Paula Wilkins, Wisconsin women’s soccer head coach, announced that 11 student-athletes will join the Badgers squad for the University of Wisconsin during the 2008-09 school year.

Forwards Lauren Cochlin (Owatonna, Minn.), Laurie Nosbusch (Mequon, Wis.) and Katelyn Tietzen (Kelowna, British Columbia), midfielders Paige Adams (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia), Meghan Flannery (Whitefish Bay, Wis.), Margarita (Rita) Keimakh (Thornhill, Ontario), Krista Lundgren (Lakeville, Minn.) and Leigh Williams (Tomball, Texas), defenders Michelle Boone (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Morgan Koehler (Voorhees, N.J.) and goalkeeper Lauren Gunderson (Middleton, Wis.) make up the class of 2008.

“I am extremely excited about the 2008 recruiting class as it has a great blend of soccer talent, intelligence and athletism,” Wilkins said. “Each member of the 2008 class brings a special quality that will help this program grow and improve over the next few years. Each of the incoming student-athletes comes from great soccer backgrounds which will help to continually raise the level of training and competition for playing time. They will all impact the program, both on and off the field, because of their mentality and competitive fight.”

The 11 signees hail from five different states and two Canadian provinces – Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, Wisconsin, and British Columbia and Ontario in Canada. Wisconsin natives Flannery, Gunderson and Nosbusch each led their high school teams to state tournament appearances in the last four years.

Notably, three of the recruits are currently training with national teams. Paige Adams and Rita Keimakh are both training with the Canadian U-20 Youth National Team, while Nosbusch is training with the U.S. U-18 National Team under former UW head coach Dean Duerst.