The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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conditions are good enough." Alzueta Garcia took 10th at the Ladies Valencia Open and 16th at the Madrid Championship this year. "Maria is also a good ball striker but her short game is what makes her a great player," Dowling said. "She is one of the better putters I've ever recruited. She has a beautiful roll and is very solid inside the 10-foot range, which is a key distance for putting." Soccer — Michigan's five-person class includes a five-star recruit, a pair of four-stars and a three-star according to TopDrawerSoccer.com. And while not a recruit, Christina Murillo returns for her fifth season after taking off last season to compete with Team Mexico at the 2015 FIFA World Cup. "The incoming freshmen will be contributors on a very talented team, and then getting Tina back will be huge for our prospects in 2015," Michigan coach Greg Ryan said. Bloomfield Hills, Mich., forward Kelly Sweeney headlines the class, earning the highest ranking from the recruiting web site, though she will sit out her fresh- man year after undergoing ACL surgery. "It definitely hurts us because Kelly would have been a player that could have contributed goals immediately," Ryan said. "It's disappointing for Kelly and for us, but you look at her Michigan career, and she's going to be a fantastic striker." Perhaps the top player in her age group in Canada, defender/midfielder Sura Yekka is a four-star recruit out of Mississauga, Ont. A NSCAA All-American following her senior year, four-star forward Reilly Martin, of Carmel, Ind., earned all-state first-team honors in 2012 and 2014 for Brefeuf Jesuit Prep. "Reilly is a dangerous striker," Ryan said. "She is a lot like [sophomore] Ani Sarki- sian in that she finds goals and really has an ability to create points for us in her first year." The Naples Daily News Girls Soccer Player of the Year, Abby Kastroll is a three- star forward that set school records for goals (147) and assists (78) in a career. "We recruit versatile players, and Abby can play in the midfield, play up front, can play on the back in a pinch — she will add a lot of depth and versatility to our lineup," Ryan said. A midfielder from Livonia, Mich., Jackie White has been a standout at Divine Child, earning all-state honors from 2013-15. She scored 16 goals and had 16 assists in her senior season. "Jackie is a very skilled athlete in the middle of the park," Ryan said. "We have a lot of really talented holding midfielders and that will be a hard position to break into, but Jackie could definitely play for us." Softball — The No. 10 ranked class nationally by FloSoftball.com, Michigan has three players listed in the web site's top 100 recruits for 2015 — No. 19 Faith Canfield of Garden Grove, Calif., No. 39 Natalie Peters of San Diego and No. 51