Feb. 18, 2003

Los Angeles, Calif., - Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2003 - The Loyola Marymount University men's soccer team announced today the signing of four high school seniors to national letters of intent. Joining the Lions in the fall of 2003 will be Bobby Burling, Tony Chinakwe, Raul Ybarra, and Edgar Alejo.

"Our focus of this recruiting class has been to bring in student athletes who can put the ball into the back of our opponents net," said Lions Head Coach Paul Krumpe. " When losing two All-Americans as we did with Arturo Torres and Andres Murriagui, and the large part of our offense that departs with them, we felt it was essential to recruit players with the potential to score goals and assists every time they step on the field."

Burling (6'5", 185 lbs) will join his brother Jimmy, a freshman defender at LMU this past season, on the team upon graduation from Lewis Palmer High School in Monument, Colorado. Burling is a All-State performer in both soccer and basketball and recently shattered the all-time scoring mark at Lewis Palmer with 61 goals and 41 assists, the record was previously held by current Lion Sean Rhynard.

Chinakwe, (6'1", 180 lbs) is from Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, CA. Chinakwe has been a member of the Cal North Olympic Development (ODP) team in 2000, 2001, and 2002 and was selected to the Region IV ODP Team in 2001 and 2002.

"Providing the firepower upfront was the first challenge," said Krumpe, " and I feel we've done that with two big, strong and powerful forwards."

The two playmakers responsible for feeding Burling and Chinakwe for the next four years will be Ybarra and Alejo. Ybarra hails from Santa Barbara High School in Santa Barbara, California. He was named as a NSCAA/adidas All-American in 2002.

Alejo will join the Lions squad from A.B. Miller High School in Fontana, CA. He is a member of both the Cal South ODP team and the Region IV ODP team.

"Both are extremely technical passers of the ball, that bring much of the flair that we lose with Willow's departure," said Krumpe.

When asked about the role he hopes this recruiting class will have, Krumpe stated, "All four of these young men are capable of impacting every game, every moment they are on the field. They will blend in very well with the style of play and the core group of players we already have in place."

-GO LIONS-