Aug. 19, 2002

The Notre Dame women’s soccer team has selected its captains for the 2002 season, with defender Vanessa Pruzinsky and midfielder Ashley Dryer – the team’s only seniors – joined by junior forward Amy Warner as the squad’s tri-captains for the upcoming season.

Pruzinsky (Trumbull, Conn.) is one of the nation’s premier Academic All-Americans in all sports, combining her 4.0 GPA as a chemical engineering major with her status as a four-year Irish starter and a member of the U.S. Under-21 National Team player pool (she earned first team all-BIG EAST and second team-all region honors in 2001).

Dryer (Salt Lake City, Utah) is a former walk-on who has excelled as a defensive midfielder with the Irish while Warner (Albuquerque, N.M.) ranked as one of Notre Dame’s top scorers in the 2000 and ’01 seasons, earning third team all-region honors in both years (she was first team all-BIG EAST as a freshman and a second-teamer in ’01).

Warner is the sixth non-senior ever to serve as a Notre Dame women’s soccer captain, joining (all juniors) midfielders K.T. Sullivan (’88) and Cindy Daws (’95), goalkeeper Jen Renola (’95) and defenders Jen Grubb (’98) and Kelly Lindsey (’99) in that distinction.

Notre Dame’s current 25-player roster includes two seniors, seven juniors, five sophomores (including transfer Sarah Halpenny) and 11 freshmen.

“Vanessa and Ashley traditionally have been tremendous silent leaders for this program – the example they set through their work ethic and professionalism is second-to-none – but they also have started to come out of their shell in the past few months,” said fourth-year Notre Dame head coach Randy Waldrum.

“They are players who truly have the respect of their teammates and when they say things, people listen.

“We also are excited to see Amy’s leadership develop over the next few months. She has been a great mentor for the freshmen this season and also will provide us a with a leadership bridge for next year’s team.”