february 10 2008

Racine's Laura Lins to play at Western Illinois University

Laura Lins, the 2007 Racine County High School Player of the Year, officially joined Western Illinois University's 2008 Recruiting Class on Thursday as she signed her National Letter of Intent to play with the Westerwinds. Laura was joined by her family and coaches for the ocassion, which took place at William Horlick High School in Racine WI.

Laura will be graduating with academic honors from Horlick this Spring and plans to pursue studies in the medical field while at college.

Playing competitively since grade school age, Laura has garnered a collection of individual honors as well as team success over the years. In addition to her 2007 Racine County honors, Laura was voted Horlick's Most Valuable Player during her sophomore and junior years, during which time she led the Rebels in scoring. A left outside midfielder, Laura is a threat from both sides of the ball and is known for her high work rate as well as her physical play.

In 2006, Horlick advanced to the WI State Tournament, followed by an undefeated Southeast Conference record in 2007. Laura also played a key role in helping her Fall 2006 club team, the Racine Spartans Girls U-18 White , capture the WI Premier Division championship.

Laura will be coached by Tony Guinn, who coached Laura's older brother while at St. Catherine's High School in Racine. After several years as the head coach at St. Mary's University in Winona MN, Tony traveled to Macomb Illinois in mid 2007 to take the reigns at Western Illinois University. In his first season, he was awarded Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year Runner-Up while guiding the Westerwinds to their best season record, 16-3-1. Western went undefeated in Summit League competition to win the league title and earn Tony Coach of the Year honors.