June 29, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State men's soccer head coach Bob Warming announced the signing of six student-athletes for the 2016 campaign. The 2016 fall class includes: Arie Ammann (Round Hill, Va./Woodgrove), Mitchel Bringolf (Montreal, Quebec, Canada/John Rennie), Frankie De La Camara (Miami, Fla./Belen Jesuit), Collin Jouan (Catonsville, Md./Catonsville), Josh Levine (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) and Christian Sload (Reading, Pa./Wilson).
The 2016 fall class is comprised of two goalkeepers, two forwards, one center midfielder and one center back. In addition, Warming inked three transfers and two freshmen in the spring to total 11 newcomers for the 2016 campaign. The spring signees included: Brandon Hackenberg (Palmyra, Va./Fluvanna County High School), Stephen Kenney (Franklin, Pa./State College Area (Emory)), Pierre Reedy (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown Area), Aymar Sigue (Albert, Alberta, Canada/Burnaby Central (Tulsa)) and Cameron Steele (Clayton, N.C./Cardinal Gibbons (N.C. State)). The five spring signees were eligible to play in the spring season with the Nittany Lions, participating in all spring games and practices as well as making the international trip to Canada with the team.
"Thanks to Chad Duernberger for doing a wonderful job of following up and getting these talented student-athletes to Penn State," stated Warming. "They are joining a terrific group of student-athletes and I believe they are the type of people who will really enjoy the challenges of competing in the Big Ten. Each of these student-athletes have some unique qualities and I look forward to helping them progress in their game each week."
Ammann heads to Happy Valley after playing club soccer for Watford FC for the past two seasons. The Round Hill, Va. native also played one season for DC United and was a member of the DC United U23 team for one season. Ammann was named captain of DC United in the 2013 campaign and was also a member of the United States national team. The incoming goalkeeper comes from a soccer family as his father played professional soccer for 12 years for four different clubs before ending his career playing for DC United.
Bringolf makes the trek to Penn State from Montreal, Quebec, Canada where he played club soccer for FC Montreal and was a member of the Montreal Impact Academy and Lakeshore. While playing for FC Montreal, Bringolf was on the team of the week and helped the team to a third-place finish in the playoffs at USSDA U18 in the 2014 campaign. Bringolf also spent time on the Quebec Provincial Team, where he notched a gold medal at the Canada Games in 2014 en route to a Quebec Player of the Year finalist nomination. The center back also earned a gold medal at the Canadian Championships in 2012 and silver in 2010, while picking up a bronze medal in the 2011 campaign.
De La Camara will don the Blue and White after being prepped at Belen Jesuit in Miami, Fla. The 6'2" forward was a four-year letter winner where he led his team to three-straight district championships before capping off his senior season with a state championship. De La Camara notched MVP honors three times and was the Florida State Player of the Year and 2015 Miami-Dade Player of the Year in his junior season. After finishing off his senior campaign as a state champion, De La Camara garnered Mr. Soccer of Florida honors and ended his high school career as the second-highest scorer in Florida history with 100 goals. The Miami, Fla. native spent eight seasons with the Coral Gables Toros where he led the team to a 2011 state championship as the team's leading scorer. Most recently, De La Camara was named USA Today High School Sports First Team All-American after notching a hat trick in the state finals to complete an undefeated senior season with 59 goals and 17 assists.
Jouan comes to Penn State from Loyola Blakefield where he was a two-year letter winner, helping the Dons to a MIAA Championship in his freshman season. The Cantonsville, Md. native spent his last two years of high school concentrating on club soccer, playing for both the Bethesda Lions and DC United. As a four-year member of the No. 1 Bethesda Lions, Jouan helped the team to two Region I Championships, two Maryland State Cups and two Jefferson Cups. Jouan also led the team to a Region I Premier League Championship and a Disney Showcase Championship, while being the National League Champions in both 2012 and 2013. In his final season on the Bethesda Lions, Jouan helped the team to a 2013 USYSA National Championship after finishing third in the 2012 campaign. Jouan comes to Penn State as a top 150 IMG recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com, ranking 13th in the 2016 Mid Atlantic recruiting class and a participant in the 2013 TopDrawerSoccer.com Best XI Combine New York. The center midfielder was also a four-time U.S. Soccer Market Training Center attendee, a two-time Region I selection to Europe and a 2011 National ID2 camp attendee.
Levine travels to Penn State after being a four-year letter winner at South Side High School, leading the team to a Nassau County Class A Championship in his junior campaign and a semi-finalist finish in his senior campaign. The Rockville Centre, N.Y. native was a two-time all-county selection, while being named All-Long Island Second Team and the County Championship FiOS Player of the Game as a junior. In his senior campaign, Levine was named Nassau Class A Player of the Year, Nassau Conference A1 Player of the Year, Newsday All-Long Island, all-region, All-Long Island, All-New York State. Finally, Levine was a two-time MVP for South Side High School. Levine played club soccer for Dix Hills Elite and HBC Titans while training with Region I ODP and Eastern N.Y. ODP teams. As a member of Dix Hills Elite, Levine helped the team to a New York State Cup while traveling overseas on two occasions with Region I ODP.
Sload makes the short jaunt to Happy Valley after being a four-year letter winner at Wilson High School in Reading, Pa. The 6'3" forward is a two-time all-county player, while earning second team all-county once. Sload nabbed NSCAA All-Region Player honors as well as PSCA All-State accolades in his junior season before notching Berks Player of the Year as a senior. The Reading, Pa. native helped his team to two league championships and a state finals appearance, while also earned the BCIAA Championships three times. He also played basketball, where he earned all-county honors after scoring 37 points in a district contest his senior season. Sload was a member of the National Honor Society at Wilson High School and played club soccer for FC Revolution and PA Classics. While playing club soccer, Sload helped the team to two Delco Championships and two indoor state cup championships.
The six signees as well as the rest of the 2016 squad will take the field for the first time in the season when it heads to California for two matches. The Nittany Lions will kick off their season Aug. 26 against the defending National Champion Stanford Cardinal before taking on UC Berkley, Aug. 28.