February 12, 2001
GREENVILLE, SC -- Furman women's soccer coach Brian Lee announced the signing of four scholar-athletes to national letters-of-intent on Monday, including two members of the Region III Olympic Development Program (ODP).
Joining the two-time defending Southern Conference regular season champions in 2001 will be Cristina Echavarry of Houston, Texas, Alice Martin of Peachtree City, Ga., Allie Park of Greensboro, N.C., and Kelly Shedd of Simpsonville, S.C.
Cristina Echavarry is a central midfielder and has been a member of the Region III ODP team for the past two seasons. She is a key member of the Houston Challenge club team as she helped guide the Challenge to six South Texas state championship and the 1999 region championship. She attends St. Pius High School.
Alice Martin is a midfielder/forward and has been a member of the Region III ODP team since 1996. She is a member of the Atlanta Top Hat club, the same club that produced current Furman starters Kaye Brownlee, Melissa Turner, and Nancy Mather. Martin attends Starrs Mill High School and helped lead the school to the Georgia state championship in 2000.
Allie Park is a defender and member of the North Carolina ODP team. She plays for the Greensboro Twisters club, the same club that produced current Lady Paladins Katie Carson and Ashley Long. She helped guide the Twisters to the 2000 state championship and attends Page High School.
Kelly Shedd is a forward from Mauldin High School in the Greenville area. She becomes the only Upstate product on the Lady Paladin squad. She is a member of the South Carolina state ODP team and is a member of the Greenville Football Club, one of the top clubs in the state. She helped guide the GFC to the South Carolina state championship and region semifinal appearances in 1999 and 2000.
"I am thrilled to welcome this class to Furman," said Furman head coach Brian Lee. "I feel these four student-athletes are going to do some special things at Furman over the next four years. I really look forward to seeing how they can help take this program to the next level."
Furman welcome back nine starters of its 2000 Southern Conference championship team. The Lady Paladins are coming off its second consecutive 20-3 season and its second straight NCAA Tournament bid. Furman achieved a national ranking of 13th in two different polls in 2000.