Brenau Soccer Signs Female Athlete of the Year

Gainesville, GA - Head Soccer Coach, Mike Lochstampfor, has announced the newest member of the Golden Tigers Soccer Team, Kristen Craig. Craig attended two schools, for the duration of her high school career: Logan High School and Archer High School. Kristen lettered in two varsity sports, soccer and softball, while also accepting leadership as the Team Captain of both teams.

Craig was the textbook example of how a student-athlete should be. Throughout her high school, Kristen excelled on the field and in the classroom. At Archer High School, she was recognized as the player with the highest academic average, in both sports, for both years. In addition, Craig has been an active member of the Beta Club, National Honor Society, and National Society of High School Scholars. While preparing for graduation, she has found herself in the top 5% of her class, while also graduating with honors.

On the field, Craig consistently demonstrated discipline, talent, and motivation. Not only did she practice and compete with her school teams, during their respected seasons, but she also took the initiative to advance her skills and experience with club teams. For many years, Kristen played with GSA (Red Team), and she also was a former ODP player. Moreover, she had the privilege of competing in the prestigious Disney Tournament, in 2009.

With that said, there is no wonder why she received so many honors. In 2009, Kristen's Softball Team won the Softball State Championship, while also being recognized as the Most Dedicated Player and Offensive Player of the Year. In 2010, she was named All-Tournament Player (in soccer). As a veteran player in 2011, Craig was nominated as a member for the All-County Team (in soccer), as well as being awarded Outstanding All-Around Player of the Year (in softball). In the past week, Kristen received an award for being named Marine Corp Female Athlete of the Year.

Craig has proven to be a well-rounded individual, due to the fact that she is successful in her academics and athletics, while still having time to be active in her surrounding community. She was the National League of Junior Cotillion Assistant, as well as the People to People Student Ambassador (allowing her to travel to Australia). Furthermore, Kristen's an active member of her church youth group, where she has had the opportunity to get involved with mission trips in Brazil. Her extracurricular activities also included being a member of the Interpretive Dance Team, a Top 5 Finalist in the 2009 Miss Georgia Pageant, and Runner-Up for Miss Archer 2011.

Craig has expressed her excitement, in regards to attending Brenau and having the opportunity to play for the University's Soccer Team. She intends to take full advantage of the nationally acclaimed education she will be receiving, and has stated the she plans on majoring in Occupational Therapy.

Head Coach, Mike Lochstampfor, stated "the signing of Kristen to our team represents another great addition to our program and specifically our depth at the goalkeeping position. Kristen brings a great deal of experience to us with the quality of the teams she has played for both at the club and high school levels. Additionally, she is an extremely focused student-athlete that exemplifies all of the qualities we look for in the players we recruit to be a part of our program. I look forward to the many contributions she will bring to our team!"