Six Lakeville North athletes are set to sign National Letters on Intent on Wednesday. A ceremony honoring the athletes will be held at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday in the LNHS commons because of the late start on Wednesday. I will have live video of the ceremony on Periscope. Download the app to watch.
The six athletes who will sign are: Drew Stewart, Hannah Cade, Nick Fossey, Melissa Sollie, Stephanie Schaffer and Preston Emerson.
Hannah Cade, a midfielder on the girls’ soccer team, will sign her NLI with Iowa State University, an NCAA Division-I women’s soccer program. Named Class 2A’s Ms. Soccer in 2015, Cade helped lead the Panthers to a 13-1 regular season record, and a third place finish at the state tournament. She led Lakeville North in goals (6) and assists (9) in the regular season. The Star Tribune and Pioneer Press both named Cade their 2015 girls’ soccer player of the year. Cade also played club soccer for Minnesota Thunder Academy.
Drew Stewart, a quarterback on the football team, will sign his NLI with Augustana University, an NCAA Division-II football program. Stewart, a three-year starter for Lakeville North, led the Panthers to the state tournament in each of his three seasons as the starting quarterback. In 2015, Stewart passed for 1784 passing yards, and threw 23 touchdowns with six interceptions for a passer-rating of 123.4. Stewart was named to the Minnesota Vikings All-State team, the Star Tribune’s All-Metro second team, the Pioneer Press’ All-East-Metro team and USA Today’s All-USA Minnesota Football team. Stewart joins former Panthers Trey Heid, Jordan Cardenas and Charlie Hayes at Augustana.
Nick Fossey, a wide receiver on the football team, will sign his NLI with the University of Northern Iowa, an NCAA Division-I FCS football program. Fossey missed most of his junior season because of an injury, but he made up for the missed time in 2015. Fossey caught 55 passes for 800 yards and 15 touchdowns during his senior season. His 10 touchdowns in the regular season placed Fossey fourth in the state in touchdown receptions. Fossey was named to the Star Tribune All-Metro Second Team and the KARE-11 All-Metro Team. Fossey joins Lakeville North alumnus Jesse Cardenas at UNI.
Melissa Sollie, a midfielder on the girls’ soccer team, will sign her NLI with Bemidji State University, an NCAA Division-II women’s soccer program. Sollie comes from a rich history of soccer players in her family. Her father, cousin, brother, sister and uncle all played at the collegiate level. Sollie’s uncle, Ted, played on the U.S.A. men’s national team. Sollie sister Bre also played at Bemidji State.
Stephanie Schaffer, a defenseman on the girls’ soccer team, will sign her NLI with Augustana University, an NCAA Division-II women’s soccer program. Schaffer played on a defense that allowed only three goals in 14 games during the regular season. Two of those goals came in one game. In 2015, Schaffer was named South Suburban All-Conference First Team. Schaffer plays club soccer for Dakota Rev where she has won state, regional and national championships.
Preston Emerson, a running back on the football team, will sign with Dakota Wesleyan University, an NAIA football program. Emerson ran for 128 yards and one touchdown in 2015.
Other news and notes:
The No. 7-2A Lakeville North boys’ hockey team will face Duluth East in a state championship rematch on Saturday in Duluth as part of Hockey Day Minnesota. This will be the Panthers’ first appearance at this event. I will be there for the Star Tribune Hockey Hub with updates throughout the day.
To follow along:
Follow me on Twitter: @NickKellyLNHS
Add me on Snapchat for a behind-the-scenes look at the event: nickkelly98
Follow me on Periscope for live video updates, likely before and after the game: @NickAKelly
And for more in-depth coverage, come join me on the Star Tribune Hockey Hub for updates during the game and a story after.
Nick Kelly 