Northwestern University Athletics
Lenahan Announces 2007 Recruiting Class
2/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Feb. 12, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Head men's soccer coach Tim Lenahan Monday announced his 2007 recruiting class. Lenahan inked players from all over the Midwest and East Coast from New York to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
The class consists of Piero Bellizzi (Rye, N.Y./Rye), Jason Drews (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove), Matt Eliason (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East), Pat Gibson (Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North), Jack Hillgard (Lombard, Ill./Benet Academy), Jonathan Kammo (Naperville, Nequa Valley), Drew Kotler (Wynnewood, Pa./Lower Merion), Cody Stanley (Lansing, Ind./Mt. Carmel), and Lucas Swertloff (Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood).
"This class enters as one of the most decorated groups at the club, ODP and high school level that we have had to date," Lenahan said. "We have four players with National Team experience in Piero Bellizzi, Lucas Swertloff, Drew Kotler and Cody Stanley and four regional team players in Patrick Gibson, Bellizzi, Swertloff and Kotler. Three players from the Chicago Magic who were voted the No. 1 club in the U.S. for the third year running in Stanley, Jack Hillgard and Jason Drews.
"In addition, we have continued to get players who have come through our College Soccer Training Center at Northwestern University in the summer with Matt Eliason, Drews, and Bellizzi, all of whom really grabbed our attention during the camp. We were able to add a goalkeeper (Kotler), defenders (Stanley, Gibson, Drews, Hillgard), some attack oriented midfielders (Bellizzi, Swertloff) and a forward (Eliason). This group was brought in to replace the most successful class in Northwestern history and overall, I believe, a very well-rounded and talented class that should have an impact right away. With a new, state-of-the-art soccer facility ready to go next year, this class can help us continue the development of our program into one of the nation's elite."
Complete player bios below:
Piero Bellizzi
5-8, 140, Midfielder
Rye, N.Y./Rye
High School: Led Rye High School to the most wins since 1998 in one season ... Tallied 40 goals and 34 assists in three years as a starter ... Earned all-League, all-Section and all-League honorable mention throughout his three years as a high school starter.
Club/ODP: Invited to U-14 U.S. National Team camp in 2003 ... Four-year member of the Region I team playing with fellow Wildcat Eamon O'Neill ... Trained in Italy with Serie A side Udinese's primavera team for a year in 2006 ... Played club soccer at FC Westchester, leading them to one state championship in 2005-2006 ... Attended the College Soccer Training Center at Northwestern University in 2006.
Personal: Born Piero Bellizzi on 11/16/88 ... Son of John and Fran Bellizzi ... Father, John, played soccer at Queens College ... Mom, Fran, also went to Queens College and studied law at Hofstra University ... Currently enrolled at Northwestern for the winter quarter and will play this spring.
Coach Lenahan: "Piero is a very gifted and talented, attacking player. We had the chance to see him with the Region I team, FC Westchester and at our College Soccer Training Center at Northwestern last summer and he was outstanding. He has a chance to be a very special player at the college level and being able to join the team this winter will give him a head start on his college career."
Jason Drews
6-1, 170, Defender
Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove
High School: Led Downers Grove High School to a 2005 Illinois State Championship with a 26-2-1 record during his sophomore year ... 2006 high school Team MVP ... 2006 IHSSCA All-Sectional Team.
Club/ODP: Played club soccer for six years for the Chicago Magic, leading them to five consecutive Illinois State Cup Championships, teaming with fellow recruits Cody Stanley and Jack Hillgard ... 2005 Region II Champions ... Three-time Region II finalists ... 2005 Dallas Cup Champions ... Two-time Y-League National Champions ... two-time U.S. Club National Champions ... 2005 National Championship Finalist ... Attended Northwestern Boy's Soccer Camp in 2006.
Personal: Born Jason Drews on 4/2/89 ... Son of John and Cindy Drews ... Also considered Harvard and Washington University in St. Louis ... Plans to major in economics.
Coach Lenahan: "Jason comes from a winning background at both Downers Grove and with the Chicago Magic. He attended our camp last year and really caught our eye with his toughness and competitiveness. He will give us some added depth in the back."
Matt Eliason
5-11, 165, Forward
Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East
High School: Led Glenbard East High School to a 29-8-4 record in his junior and senior years--the most successful two-year run in Glenbard East's history ... Led high school to its highest school ranking in history when they were ranked No. 7 in Chicago Tribune state poll in 2006 ... Tallied 39 goals and 21 assists in two years on the varsity ... A 2006 Illinois All-State selection ... One of Chicago Sun-Times top 50 players in 2006.
Club/ODP: Played club soccer for Chicago Wind Nationals ... Caught coaches' attention as a two-time all star at the College Soccer Training Center at Northwestern in 2005 and 2006.
Personal: Born Matt Eliason on 10/6/88 ... Son of Ron and Bev Eliason ... Father, Ron, played tennis at Knox College ... Mom, Bev, is a nurse at West Suburban Hospital ... Also considered Colgate, DePaul and Lafayette.
Coach Lenahan: "Matt, I believe, is a real sleeper in this recruiting class. He attended our camp the last two years and was one of the top players each year. He has great athleticism, a good soccer IQ and can score goals. I think he could turn out to be a very good player at this level."
Pat Gibson
5-10, 160, Defender
Westerville, Ohio/Westerville North
High School: Led Westerville North High School to a D-I State Final in 2004, as well as one regional title, two district titles and two Ohio Capital Conference titles ... Captain and MVP his senior year and all-OCC both his junior and senior year.
Club/ODP: A member of the 2005 and 2006 Region II ODP team and traveled to Germany and Austria ... A three-time member of the Ohio South ODP state team and two-time captain ... Played club soccer for Blast FC, leading them to one state championship and three runner-up finishes.
Personal: Born Patrick William Gibson 2/26/89 ... Son of Robert and Judy Gibson ... Also considered Brown, Bucknell, Northern Illinois, Wright State and Xavier.
Coach Lenahan: "Pat really has developed over the past two years, becoming one of the top players and consistent starters on the Region II team. He has great competitiveness, good technical skills and should challenge to get on the field as a freshman."
Jack Hillgard
6-3, 165, Defender/Midfielder
Lombard, Ill./Benet Academy
High School: Was a three-year varsity starter for Benet Academy ... Captained his 21-2-2 team to the super sectionals and a season-high No. 9 NSCAA national ranking his senior year ... Was twice named to the ESCC all-conference team and was named the Conference's Most Valuable Player his junior year ... Twice named all-sectional and Daily Herald all-Area.
Club/ODP: Played club soccer for the Chicago Magic, along with fellow signees Cody Stanley and Jason Drews, winning three state championships from 2004 through 2006 ... Advanced to regional finals each year and was National Runner-up in 2004 ... Also won two U.S. Club National Championships and two Super Y League National Championships ... In 2005, was a member of the first U.S. team to win the U-16 Dallas Cup in five years.
Personal: Born John Matthew Hillgard on 9/3/88 ... Son of Linda and Matt Hillgard ... Also considered Princeton, West Virginia, Lehigh and Lafayette.
Coach Lenahan: "Jack has great technical skills for someone of his size. Again, he comes to us from a winning background at both Benet and with the Chicago Magic. He is excellent in the air and with his size, could be a force in the Big Ten."
Jonathan Kammo
5-8, 140, Midfielder
Naperville, IL/Nequa Valley
Club /ODP: An outstanding player in the JFK league ... Played freshman soccer at Nequa Valley but chose to concentrate on academics while continuing to play on outside teams.
Personal: Born Jonathan Kammo on 5/21/89 ... Son of Ron and Margaret Kammo ... Brother Chris is a current member of the Northwestern team.
Coach Lenahan: "Jonathan is a technical player who will do whatever it takes to help the team succeed. He is an outstanding student and his versatility will be a great addition to the program."
Drew Kotler
6-0, 170, Goalkeeper
Wynnewood, Pa./Lower Merion
High School: Led Lower Merion High School to four-straight playoff appearances ... Broke the school record with 34 career shutouts ... Team captain and MVP as a junior and senior ... Central League MVP as a junior all-Southeastern Pennsylvania, all-State and Regional all-American as a junior and senior.
Club/ODP: Invited to 2006 adidas ESP for nation's top 130 players ... Three-year member of the Region I ODP Team ... Represented U-15 U.S. National Team in Guadalajara, Mexico, playing with fellow signee Lucas Swertloff ... 2003 National Finalist with club team Nether Mustangs ... National Merit Scholar (Commended), National Honor Society Member and National Society of High School Scholars Member.
Personal: Born Drew Kotler on 1/2/89 ... Son of Jane and Ron Kotler ... Also considered Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, and Princeton.
Coach Lenahan: "Drew has great athleticism and is an outstanding shot blocker. He has a very good overall feel for the goalkeeper position. His experience with the Region I and national teams will certainly help his transition in becoming a top Big Ten goalkeeper."
Cody Stanley
5-11, 170, Defender
Lansing, Ind./Mt. Carmel
High School: Led Mount Carmel High School to a 16-6-3 record as a senior captain and its first-ever sectional title ... Led high school to 19-5-1 record as a junior and first-ever Catholic League Championship ... Tallied 33 goals and 27 assists in four years as a starting defender ... IHSSCA all-State selection ... Catholic League Player of the Year (first in school history) ... Times All-Area Player of the Year ...Times, Daily Southtown and Chicago R.I.S.E Magazine all-Area first-team selection ... Chicago Tribune All-State Team.
Club/ODP: Twice invited to the adidas ESP for nation's top 130 players ... Three-time Super Y-League National Team Selection (2005-07) ... Named Super Y-League Nationals MVP in 2004 ... Four-Year Club Team Captain for the Chicago Magic, the nation's No. 1 ranked club, leading them to five consecutive state championships from 2002-06, two Super Y-League National Championships, two U.S. Club National Championships and a Dallas Cup Championship ... Played on the Magic with fellow recruits Jason Drews & Jack Hillgard.
Personal: Born Cody William Robert Stanley on 11/27/88 ... Son of Robert and Susan Stanley ... ... Also considered New Mexico, Michigan, Michigan State and Boston University.
Coach Lenahan: "Cody has a tremendous presence on the field as a central defender. He is the unquestioned leader on his Chicago Magic club team. He is great in the air and also outstanding on set pieces and should be a great player by the time his playing days are through at Northwestern.
Lucas Swertloff
5'6, 140, Midfielder
Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood
Club /ODP: Played with the U-14, U-15 and U-17 U.S. Men's Youth National Teams from 2003-2004 ... Ranked in the U-18 National Pool in 2006 ... NSCAA Youth All-American in 2005 ... Attended the adidas Elite Soccer Program (ESP) for the nation's top 130 players in 2005 and 2006 ... Selected to the ESP Euro Team in 2005 ... Named to the adidas America All-Star Teams in 2004 and 2005 ... Played for the Region I ODP Team from 2003-2006, playing along with fellow NU signee Drew Kotler ... Regional Team Captain in 2004 and 2005 ... Played for the Eastern New York South State Team from 2001-2006 ... Played club soccer with the New York Red Bulls (U19) ... New Rochelle Raiders (U18), State Cup finalists 2006 ... Storm Academy (U-15) Super Y League National Finalists (2004).
Personal: Born Lucas Fong Swertloff on 2/16/89 ... Son of Anna Fong and Larry Swertloff ... Also considered Duke and Brown.
Coach Lenahan: "Lucas has a great competitive drive and a tremendous energy on the field. He comes to us as one of the most successful youth players we have had here at Northwestern. His technical ability and ability to make plays should make him an impact player in the Big Ten."
