May 13, 2002

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Wake Forest women's soccer players Erin Regan and Alena Thom have both been selected to the U.S. U-21 National Team Pool and have competed in separate team camps this spring. Jerry Smith, the head coach of the defending NCAA Champions, Santa Clara, is serving as the head coach of this year's U-21 National Team. He and his staff will decide which 18 players from the pool will represent the United States at the 2001 Women's U-21 Nordic Cup Championships, being contested in Finland during the last week of July. Without a sanctioned FIFA championship for U-21 women, the Nordic Cup serves at the top competition in the world for this age group.

Regan, who will enter her fifth and final season as goalkeeper at Wake Forest this fall, hails from Santa Margarita, CA, was a first-team All-ACC selection in 1999 and owns every career and single-game goalkeeping record at Wake Forest. She was invited to the 24-member U-21 National Team Camp in San Diego, CA March 15-24, where they played the U-19 National Team twice, the San Diego Spirit and the Bay Area Cyber Rays from the WUSA and the USA Amateurs. She split halves in most of the games with Nebraska's goalkeeper, Erin Miller, but played the full match in the team's 1-1 tie with the Cyber Rays.

Players born after Jan. 1, 1981, are eligible for this year's Nordic Cup team; however, each team is allowed two "overage" spots on its roster for players born after Jan. 1, 1978. Regan, who turns 22 this July, is vying for one of those two "overage" spots - which the team doesn't have to use.

"It was a shock just to go to the Olympic Training Center and see all the best athletes in America," said Regan. "I saw athletes from every sport in training and that made me realize the scope of the whole program."

Thom, a junior-to-be defender from Jefferson City, MO, is a two-year starter for the Demon Deacons and is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in the conference. She was invited to the 24-member U-21 National Team Camp in San Diego, April 21-27, where they did a lot of training and intrasquad games as well as beating the San Diego Spirit, 2-0.

"It was an awesome experience just to be there and see what one has to do to play at that level," said Thom.