February 18, 2010 - Head coach Bob Winch and The Citadel women’s soccer team announced Monday the signing of six student-athletes to the Bulldog roster for the 2010 season, including Ruthie Leiva, a member of Kendall SC’s U17G White team. Leiva’s signing is the first ever of a female club member with a NCAA Division 1 program.

Mariana Garcia Torres/Forward/Midfield/5-2: A native of Bogota D.C., Colombia, Garcia will graduate from Colegio Americano De Bogota in May 2010. She lettered in soccer and was a member of the 2006 National Championship team. Garcia was also a member of the 2007 and 2008 Bogota third-place championship team, on the 2008 Colombia national championship team and a member of the Club Besser soccer team. Garcia also tabbed the High-Scoring and Best Team awards. She will enroll at The Citadel for the fall 2010 semester.

Ruth Leiva/Center/5-3: Leiva hails from Hialeah, Fla. where she will graduate in May 2010 from Dade Christian School. Leiva lettered in soccer earning the Most Valuable Player award twice. During her junior year, Leiva tallied 19 goals and 12 assists while in her senior season she recorded 17 goals and 19 assists. Her performances led her to earn district second and third team honors. Leiva was also a member of the Kendal Soccer Coalition that was ranked fifth in the state of Florida. She chose The Citadel over Lynn University, North Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida International and Miami. Leiva will major in criminal justice.

Nicole Levermann/Forward/5-10: Levermann is dual-sport athlete signing with track and field and playing soccer for the Bulldogs. Levermann is a native from New Braunfels, Texas where she will graduate from Canyon High School in May 2010. She is a four-year letterman in soccer, three-year letterman in track and field and lettered in tennis. In soccer, she scored a total of 40 goals and 20 assists. Levermann earned first team All-District, All-Area and TASCO All-Region honors. She was named the team captain and tabbed the San Antonio Express News Player of the Week. Levermann is a Regional Quarter finalist and was a member of the Lions Soccer Club who won the Welsh International Super Cup. Levermann will major in engineering in the fall.

Jillian Meyer/Center/Midfield/5-10: Meyer is a native of Wilmington, Del., where she attends Padua Academy. She earned three letters in track and field, two letters in basketball and three letters in soccer. Meyer is a CDSA Power seven-time State Champion and a region one finalist. She was also a member of the DE United Blue Monkeys who are eight-time state champions and region one semifinalists. Meyer earned the Principal’s and Perfect Attendance awards at Padua. Meyer chose The Citadel over Pittsburgh, Hartford, American University, George Mason and Shenandoah University. She will major in health, exercise and sport science. 

Cassie Palmacci/GK/5-9: Palmacci originally signed with the Bulldogs for the 2009 season but due to injury, she had to take a year off. A Park City, Utah native, Palmacci graduated from Park City High School in 2009. She was a three-year letterman in soccer and one-year letterman in track and field. Coached by Chip Cook and Matt Evans, Park City’s varsity soccer team was the 2005 State Champions, 2006 State Semifinalists and the 2008 State Finalists. Palmacci was a 2009 first team all-state player and was a member of several successful soccer programs. She was a member of the Black Diamond Soccer Club where her team won the US Club Soccer regional and was semifinalists at nationals. Palmacci’s team also won the Shore Tournament in North Carolina, Surf Cup Tournament and placed first in the State Premiere League five years in a row. An interesting fact about Palmacci is that she was a Nastar National Ski Racing Champion and a Utah State Equestrian Champion for hunter jumper. She will enroll at The Citadel in the fall of 2010 and major in education. Palmacci chose The Citadel over Gonzaga, Seattle Pacific, Utah Valley, Westminster College, San Francisco State, San Diego State and South Carolina State.

Michelle Persichina/Midfield/5-4: Persichina will graduate from Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School in Virginia Beach, Va. in May 2010. While at Bishop Sullivan, Persichina earned four letters in soccer recording three goals and eight assists during her junior year. She tabbed All-State second team honors and was the George Scott Memorial Tournament Most Valuable Player. Persichina was a member of the Virginia Rush Nike team and the Beach FC Piranhas team, both who ranked in the top 10 in Virginia. She was also a member of the Virginia State ODP team, Super Y League and South East Summer Regional League. Persichina chose The Citadel over Virginia Wesleyan, Old Dominion, Wheaton University and Nicholls State University. She will major in sports medicine in the fall of 2010.

"We are really looking forward to having all of these new team members join our program and school," said Winch. "They are all very good soccer athletes that will compliment the student-athletes in the program now."

For more information on Bulldog Soccer, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.