[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 27, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E96-E97]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRATULATING MESSIAH COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. TODD RUSSELL PLATTS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 27, 2010

  Mr. PLATTS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House 
Resolution 1030--Congratulating Messiah College men's and women's 
soccer teams on winning the 2009 NCAA Division III national 
championships.
  Messiah College, located in my home district, is a private four-year 
Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences in 
Grantham, Pennsylvania. With a population of 2,744 full-time 
undergraduate students and a student to faculty ratio of 13 to 1, each 
of these students are encouraged to grow through their education, faith 
and community involvement. Recently, Messiah was distinguished as one 
of only seven colleges in Pennsylvania to be placed on the President's 
Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for its service to 
disadvantaged youth. Additionally, Messiah received the 2009 Carnegie 
Foundation Community Engagement Classification for its outreach to the 
local community.
  For the men's and women's soccer teams at Messiah College, 2009 
proved to be a remarkable and historic year. On December 5th 2009, both 
teams won the Division III national soccer championships, remaining the 
only men's and women's soccer teams at any level in the NCAA to do so 
in the same year. The women's team garnered their third national title 
since 2005 and the men's team won their seventh national championship 
in the last ten seasons.
  The Messiah women's team defeated Washington University-St. Louis by 
a score of 1-0. The lone goal was scored early in the game by senior 
Amanda Naeher, who was later named the offensive player of the 
tournament. She was joined on the all-star team by her fellow teammates 
Katie Hoffsmith, Amy Horst, and Katlyn Musser. Musser was named 
defensive player of the tournament.
  Remaining players on the women's team include: Seniors Emily Cope and 
Carey Cortese;

[[Page E97]]

Juniors Molly Bletz, Shalisa Brubaker, Joanna Haqq, Erin Hench, Sarah 
Henningsen, Katie Hoffsmith, Marla Sensi and Meagan Wademan; Sophomores 
Kelsey Gorman, Rachel Loya, Autumn Reilly, Olivia Scott, Jessica Shirk, 
Leah Sipe and Lisa Wingard; and Freshmen Stephanie Andrews, Tannia 
Nieto, Elizabeth Phillips, Anne Trapp and Corinne Wulf. Assistant 
coaches and athletic trainers include: Todd Balsbaugh, Maggie Futato, 
Bethany Sauer, Sandy Bush and Jason Besse.
  Later that same evening, the men's team defeated Calvin College in a 
2-0 victory, making them an unprecedented 7-0 in national championship 
game appearances. Senior goalkeeper Jared Clugston was named defensive 
player of the tournament, while junior Geoff Pezon was named the 
offensive player. Trey Overholt and Derek Black both joined them on the 
all-star team.
  Remaining players on the men's team include: Seniors Brett Faro, 
Jevon Gondwe, Josh Mull and Calvin Todd; Juniors Jon Burke, Sean 
Cunningham, Kyle Fulks, Mark Jeschke, Keaton Kasiguran and Nick 
Thompson; Sophomores Trevor Lee, Kent Ramirez, Tom Renko, Jordan Sands, 
Danny Thompson and Sam Woodworth; and Freshmen Jake Berry, JP Fulton, 
Luke Helmuth, Dan Squire, Logan Thompson and Joshua Wood. Assistant 
coaches, managers and athletic training staff include: Aaron Faro, Troy 
Sauer, Dustin Shambach, Ken Heck, Gerard Marrone, and Beau Herndon.
  It is with great pride that I congratulate these two outstanding 
teams, led by head coaches Scott Frey and Brad McCarthy. The teams, 
coaches, faculty and students at Messiah College have much to be proud 
of with both their commitment to academics and this remarkable display 
of athletic excellence.
  I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 1030.

                          ____________________