elizabeth Bueckers	F/MF	5-7	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Wauwatosa East	Elmbrook United U19
Sophie Crews	MF	5-8	Fenton, Mich.	Fenton	Waza East 00
Alison Hieston	F	5-6	Brownsburg, Ind.	Brownsburg	USAi Soccer Club
AP Woodall	GK	5-7	Chandler, Ind.	Castle	Sporting Southern Indiana
Megan Wurth	F	5-6	Overland Park, Kan.	Blue Valley West	Kansas Rush