July 10, 2007

The UTEP soccer team has landed a pair of transfers for the 2007 season, head coach Kevin Cross announced on Tuesday. Jordan Freiberg from the University of Kentucky and Rikki Southard out of Iowa Western Community College will venture to El Paso and are eligible for the upcoming campaign.

"We feel very fortunate to have two outstanding additions to our 2007 incoming class," Cross said. "We are very excited that they decided to join the UTEP Soccer family, and feel they can contribute immediately to the program's success.

"I am very thankful for everyone's help in making Jordan and Rikki decide to make UTEP their college home. That includes our players, academic advisors, trainers, administrators and the UTEP staff," Cross concluded.

Freiberg, who sat out the 2006 campaign as a redshirt-freshman with the Wildcats, will be reunited with former Allen High School teammate Chelsea Winbush. The native of Dallas, Texas, was a four-year starter at AHS, holding down the central defender position. The squad was ranked No. 1 in the state by the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches (TASCO) poll and No. 2 in the nation by the NSCAA. She was a team captain her senior campaign, leading AHS to 24-1 record. Freiberg also experienced success at the club level, as she won the national championship series in summer of 2006 with her club team, the Dallas Texans Red North '88.

Southard joins the Miners after a stellar two years with IWCC. The school's all-time leading scorer led her team to a runner-up showing at the national tournament last year. Prior to that, she was a five-year letterwinner at Lewis Central High School. The squad won the district title from 2003-05, with Southard being selected as the league's player of the year in 2004.

UTEP signed eight student-athletes during the fall period, with Tuesday's additions bringing the 2007 crop of newcomers to 10.

The Miners will play the annual alumni game on Aug. 25 before officially kicking off the campaign on Aug. 31 at Sam Houston State.