BUIES CREEK, N.C. –Third-year head coach Todd Clark has announced the addition of seven student-athletes to the Campbell University women's soccer team for next season. Kristen Baker, Jeannie Borda, Lauren Kuklenski, Cissy Nitz, Tove Nordlander, McKenzie Porter and Taylor Viniarski have signed national letters of intent to play for the Camels in the fall of 2009.

"I am excited to add these young ladies into what is already a fine core of returning players," said Clark. "This is a bold statement, but I am confident that this group may be even better, as a whole, than the group we brought in last year. Considering how highly that class was judged and what a quick impact many of them made, that is as high a praise as I can give. Each of the players signed today could quite easily start next season and I think our team is, without a doubt, as strong as any I have seen in the Creek. We have addressed some of the scoring and athletic issues we have had and have added in players throughout the entire group with loads of experience winning championships at all levels. Every year we coaches say that we are excited for the class we have recruited and I really do believe this group is another exceptional class with individuals that will collectively put their stamp on the Campbell University program and the Atlantic Sun for four years."

Kristen Baker (Fuquay, N.C.) is a 5-foot-9 forward from Harnett Central High School and is the team's all-time leading scorer entering her senior season. The reigning Cape Fear Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year has scored 116 goals and amassed 47 assists in her first three seasons.

For her efforts Baker has been named All-Conference each season as well as the team's Offensive Player of the Year. The Lady Trojans, led by coach Benny Enzor, won the Cape Fear Valley AAA championship in 2008 with Baker as the captain. She also plays varsity tennis and basketball and is Harnett Central's 2009 Wendy's High School Heisman nominee.

For the previous four seasons Baker also captained the FVAA Flames as both a defender and forward for coach Sam Owoh. She is active at Harnett Central as the school's valedictorian and participates in FCA, Beta Club, First Priority, Quiz Bowl, History Bowl, Future Business Leaders of America, Monogram Club, Foreign Language League and Drama Club. She plans to major in pharmacy.

"Kristen Baker is not only a good player for us to pick up but also an exceptional person to be in our team," said Clark. "She has all the physical tools to continue to excel at the next level after demolishing the scholastic ranks and we are pleased she has chosen to do that here. Her club profile may not be as high as some of our other ‘09s so some others might have missed her but we feel the potential for her to be that diamond in the rough everyone always talks of is very probable. Her academic ability and achievement are as good as anyone can hope for in a prospective player and once again, we are happy she has brought her gifts here. To find such a player anywhere is pleasing to a coach but to do so in our own back yard is pretty satisfying. The fact that she has been so excited about her decision to come to Campbell to play and study says a lot about our University and the compliment is not lost on our staff. She will immediately push our current attacking players for time and will undoubtedly provide us with a goal scoring punch that is necessary for us to return to the Atlantic Sun finals."

Jeannie Borda (Dayton, Ohio) is a forward-midfielder from Northmont High School in Clayton, Ohio. Borda lettered each of her four varsity seasons and was an All-Conference selection all four years for the Thunderbolts. She amassed 36 goals and 29 assists over her career for coach Walt Slade.

In addition to scholastic soccer, Borda ran track and was a member of the All-District team as a gymnast each of the past four seasons. Her club soccer has been as a member of Ohio Galaxies where she plays for current Wright State University coach Patrick Ferguson who coached the Fighting Camels from 1999-2004. She plans to major in exercise science or sport management.

"Jeannie is a player that I remain excited about adding into our team each time I think about her possible impact, but I can't tell you how we'll use her until the season starts," said Clark. "She is extremely versatile and is one of several players in this class that can play in multiple positions. What I am sure of is that she will help us wherever she plays. Her athleticism and attitude towards the game are enjoyable to watch and will be effective for our team. She played for a good friend of mine and I think she understands the game the way we would like to see it played but also has the ability and willingness to do whatever necessary to win matches. Some players get so stuck in their patterns that they lose the ability to effectively change a match. I don't think that is true of Jeannie. She is the typical blue collar player I enjoy coaching very much but she also brings some unexpected flair at times like a flip-throw that is a legitimate weapon. She is an important part of this class in every way. We look forward to her humor, athleticism, leadership and ability and are proud she has chosen to come to the Creek."

Lauren Kuklenski (Colorado Springs, Colo.) is a midfielder who helped guide her Saint Mary's High School team to the finals of the Colorado AAA state championships in both 2007 and 2008. She was named All-Area and Tri-Peaks first team each of her first three seasons. While playing for coach Greg Braha's team she was named All-State in 2008 and as she enters her senior season will earn her fourth letter for soccer.

She has also gained three varsity letters for basketball and was a Tri-Peaks and All-Area selection in each of the past two seasons. Kuklenski played her club ball for the Pride Predators 91 team with whom she has competed across the nation at such high profile events as Surf Cup, Texas Shootout, Disney and others. The 2007 Colorado State Cup semi-finalists and 2008 quarter-finalists are coached by Gary Evans.

Kuklenski has been on the Honor Roll since 2005 and was also named Academic All-State as a junior. She plans to study sport management.

"Once again, we are really excited to have "Kukie" joining us next season," said Clark. "She adds a physical presence that we will look forward to putting on the field but she is also a fine technical player with better than average athleticism for a player of her size and strength. I think she is a player we felt very sure of very early in the recruiting cycle and we offered her right away because she so clearly fills some gaps in our team. I am not sure if she will play more in the midfield or in the center of the back but either way she will be a formidable player both in the air and on the ground. She adds some bite to our team and brings some strong experiences from both the scholastic and club games. Like each of the others in this class we think Lauren can come to the Creek and make her mark immediately."

Cecelia "Cissy" Nitz (Greensboro, N.C.) is a senior at Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville, N.C. Entering her final season, Cissy has twice won conference championships with the Villains and they were the North Carolina single A runners-up in 2007 and Regional champions in 2008. For her efforts Nitz was named All-Conference and All-Region in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

As a sophomore and junior she gained All-State recognition and was the Bishop McGuinness MVP last year as a junior. Nitz was heavily recruited for track and cross country as well. Her Bishop teams were state champions in 2008 following a second place finish in 2007. Her track teams won the state title in the 4x400 and were second in the 4x 800. She has four times been named All-Conference, All-Region and All-State for cross country and has done the same in track each of the previous seasons as she prepares for her final season of competition.

Nitz plays her club soccer for the 90 Greensboro Twisters program that have captured State Cup championships in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008 and were finalists in 2007. Nitz is the third of three sisters to suit up for the Fighting Camels following Christine and Mary, who both graduated from Campbell and were All-Conference performers and captains during their time in the Creek.

Nitz was awarded the Silver Award for Spanish and has also been named to the Principal's List. She plans to major in Spanish.

"I am not sure if Cissy would have survived visits home if she would have not chosen to come to Campbell, but for all her sisters' desire she join us," said Clark with a laugh. "However, I think her family did a great job of enabling her to make the decision herself and we couldn't be happier she has chosen to attend CU. Of course anytime a coach has the chance to recruit a "legacy" player like Cissy after watching or seeing the siblings before, it takes a lot of the guess work out of things, but Cissy and her family take that to the extreme. Her sisters were strong students and players while here and her parents were supporters of the program long after they left. The fact that Cissy is an exceptional athlete with unrivaled credentials makes it a no-brainer for us. To excel in any sport is fantastic but to be All-State in three for multiple years is incredible. As strong as her sisters were while here, Cissy may actually bring the best resume to the Creek and we will be ecstatic if she has as fine a career as Christine and Mary now that she is concentrating on soccer alone. The fact that her family supports it is a compliment to the current program, the university and the legacy of former players and coaches."

Tove Nordlander(Stockholm, Sweden) attended Walthers Gymnasium where she competed for coach Henric Malmvall. Nordlander, who entered Campbell during the spring semester, graduated from Walthers in 2007 and was named the school's Athlete of the Year during her senior season. Nordlander played her club soccer for Alvsjo/AIK and as a Division I player she competed at the highest amateur level in Sweden.

As a native of Stockholm, Nordlander was also chosen to play for the Stockholm City Team where she competed as a forward as part of the Swedish Football Federation program for player development en route to the national training program. Nordlander entered Campbell after graduating with honors.

"I first met Tove through a friend of mine in Sweden and after seeing her play was instantly sure she would help us if she chose to come to Campbell," said Clark. "I am excited she decided to join us at the start of the spring semester and she has already proven herself to be perhaps our most athletic and skilled player. Her agility and pace are atop our team and the individual skill we have seen is amongst the best I have had in any team I've coached. I will be stunned if she does not make a long and lasting impact on our program. She is a player with the athleticism, skill, tactical knowledge and charisma to leave an imprint on our team and is an important addition at a critical time. We have had such a strong heritage of Scandinavian players here at Campbell going back long before my time in the Creek. Tove, like Olga Ekblom last year, certainly has the skill set to continue that line of succession. Even as we are improving our team by leaps and bounds, she may well be our most dynamic player next year and will use some very fine experiences gained with her club and the Stockholm team to great effect here. The fact that she is such an exceptional student is wonderful as well and she is making the transition effortlessly already."

McKenzie Porter (Raleigh, N.C.) comes to Campbell after guiding Sanderson High School through her first three seasons as a starting defender. Porter enters her senior season as a two year captain and seeks to build on her previous All-Conference, All-Region and All-State recognition for the Spartans in her final campaign.

Porter also competes for the nationally recognized CASL Spartan Elite with whom she has played in numerous State Cup championships as well as the Region III finals in 2008. She has also been a member of the North Carolina ODP program since 2007. She intends to major in exercise science.

"'Kenz' is another great player for us to add into our team and we are grateful she is so excited about coming to Campbell," said Clark. "She brings high level experience at both the club and high school levels. With CASL she regularly competes against the best players in the country at the highest level possible and each time we saw her in the recruiting process we felt she was, like her entire team, up to the challenge. I think a lot of the entire CASL program and think that their coaching staff prepare them so well in terms of organization and the ability to win games against so many types of teams and player. It is not just a collection of the best players like some clubs but I think Kenz has benefitted from the comprehensive understanding of how to play her position in a variety of circumstances. She looks very capable of making the transition from scholastic and club soccer to NCAA Division I without much trouble. She can play either side well and can play in the midfield or at the back so she adds versatility as well as ability to our team."

Taylor Viniarski (Doylestown, Pa.) is a senior midfielder/forward at Central Bucks West High School. She plays for coach Chris Freudig and was the captain of a Bucks team that won Pennsylvania AAAA championships in 2006 and 2007 and were runners-up in 2008.

Viniarski has been no small part of the team's success as she has pitched in 21 goals and 16 assists entering her senior season. Along the way the Bucks have won consecutive Suburban One League titles in each of the last three campaigns. The team is regularly ranked amongst the NSCAA Top-25 and has even travelled internationally to compete in Iceland.

Additionally, Viniarski has earned three letters as a volleyball player. She plays her club ball for Pennsylvania Rush and is coached by her father Herb Viniarski, a former NCAA Division I soccer player at Temple University. Rush have won a host of tournament titles and compete annually for the PA-East State Cup title with once again skippering the side. She plans to enter Campbell's nationally-recognized Pharmacy program.

"Taylor is a player we identified more than two years ago and I am very pleased she has chosen to join us next season," said Coach Clark. "She is a versatile player that we've seen play all over the field with a family background rich in athletic experience that will serve her well. Like the rest in her class, she has the skills and ability to find herself playing big minutes soon after her arrival in Buies Creek. Obviously the fact that she comes from a soccer background excites us and we are pleased that a true soccer family feels assured of Campbell's program and our ability to provide her with an experience worthy of her gifts. Her size, athleticism and ability to both serve and strike a ball are very good and we feel she can be an important part of our continued resurgence almost anywhere on the field. Her experience in the soccer hot-bed of eastern Pennsylvania is obviously a bonus for us as she has continually been tested by some of the best in the nation both scholastically and with her club side."