Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewa Soccer Reloads Roster; Depth Key for CMU in 2023
7/18/2023 12:10:00 PM | Soccer
Fifteen returners are joined by a combined 19 new faces between seven true freshmen, 12 incoming transfers
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. —Central Michigan University Soccer enters the 2023 tour with 34 Chippewas, 19 of which will adorn the Maroon and Gold for the first time.
After recovering from season-ending injuries in 2022, the Chippewas notably return juniors Jaelyn Dobrowolski, Allison LaPoint and Kerry Northcott.
After starting every match of her career through the first 35, Dobrowolski—2020-21 Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year—had her season cut short through the first eight in 2022 after putting up five points and a gamewinner against the University of Detroit-Mercy.
LaPoint never made it onto the pitch for the 2022 campaign despite standing guard between the posts for the entirety of the 2021 schedule.
Northcott started her first seven matches at CMU after transferring in from Western Carolina University before her 2022 season was abbreviated.
Seven of 10 players to log double-digit starts from last season return on top of the trio, including four that started all 18 contests: Elizabeth Chlystun, Matilda Melin, Ashley Scesniak and Lauren Walker.
Eleven of the 19 new Chippewas hail from Michigan, through six transfers and five freshmen, bringing the program's total to 17 in-state student athletes. California leads five states to have multiple representatives with four, ahead of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Colorado with two apiece.
Reunion Tours
There are three instances of former teammates reuniting under the Central Michigan banner for the 2023 season through the offseason turnover:
The Essexville Trio: Walker welcomes in transfer sophomore Teagan Betzold and freshman Bayne Davis as a trio of representatives from Essexville, Mich.'s Garber High School. All three were a part of multiple league championships with the Bay Area Soccer Association.
Not the Journey, but the Destination: A pair of incoming transfer juniors from Evergreen, Colo., Jocelin Zimmerer and Myla Stewart, graduated from Evergreen High School in 2021 after decorated careers. Both chose the Midwest for their collegiate careers, Miami University (OH) and Western Illinois University, respectively, but found a new home together in Mount Pleasant.
Won't Go It Alone: From Grand Rapids, Forest Hills Northern High School graduates Caitlin Gill and Emma DeHaan will each join the Chippewas for their first collegiate season. Including junior Addie Brown, this trio ties Forest Hills Northern with Garber for the most representatives from the same high school playing for Central Michigan this season.
The Portal Sweepstakes
All 12 incoming transfers come from different programs from last season. Three come from members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), two from Mid-American Conference foes:
OVC-to-CMU Pipeline: Three transfer newcomers make their way to Mount Pleasant from members of the OVC: Jenna Little from Eastern Illinois University, Libby Van Wagnen from Morehead State University (KY) and Brooke Carroll from the University of Tennessee-Martin. The trio has combined to log over 3,000 minutes over the past two seasons through 67 combined appearances.
Return to the MAC: Zimmerer and graduate transfer Claudia Muessig each chose Central Michigan to stay in the MAC. Zimmerer spent the previous two seasons with the RedHawks of Miami (OH) while Muessig graduated from Northern Illinois University with a three-year athletic career under her belt.
A New Continent Represented: Sophomore Shivani Battaglia becomes the third international player on the CMU roster, coming to Mount Pleasant from Perth, Australia by way of Seminole State College (OK). Melin and Emily Penney (Cambridge, Ontario) represent the returning foreigners, though Penney's drive to campus is shorter than all out-of-state Chippewas and even Michigan-native redshirt-freshman Brooke Bittinger (Iron Mountain, Mich.).
Welcome Aboard…
For complete biographic information on each of the 19 newcomers, follow the links embedded within the listed names or visit the 2023 roster available at CMUChippewas.com.
All seven true freshmen listed below, alphabetically, with linked bios:
All 12 incoming transfers listed below, alphabetically, with linked bios:
The 2023 campaign begins with exhibition matches against the University of Illinois-Chicago (Aug. 10) and Delta College (Aug. 13), with the regular-season home-opener slated against Wright State Aug. 27. The full schedule can be found at CMUChippewas.com, or in the links above.
After recovering from season-ending injuries in 2022, the Chippewas notably return juniors Jaelyn Dobrowolski, Allison LaPoint and Kerry Northcott.
After starting every match of her career through the first 35, Dobrowolski—2020-21 Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year—had her season cut short through the first eight in 2022 after putting up five points and a gamewinner against the University of Detroit-Mercy.
LaPoint never made it onto the pitch for the 2022 campaign despite standing guard between the posts for the entirety of the 2021 schedule.
Northcott started her first seven matches at CMU after transferring in from Western Carolina University before her 2022 season was abbreviated.
Seven of 10 players to log double-digit starts from last season return on top of the trio, including four that started all 18 contests: Elizabeth Chlystun, Matilda Melin, Ashley Scesniak and Lauren Walker.
Eleven of the 19 new Chippewas hail from Michigan, through six transfers and five freshmen, bringing the program's total to 17 in-state student athletes. California leads five states to have multiple representatives with four, ahead of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Colorado with two apiece.
Reunion Tours
There are three instances of former teammates reuniting under the Central Michigan banner for the 2023 season through the offseason turnover:
The Essexville Trio: Walker welcomes in transfer sophomore Teagan Betzold and freshman Bayne Davis as a trio of representatives from Essexville, Mich.'s Garber High School. All three were a part of multiple league championships with the Bay Area Soccer Association.
Not the Journey, but the Destination: A pair of incoming transfer juniors from Evergreen, Colo., Jocelin Zimmerer and Myla Stewart, graduated from Evergreen High School in 2021 after decorated careers. Both chose the Midwest for their collegiate careers, Miami University (OH) and Western Illinois University, respectively, but found a new home together in Mount Pleasant.
Won't Go It Alone: From Grand Rapids, Forest Hills Northern High School graduates Caitlin Gill and Emma DeHaan will each join the Chippewas for their first collegiate season. Including junior Addie Brown, this trio ties Forest Hills Northern with Garber for the most representatives from the same high school playing for Central Michigan this season.
The Portal Sweepstakes
All 12 incoming transfers come from different programs from last season. Three come from members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), two from Mid-American Conference foes:
OVC-to-CMU Pipeline: Three transfer newcomers make their way to Mount Pleasant from members of the OVC: Jenna Little from Eastern Illinois University, Libby Van Wagnen from Morehead State University (KY) and Brooke Carroll from the University of Tennessee-Martin. The trio has combined to log over 3,000 minutes over the past two seasons through 67 combined appearances.
Return to the MAC: Zimmerer and graduate transfer Claudia Muessig each chose Central Michigan to stay in the MAC. Zimmerer spent the previous two seasons with the RedHawks of Miami (OH) while Muessig graduated from Northern Illinois University with a three-year athletic career under her belt.
A New Continent Represented: Sophomore Shivani Battaglia becomes the third international player on the CMU roster, coming to Mount Pleasant from Perth, Australia by way of Seminole State College (OK). Melin and Emily Penney (Cambridge, Ontario) represent the returning foreigners, though Penney's drive to campus is shorter than all out-of-state Chippewas and even Michigan-native redshirt-freshman Brooke Bittinger (Iron Mountain, Mich.).
Welcome Aboard…
For complete biographic information on each of the 19 newcomers, follow the links embedded within the listed names or visit the 2023 roster available at CMUChippewas.com.
All seven true freshmen listed below, alphabetically, with linked bios:
- Brylee Borgman (Norton Shores, Mich. / Mona Shores)
- Olivia Bretz (Lexington, Ky. / Lexington Catholic)
- Bayne Davis (Essexville, Mich. / Garber)
- Emma DeHaan (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Forest Hills Northern)
- Caitlin Gill (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Forest Hills Northern)
- Rachel Jackson (Bloomfield Hills, Mich. / Detroit Country Day)
- Payton Russo (Medina, Ohio / IMG Academy)
All 12 incoming transfers listed below, alphabetically, with linked bios:
- Dani Barzowski (Prospect Heights, Ill. / Maine South) from the Univ. of Wis.-Milwaukee
- Shivani Battaglia (Perth, Australia / Home School) from Seminole State College (OK)
- Teagan Betzold (Essexville, Mich. / Garber) from Rochester University (MI)
- Brooke Carroll (Laguna Niguel, Calif. / Aliso Niguel) from the Univ. of Tenn.-Martin
- Jenna Little (Portage, Mich. / Portage Central) from Eastern Illinois University
- Cece Mernatti (St. Clair Shores, Mich. / Lakeview) from Schoolcraft College (MI)
- Claudia Muessig (Paw Paw, Mich. / Paw Paw) from Northern Illinois University
- Myla Stewart (Evergreen, Colo. / Evergreen) from Western Illinois University
- Libby Van Wagnen (Jackson, Mich. / Jackson) from Morehead State University (KY)
- Lily Wilson (McCordsville, Ind. / Mount Vernon) from Bellarmine University (KY)
- Jocelin Zimmerer (Evergreen, Colo. / Evergreen) from Miami University (OH)
The 2023 campaign begins with exhibition matches against the University of Illinois-Chicago (Aug. 10) and Delta College (Aug. 13), with the regular-season home-opener slated against Wright State Aug. 27. The full schedule can be found at CMUChippewas.com, or in the links above.
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