Feb. 7, 2001
WACO, Texas - Baylor head soccer coach Nick Cowell announced the signing of seven players Wednesday for the 2001 season. The seven are: Hilary Aylesworth of Phoenix, Tiffany Boshers of Algonquin, Ill., Megan Briscoe of Poway, Calif., Sarah Dearing of Cypress, Texas, Melanie Pannell of San Marcos, Texas, Ginny Rosario-Tull of Mansfield, Texas, and Lori Viggiano of Plano, Texas.
"Our main needs were speed, left-side players, and someone to try and replace [goalkeeper] Dawn [Greathouse]," head soccer coach Nick Cowell said. "With this class, we certainly took care of the speed and left-side issues, and we signed one of the top eight goalies in the nation. Between her and our transfer from UCLA, Emily Koch, we should be pretty well covered."
Aylesworth, an "aggressive, goal-scoring center midfielder" according to Cowell, comes to Baylor from Xavier College Preparatory School in Phoenix. There, she played for the same club as current Baylor soccer player Katie Peterson (the Sereno Golden Eagles '83 team) and was a member of the Arizona State ODP team.
Boshers played four years of varsity soccer for Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Ill. A midfielder/forward, she also is a member of the Sockers F.C. club team and has participated on the Illinois State ODP team. She attended Baylor Soccer Camp in 2000. Boshers' resume includes Preseason Player of the Year, all-conference, all-sectional and all-area. She was an all-conference player and Team MVP playing basketball as a sophomore and participated in volleyball her junior year. During the summer, she played for the Dactyls Semi-Pro soccer team.
"Boshers should help with our left side," Cowell said. "She's all left-footed, which will add to the balance of our team."
Briscoe played every position, including goalkeeper, at Poway High School in Poway, Calif. A scholar-athlete, she received Golden State Awards in biology (recognition) and Spanish (honors). Her club team, SURF, won the 2000 club national championships for Girls Under-18 division. The same team was runner-up in 1999.
"Briscoe is a tremendous athlete," Cowell said. "She's tall, fast, and a very good outside midfielder."
Dearing will join the Bears from Cy-Fair High School in Cypress, Texas, after playing four years of varsity soccer. A midfielder/forward, she was the district MVP as well as an all-conference and all-Greater Houston first team selection. As a sophomore, Dearing broke three school records in soccer (goals, assists and hat tricks). She has been a member of the South Texas ODP program for five years and was a member of the Region III regional pool for three years.
"Her family bleeds maroon," Cowell said, "but she got lucky and she came to us. Dearing is a good scoring midfielder/forward type."
Pannell is one of several signees to have attended Baylor Soccer Camp in 2000. She was a four-year varsity goalkeeper at San Marcos High School in San Marcos, Texas. Pannell's honors include first team all-district, first team all-region, team MVP and team Most Outstanding Player. She currently plays for the San Antonio Classics, where she was the '83 Classics Player of the Year (97-98). She also is a member of the South Texas State Team as well as the Region III regional team. Pannell was a member of the 1996 AAU 4x800 Relay National Champs.
"Pannell was one of the eight goalies selected for the Olympic training teams," Cowell said. "Between her and Emily [Koch], we should be great standing to try and fill Dawn's shoes as best we can."
Rosario-Tull, a forward, comes to Baylor from Mansfield High School in Mansfield, Texas, where she played four years of varsity soccer. Her honors include Newcomer of the Year and first-team all-district. She attended Baylor Soccer Camp in 2000, and played on the same Dallas Texans club team as current Baylor players Candace Reilly, Ryan Lee and Stephanie Dempsey. Rosario-Tull currently plays for Sting '83. She has played for the North Texas ODP State team as well as the Region III Regional Team.
"Tull could be called the star of our recruiting class," Cowell said. "She's super fast, and could fill the role of a [former Baylor all-American] Courtney Saunders-type player for us."
Viggiano, an outside midfielder, joins the Bears from Plano West Senior High School in Plano, Texas. She plays her club soccer for former Baylor assistant soccer coach Keri Riley on the Spirit '83 team. Viggiano was a member of the North Texas ODP program.
"She will add depth to our midfield corp," Cowell said.
The Baylor soccer team finished the 2000 season fourth in the Big 12 Conference. The Bears lost to No. 3 Nebraska in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament and narrowly missed their third-straight selection to the NCAA Tournament.
