Northwestern University Athletics
Field Hockey Signs Recruiting Class
6/21/1999 12:00:00β―AM | Field Hockey
February 3, 1999
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Head coach Diane Loosbrock announced today the signing of the following seven high school seniors to National Letters of Intent to play field hockey at Northwestern beginning in the fall of 1999:
Katherine Bergman (forward, Chevy Chase, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase)
Alexis Bettis (midfielder, Elgin, Ill./Elgin Academy)
Michelle Cifelli (midfielder, Fairfield, N.J./West Essex)
Jill Gillespie (forward/midfielder, Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood)
Kendra Mesa (goalkeeper, Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand)
Lindsey Millard (defender, St. Louis, Mo./Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School)
Courtney Perkins (midfielder/forward, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Bishop's School)
This class is going to make an immediate impact on our program, said Loosbrock. All seven of these players are very skilled and will learn quickly. Also, due to the size of this class, they will be a strong factor in determining the personality of our team both next year and down the road.
Biographical information on each of the signees as well as quotes from Loosbrock regarding each signee follows.
Katherine Bergman (forward, 5-5, Chevy Chase, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase) -- South region All-American and first-team all-state honoree as a senior ... Has led her school to a state-record five-consecutive Maryland state championships ... Scored 10 goals and added 12 assists as a senior ... Also lettered in soccer and swimming as a prep ... Four-year honor roll member ... Honorable mention Maryland Distinguished Scholar ... Daughter of Helen and Robert Bergman ... Chose Northwestern over Michigan, Duke and Dartmouth.
Coach Loosbrock on Bergman: "Katherine has incredible speed and will help us score goals. She also is an excellent passer who sees the field well."
Alexis Bettis (midfielder, 5-3, Elgin, Ill./Elgin Academy) -- Two-time all-state honoree, earning first-team accolades as a senior ... Named ISL Player of the Year as a senior ... Led Elgin Academy to the ISL championship and a fourth-place finish in the state playoffs as a senior ... Three-time all-conference selection ... Also lettered in soccer and softball ... Secretary of the student council ... Daughter of Barbara and Robert Bettis ... Father played minor league baseball in the Detroit Tigers organization ... Cousin (Tom Bettis) played for the Green Bay Packers ... Chose Northwestern over Iowa, Michigan State, Boston College and Yale.
Coach Loosbrock on Bettis: "Alexis is a local talent who is very familiar with our program. We expect she will come in here and improve daiy through hard work."
Michelle Cifelli (midfielder, 5-5, Fairfield, N.J./West Essex) -- Third-team all-state honoree as a senior ... A two-time all-conference and all-county selection ... Led West Essex to two state championships and three conference championships ... Also lettered in track and lacrosse ... West Essex tallied a combined 58-4-3 record in her three seasons ... Member of the Math and Italian Honor Societies ... Daughter of Joseph and Donna Cifelli ... Chose Northwestern over Boston University and Yale.
Coach Loosbrock on Cifelli: "Michelle should step in next season at left midfielder. She comes from one of the top high school programs in the country. I expect her to be an immediate impact from the first day of practice."
Jill Gillespie (forward/midfielder, 5-2, Kirkwood, Mo./Kirkwood) -- Two-time all-conference selection, earning first-team honors as a senior ... A member of Team Gateway at the National Field Hockey Festival ... Scored two game-winning goals at that festival ... Also lettered in soccer and lacrosse ... Led Kirkwood to the state quarterfinals as a senior ... Daughter of Meg Shea and Parmer Gillespie ... Attended the same high school as former NU football standout Darren Drexler and actor Scott Bakula ... Chose Northwestern over Cornell and Miami (Ohio).
Coach Loosbrock on Gillespie: "Jill has a knack for being at the right place at the right time. She is a major scoring threat inside the circle."
Kendra Mesa (goalkeeper, 5-9, Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) -- Two-time all-state honoree ... Member of the Connecticut/Rhode Island 19-and-under Futures team which won the silver medal at last year's nationals ... Led her school to its first-ever appearance in the state finals as a senior ... Also took them to the state semifinals as a junior ... Led Daniel Hand to a combined 26-5-2 mark over those two seasons ... Also lettered in basketball and lacrosse ... Member of the advanced singing group in the school choir ... Active in school's student peer groups ... Daughter of Mary and Fernando Mesa ... Chose Northwestern over Connecticut.
Coach Loosbrock on Mesa: "Kendra is a very athletic goalkeeper who will play a lot during her time at Northwestern. She will have the luxury of developing next season behind U.S. National Under-23 goalie Jess Yates."
Lindsey Millard (defender, 5-5, St. Louis, Mo./Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School) -- First-team all-area as a senior ... Team captain ... A member of Team Gateway at the National Field Hockey Festival ... Led MICDS to a 19-2-1 record as a senior and the schools first league championship in 15 years ... Also led her school to a third-place finish at the 1998 state championships ... MICDS allowed only nine goals in the 22 games in 1998 ... Volunteer at the AIDS foundation of St. Louis ... Daughter of Liz Vann ... Mother was an alternate for the U.S. Olympic equestrian team in 1968 ... Chose Northwestern over Richmond.
Coach Loosbrock on Millard: "Lindsey is one of the fastest defenders coming out of high school. She has excellent decision-making skills and will help us create some more offensive opportunities from the backfield."
Courtney Perkins (midfielder/forward, 5-6, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., Bishop's School) -- Three-time all-league performer ... Led Bishop's School to the CIF semifinals her last three seasons ... Two-time San Diego Union Tribune scholar-athlete ... Team captain as a senior ... Four-year honor roll member ... Also lettered in basketball and track ... Daughter of Lori and Randy Perkins ... Chose Northwestern over Stanford.
Coach Loosbrock on Perkins: "Courtney is an extremely fast and athletic player. I expect that her raw athleticism will take her far in the Big Ten."
