Eight freshmen will step onto the pitch for the Miami soccer team this fall as head coach Bobby Kramig announced his 2015 recruiting class on Thursday.

Joining the RedHawks next season are Tori Christiansen (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley), Courtney Evans (Oakville, Ontario/White Oaks), Kirsten Fehlan (Wellington, Ohio/Elyria Catholic), Patricia Koutoulas (Toronto, Ontario/Don Mills Collegiate Institute), Bianca Medancic (Chesterland, Ohio/Hawken) , Korrie Sauder (Franklin, Tenn./Battle Ground Academy), Nakita Schofield (Burlington, Ontario/Notre Dame Catholic) and Ashley Weathers (Franklin, Tenn./Independence).

"I am delighted to welcome this class to Miami soccer,” Kramig said. “This is a collection of exceptional athletes who will ensure the continued success of our program for years to come. This group represents a great balance of athleticism, skill and soccer IQ. I believe we have helped ourselves at every position and that these players will prove a great compliment to an already deep and talented team.

"I must also congratulate our recruiting coordinator, Matt Ward, on the outstanding job he did pulling this class together. He and Hugh Seyfarth have spent countless hours identifying and evaluating hundreds of prospects. They deserve full credit for bringing this outstanding class to Miami."

Complete biographical capsules on all eight incoming freshmen are listed below.

Tori Christiansen

5-3

Defender

Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley

High School/Club: Lettered three times in soccer (senior season this spring) and once in basketball … posted 26 points on three goals and 20 assists as an outside back over her first three seasons … helped lead team to back-to-back conference and regional championships as a sophomore and junior … helped her team post a combined 37 shutouts in her first three seasons … contributed to a sectional championship as a junior in 2014, where her team finished third in the state … played club ball for Team Chicago, which she helped win a league title in 2013 and finish second in the league twice … club team also played in the 2014 Brøndby Cup in Denmark, where they finished second … earned honorable mention all-conference honors in 2014 and is a two-time academic all-conference selection … earned her school’s academic excellence award in each of her first three years  … received the Indian Prairie Scholar Award for maintaining a GPA above 3.6 her entire high school tenure … father, Keith, played football at Drake.

Kramig on Christiansen: “Tori is a player who will come in as an outside back for us. In addition to being an excellent one-v-one defender, she has demonstrated an ability to get forward into the attack and is consistently one of her team’s leaders in assists. Her tireless approach to the game will be an asset at both ends of the field. Tori came to our ID clinic and truly put in an impressive performance.”

Courtney Evans

5-11

Forward

Oakville, Ontario/White Oaks

High School/Club: Ran cross country in 2012 and 2014, running in the Ontario High School Championship in 2012 … also played volleyball as a middle blocker in 2011, being named Oakville Youth Player of the Year that year … Halton Hurricanes volleyball club took fifth at nationals in 2012 … four-year member of the honor roll.

Kramig on Evans: “Courtney could play multiple positions on the field and play them all very well. She will get her first look at forward for us, where her strength and technique will allow her to hold the ball up and teammates to run off her. She is also very good in front of goal and is equally adept at scoring with her head and her feet. Courtney is another player who camped with us and had a great showing.”

Kirsten Fehlan

5-10

Defender

Wellington, Ohio/Elyria Catholic

High School/Club: Lettered four times in soccer … also plays club ball for Cleveland United, which was a state semifinalist in 2013 … has 14 goals and five assists in her career … helped her team set a school record for fewest goals allowed (10) and most shutouts (13) in 2014 … guided team to one regional championship and three district titles … received First-Team All-Ohio honors and was named 2014 West Shore Conference Player of the Year … garnered three First-Team All-West Shore Conference selections … named her team’s defender of the year three times … also named Cleveland Plain Dealer All-Star in 2014 … member of the honor roll all four years.

Kramig on Fehlan: “Kirsten will come in and compete at center back. She is a competitor who plays with a certain physicality that is very compelling. She will be a great addition to our back four. Kirsten has attended numerous camps and clinics here at Miami and has a great passion for this school and our program.”

Patricia Koutoulas

5-6

Goalkeeper

Toronto, Ontario/Don Mills Collegiate Institute

High School/Club: Helped lead her team to a bronze medal at the 2013 Canada Games … backstopped Team Ontario to national titles in 2012 and 2013 … helped Brams United club team win OYSL and Ontario Cup titles in 2012 and 2013 … part of club national championship in 2013 … invited to the U15 Canadian National Teamp Camp (2012), the U17 Canadian Team Camp (2013) and the U20 National Team Camp (2014) … spent all four years on her school’s honor roll.

Kramig on Koutoulas: “Patricia is a very technically sound keeper for her age. Her years of training with Canadian national youth teams has helped refine her play and she will come in ready to compete at the college level. Her work ethic and determination to make an impact on the program will ensure a competitive training environment for our goalkeepers this fall.”

Bianca Medancic

5-5

Forward

Chesterland, Ohio/Hawken

High School/Club: Lettered four times in soccer while also playing for the Internationals Soccer Club … set the school record for career goals, assists and points … helped lead team to the state finals in 2013 … named an all-star by the Cleveland Plain Dealer … named Great Cleveland Area Player of the Year and First-Team All-Ohio in 2014 … tabbed Ohio News Herald Player of the Year in 2014 … two-time first-team all-conference and all-area pick … earned a spot on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Central Region Team in 2014 … received a silver medal on the National Spanish Exam … father, Mladic, played soccer at Bowling Green.

Kramig on Medancic: “Bianca is another player who attended numerous camps and clinics here at Miami throughout her prep career and we are excited to now have her on the team. She is a very dangerous player on the ball and brings a unique skillset to our attack. She helped score and create a staggering number of goals during her high school career and will look to provide a spark to the attack here.”

Korrie Sauder

5-7

Midfielder

Franklin, Tenn./Battle Ground Academy

High School/Club: Lettered all four years in soccer … named all-state in each of her last two seasons … also received all-district and all-region honors on two occasions … finished her career with 48 goals and 22 assists … served as team captain in her final two years … led both her high school and club teams to state titles in 2014 … member of the National Honor Society for three years.

Kramig on Sauder: “Korrie is a player who was asked to play in a variety of roles for her club and high school teams and often did not play in her preferred position. Her selfless approach and team-first mentality allowed her to captain both of those teams to state championships.  We are looking for her to settle into a midfield role with us. She attended our ID clinic and really impressed us with her decision making and distribution and think she will be good fit in our style of play.”

Nakita Schofield

5-7

Midfielder

Burlington, Ontario/Notre Dame Catholic

High School/Club: Lettered four times in soccer … serving her senior year as team captain after being named team MVP in 2014 … plays for the Burlington Youth Soccer Club, which she led to three Provincial Cup titles and a pair of PDA Showcase crowns … led her club team to a national title in 2012 … helped her high school squad claim a pair of Halton titles and qualify for the OFSAA playoffs twice … member of the honor roll and received the Spanish Excellence Award.

Kramig on Schofield: “Nakita is a very intelligent soccer player. Her reading of the game and understating of tactics along with her ability to play the right pass at the right time will be an asset in the midfield. She played a pivotal role in the midfield of a club team that won numerous championships. She really impressed us at our overnight camp with her ability to pick up our system in a short period of time and not only execute her role, but excel.”

Ashley Weathers

5-7

Forward/Midfielder

Franklin, Tenn./Independence

High School/Club: Lettered four times in soccer and three times in track … set her school’s career record in assists while scoring the second most goals … broke the school record for goals scored in a season in 2014 … set the long jump school record in track and field … helped club team (Tennessee Soccer Club) win a state title in 2014, advancing to the regional quarterfinals in Baton Rouge, La., that year … earned all-state honors in 2014 and received all-district recognition each of the last two seasons … father, Jeff, played football at Air Force and her grandfather, Tom, played football at Chattanooga, where he is a member of their Athletic Hall of Fame.

Kramig on Weathers: “Ashley is a wide player for us. Her ability and athleticism on the flank stand out, the fact that she holds multiple school records in both soccer and track reflect that. She can play on either side, but will probably start off on the left for us. She is going to cause some outside backs some problems over her career.”