Jan. 8, 2016
By Joanne Norell
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame women’s soccer team will welcome its first signee to the freshman class of 2016 as Jennifer Westendorf joins the program as a January enrollee.
A Top Drawer Soccer five-star prospect from Grayson, Georgia, Westendorf boasts an impressive resume on both the domestic and international stage. Her most recent accomplishments include starting at forward for Brazil’s U-20 women’s national team that the 2015 South American U-20 Women’s Championship, securing a slot at the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
As a member of the Gwinnett (Ga.) Soccer Association club squad, Westendorf is a two-time NSCAA All-American (U-16 and U-17), a team captain for her U-18 squad and has averaged 32 goals per season over each of the last four years.
At the high school level, the incoming freshman is a three-time Golden Boot winner averaging 37 goals and 10 assists over the last three seasons. As a sophomore, Westendorf was named the Georgia Girls Soccer Gatorade Player of the Year and Grayson High School team MVP. In 2015, she was named the Georgia Class AAAAA Girls Soccer Player of the Year after helping lead Grayson to the state championship.
“We are so excited to welcome Jen to our program this spring,” Irish head coach Theresa Romagnolo said. “She is an exceptional goal-scorer and soccer player and we expect her to contribute immediately. She has a lot of experience playing internationally for the Brazilian and U.S. youth national teams, as well as a top club team, which should make for a smooth transition.”
The Irish will add additional student-athletes to next year’s class when the regular signing period begins on February 3.
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Joanne Norell, athletics communications assistant at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2014 and coordinates communications efforts for the Notre Dame women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and fencing programs. Norell is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University and earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in 2013.