July 29, 2003
GREENVILLE - The Furman men's soccer incoming freshman class has been ranked 16th in the nation by College Soccer News.
College Soccer News, an internet site devoted solely to men's college soccer ranked the top 40 recruiting classes in the nation. UCLA had the nation's top class followed by St. Louis, Notre Dame and SMU. Furman was the highest ranked Southern Conference school. This is the fourth year in a row that the Paladins' class has been ranked in the top 20.
Furman's 2003 freshman class is highlighted by one member of the United States Under-17 National Team and two others who are Olympic Development Program (ODP) Region Team members.
"This class has an important role to fill in our program," said Furman head coach Doug Allison. "I expect several of them to make an immediate impact. I am excited to get them on campus in a couple of weeks."
Furman's incoming class includes Bryan Amos (Plano, Texas), Noah Grams (Waukesha, Wisc.), Jordan Mann (Prarie Village, Kansas), Ryan Nazar (Louisville, Ky.), Ryan Nesbitt (Pembroke, Bermuda) and Eric Vogl (Jefferson, N.C.). Mark Futrell (Sugarland, Texas) and Kevin Norman (Diego Martin, Trinidad) come to Furman after one year at St. John's, while Nick LeBlanc (Lafayette, La.) is transferring from Auburn-Montgomery.
Furman , ranked ninth in the nation by College Soccer News, opens its season on August 29, when it battles preseason top-ranked Maryland in the Diadora Challenge at Creighton University. The Paladins open their home schedule versus South Florida on September 5, in the Diadora/Spinx Furman Invitational.
The Paladins have qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of the past four seasons. Furman currently owns an NCAA record 43-match Southern Conference unbeaten streak as it has won the last four Southern Conference titles.
Furman Soccer 2003 Incoming Class