STILLWATER, Okla. – The Oklahoma State Cowgirls have signed six players to their 2011 recruiting class, it was announced today by OSU head coach Colin Carmichael.

Carmichael received signatures from three of Oklahoma’s top high school players as well as three prep stars from the state of Texas.

“We are very excited about the class that we have signed for 2011,” Carmichael said. “We have signed some exceptional athletes who should be able to help us to continue to compete for Big 12 and NCAA championships. Besides bringing in great players, we were able to address some needs by position. We feel that by adding these student-athletes to our returning group of players, it will give us even more depth. This can be crucial to a team’s success throughout the season.

“I fully expect these young ladies to continue our tradition of excellence both on the field and in the classroom.”

The following is a breakdown of OSU's signees.

• Abbey Akin, F/MF, Oklahoma City, Okla. (Bishop McGuiness HS) – Akin was on the ’92 Oklahoma ODP team, and she has also starred at the club level for OFC ’93, where she has helped lead the team to six state finals appearances and a state title in 2008. She was selected to the 2010 NSCAA All-Region VI (Southwest) Team.

At Bishop McGuinness, Akin won state championships in soccer and track. A four-year starter for the Irish soccer team, she was a Gatorade Player of the Year nominee in 2010 and 2011. In 2009, she led the state in assists, and she racked up over 60 goals and 60 assists during her prep career. Akin was an all-district performer from 2008-10 and was both all-city and all-conference in 2009 and 2010.

Akin is also an all-state performer in track, where she was part of the state championship 4x800-meter relay team. Several of her family members have attended OSU, including her grandfather, Harold Akin, who played football for the Cowboys and then the San Diego Chargers.

Carmichael on Akin: “Abbey is a very skillful attacking player. She is very good in wide areas of the field, especially when isolated one-v-one. She has the ability to beat a player off the dribble and serve a quality left-footed ball. Abbey has played for Coach Zenati for many years and has the ability to add some offensive punch to our team.”

• Kendra Boydstun, F, Duran, Okla. (Durant HS) – Boydstun is a current member of the OFC ’93 Red team, along with fellow OSU signee Abbey Akin, and she has also played for Blackwatch ’92 in Plano, Texas and SVI Extreme ’92 in McKinney, Texas.

As a prep star at Durant High School, Boydstun was the leading scorer in Oklahoma in 2009 and 2010. An all-state selection and three-year all-district performer, she has racked up 114 goals and 43 assists during her career.

Boydstun is from a family of numerous OSU graduates, including her father, and her grandfather was a former professor at the school.

Carmichael on Boydstun: “Kendra is one of the most prolific high school goal scorers in the state of Oklahoma. She is a very direct, aggressive player with an eye for goal. She has recently joined Abbey Akin on the OFC 93 team, and this will improve her overall grasp of the game. If Kendra can translate her success in front of goal from the high school ranks to the Big 12, then it will be a huge plus for our program.”

• Ashley Kennedy, D, Wichita Falls, Texas (Rider HS) - A member of the Dallas Texans ’93 Red, Kennedy helped lead the club to a national championship in 2008 and a national tournament appearance in 2009. She has also starred for the squad as it captured two North Texas State Cup championships (2009-10) and a Premier League championship (2010).

At Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas, Kennedy was twice named an all-district performer and led the team to appearances in the Class 4A state finals in 2008 and the semifinals in 2009.

Carmichael on Kennedy: “Ashley is an athletic defender who can play both wide and center back. She is very versatile and has the speed and mobility to play in the Big 12 as a freshman. Ashley has also played with Hayley (McKinney) and Rosa (Medina) on the Texans 93 team, and their comfort level playing together should be a big bonus for us. Her experience playing for one of the best club teams in the country should prepare her very well for college soccer.”

• Hayley McKinney, D, Dallas, Texas (Hebron HS) – McKinney has starred for the Dallas Texans ’93 Red since 2003, where she is a teammate of fellow OSU signee Ashley Kenney. She helped lead the club to a national championship in 2008 and a national tournament appearance in 2009, and she has helped the club capture a three State Cup championships (2004, 2009, 2010).

In 2009, McKinney was selected to attend the prestigious Adidas ESP Camp, and she is ranked as the No. 45 recruit in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Carmichael on McKinney: “Hayley is a tenacious defender who is very competitive. She reads the game very well from the center back position and organizes the defense very well. She is comfortable on the ball and can start attacks from the back. She is also a member of Coach Higginbotham’s Texans 93 team and has represented them at the national championships. Hayley’s competitive drive should allow her to contribute immediately at OSU.”

• Rosa Medina, GK, Dallas, Texas (Richardson Pearce HS) – A member of the U-17 Mexican National Team that competed in the U-17 World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010, Medina is a five-year state ODP and Regional pool veteran.

Medina is one of three OSU signees who stars for Dallas Texans ’93 Red, which has captured a national championship and several State Cup championships during her tenure there. In 2008, she won the Golden Glove Award at the national championships.

At the prep level, Medina helped lead Richardson Pearce High School to back-to-back state championships in 2009 and 2010, and she was named to the 2010 all-state team.

Medina was selected to attend the prestigious Adidas ESP Camp in 2009, and she is ranked as the No. 64 overall recruit and No. 2 goalkeeper recruit in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Carmichael on Medina: “Rosa is a tremendous keeper who makes an impact for her team. She is very athletic and covers the goal very well. She has acquired some great experience representing Ryan Higginbotham’s Texans 93 club team, the Region 3 ODP team and playing for the Mexico Under-17 team at the World Championships. We are thrilled to add Rosa to our team and expect her to step right in and compete at the Division I level.”

• Miriam Rhinehart, D/F, Tulsa, Okla. (Union HS) – A member of the Region 3 ODP team, Rhinehart has also starred for Hurricane Futbol Club ’93 since 2006, where he led the team to Oklahoma State Cup titles in 2007, 2008 and 2010.

Rhinehart led Tulsa Union High School to an appearance in the state finals in 2010, and she was named all-state, all-district, all-conference, all-metro and Defender of the Year along the way.

Named a second-team All-American by ESPN RISE in 2010, Rhinehart is also ranked as the No. 8 recruit in the south region by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Carmichael on Rhinehart: “Miriam is an exceptional athlete who can play a number of different positions. She is a fiery competitor who is driven to win and loves to compete. Her speed allows her to play a number of different positions, and she plays them very well. Miriam has played for coach Kerry Shubert’s Hurricane 93 team and has also competed with the Region 3 ODP team. We expect Miriam to improve our overall team speed and athleticism, and we look forward to seeing her on the field this fall.”

2011 Oklahoma State Soccer Signees
Name                    Position        Hometown (Previous School)                      Club Team
Abbey Akin                      F/MF    Oklahoma City, Okla. (Bishop McGuiness HS)      OFC 93
Kendra Boydstun         F               Durant, Okla. (Durant HS)                               OFC 93
Ashley Kennedy          D               Wichita Falls, Texas (Rider HS)                 Texans 93 Red
Hayley McKinney         D               Dallas, Texas (Hebron HS)                               Texans 93 Red
Rosa Medina             GK              Dallas, Texas (Richardson Pearce HS)            Texans 93 Red
Miriam Rhinehart        D/F             Tulsa, Okla. (Union HS)                         Hurricane 93