Jan. 16, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - In the 2009 Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) Draft, former Nittany Lion star Tiffany Weimer ('05) was a third round selection to the FC Gold Pride (Bay Area) in the third round as the 17th overall pick. Later in the third round, Joanna Lohman ('03) was traded from the Saint Louis Athletica to the Washington Freedom which is closer to her hometown of Silver Spring, Md. Sheree Gray ('07) rounded out the Nittany Lion draftees with a ninth round invitation to join Saint Louis.
Weimer is one of the most decorated women's soccer players at Penn State since the program's inception in 1994. As a senior, Weimer led Penn State to the 2005 College Cup with 32 goals, establishing the Big Ten Conference single-season record. She finished with 91 career goals, which also set the conference mark. She owns a share of the NCAA record for consecutive games with a goal (17) and was named M.A.C. Hermann Trophy runner-up for the second straight year. Weimer helped Penn State to its eighth consecutive Big Ten regular season championship and its first No. 1 ranking in program history. Weimer was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and was a unanimous choice for first team honors. Her selection as an NSCAA first team All-American marked her third straight first team honor.
The M.A.C. Hermann Trophy runner-up in 2003, Lohman was a three-time first team All-American for Penn State and remains one of the most decorated Nittany Lions in school history both on and off the field. The 2002 and 2003 NSCAA Scholar All-American of the Year, Lohman is among Penn State's Top 6 all-time in goals (No. 6- 41), game-winning goals (No. 6- 15), assists (No. 2- 37), points (No. 5- 119), shots (No. 3- 347) and games played (No. 3- 101). Lohman helped boost the Nittany Lions to four NCAA quarterfinal appearances and the 2002 NCAA College Cup Semifinals. A midfielder, Lohman was a four-time first team All-Big Ten pick and was named the 2003 Big Ten Women's Soccer Player of the Year. A 2004-05 Big Ten Medal of Honor winner and the recipient of a prestigious NCAA postgraduate scholarship, Lohman piloted squads that captured four Big Ten titles as well as Big Ten Tournament championships in 200 and 2001. The Maryland-native has earned seven caps in her young National Team career.
Sheree Gray was a ninth round selection to St. Louis. |
The youngest of the Penn State draftees, Gray was a third team All-American in 2006. The midfielder got her Nittany Lion career off to a good start by earning honorable mention recognition on the Soccer Buzz Freshman All-America team. Over the next few years she earned numerous all region selections from the NSCAA as well as Soccer Buzz before earning a spot on the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy preseason watch list entering the 2007 season.
The 2009 WPS season will kick off Sunday, March 29 as Christie Welsh and the Los Angeles Sol take on Lohmann and the Washington Freedom in Carson, Calif. The game will be broadcast live at 6 p.m. ET on the Fox Soccer Channel.
For more information on the WPS, please visit www.womensprosoccer.com.