June 18, 2004

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The University of North Carolina women's soccer program has garnered the third best recruiting class in the nation in 2004 according to the annual rankings issued by Soccer Buzz magazine. UNC's nine-member recruiting class will join the 23 returning letter winners who come back from a 2003 team which swept through the season undefeated and untied, winning the national championship with a 27-0-0 record.

Carolina's incoming class includes forward Jaime Gilbert (North Andover, Mass.), defender Julie Yates (Winston-Salem, N.C.), defender Robyn Gayle (Mississauga, Ontario), goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris (Satellite Beach, Fla.), defender Katie Brooks (Winchester, Mass.), defender Ariel Harris (Holly Springs, N.C.), midfielder Mary Hinkle (Winston-Salem, N.C.), midfielder Catie Winslow (Greensboro, N.C.) and forward/midfielder Kim Coates (New Kent, Va.), a junior transfer from Louisburg College. Gayle and Ashlyne Harris will enroll at UNC in January 2005 after playing this fall in the Under-19 World Championships. The seven remaining recruits will enroll at play at UNC in the 2004 fall season.

Texas A&M and Notre Dame snared the top two recruiting classes according to Soccer Buzz, followed by Carolina. Penn State's class ranked fourth followed by Texas, Clemson, Portland, Maryland, Ohio State and California to finish out the Top 10.