March 30, 2012
SEATTLE - Friends, family, staff, coaches and almost all of the 2011 men's soccer team gathered in the Founder's Club in Alaska Airlines Arena Friday night to honor the 2011 seniors and remember the great season. UW finished 12-4-2 overall in 2011 and 7-3-0 finishing second in the Pac-12. The Huskies barely missed out on the NCAA Tournament and saw four guys get drafted by MLS teams. Head coach Jamie Clark welcomed the group and briefly spoke about the season and his first year as a Husky. He then handed the microphone over to assistants Brandon Prideaux and Jeff Rowland who thanked the support staff while also making funny jokes at their expense. A video interview was shown of Clark when he was a player and a commercial he had starred in. Rowland also surprised Prideaux with a video of his playing days as well. Needless to say, the night was full of laughter, tears, good memories, and exciting thoughts about the future. John Morris handed out the UW AD Honor Roll Dawg Tags to Charlie Ranahan, Tyler Klein, Spencer Richer, Ben Fisk, Jamie Finch, Brent Richards and Alex Klein. The five major awards of the evening were then handed out, first, Rookie of the Year. Clark presented this award to freshman Andy Thoma (Los Alamos, N.M.). Strength coach Henry Ruggiero named freshman Ranahan (Oakland, Calif.) Most Improved. Prideaux, a defender in his days at UW and in the MLS, handed out the Offensive MVP to Richards (Camas, Wash.). Next, Rowland, an offensive player at UNM, named Finch (Bothell, Wash.) the Defensive MVP. Prideaux gave the final award, Most Inspirational, to senior Nick James (Kirkland, Wash.). Clark spoke briefly about each of the five seniors that were there, Finch, Richards, McCool, James and Tyler Klein. Each senior gave a brief speech, thanking friends, family, coaches and teammates. The sixth senior Jacob Hustedt was unable to attend due to his commitment to the San Jose Earthquakes. It was also announced that UW found out Abdul Aman was granted a sixth year of eligibility and will be back with the Huskies next season. The 2012 men's soccer team will face off against the Alumni on Saturday in the Dempsey Indoor at 2 p.m. The event is open and free to the public. |
