Marquette University Athletics
Gutierrez and McCallum Join Incoming Soccer Class
4/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
April 18, 2000
MILWAUKEE - Marquette men's soccer coach Steve Adlard announced today that Derek Gutierrez (Overland Park, Kan. / St. Thomas Aquinas) and Zach McCallum (Madison, Wis. / James Madison Memorial) have signed national letters of intent to attend the University and play soccer for the Golden Eagles starting in the Fall of 2000. Gutierrez and McCallum join four additional recruits who were announced earlier this Spring in the Marquette class of 2004.
The 6-4, 195-lb. Gutierrez led St. Thomas Aquinas to the Kansas State Championship this past Fall. He has been a member of the Kansas Olympic Development team for five years, serving as its captain during the past three. Though he has played the center midfield position recently, Adlard projects him as a striker for Marquette.
"He's a target-type player with great balance," Adlard said. "Because he is tall and has an extremely good first touch, we see him being able to be a presence up front for us. He is versatile, and could conceivably fill a number of roles for us."
McCallum is a 6-1, 180-lb. defensive-minded midfielder who captained his James Madison team this past Fall. He was named to the All-City First Team as a midfielder and was an All-Big 8, All-Area and All-State defender. A versatile athlete, he doubles as the starting point guard for the James Madison varsity squad. He set the program's records for steals per game and assists per game and is among the school's all-time leaders in both categories.
"Zach fits in well with this class and our system because of his versatility," Adlard said. "He possesses good qualities such as solid technique and an outstanding work ethic. He carries that `point-guard' mentality on to the soccer field and is a strong reader of the game."
Gutierrez and McCallum join an impressive incoming class which includes Matt Darby (Leawood, Kan. / Rockhurst), Brian Schnell (Brookfield, Wis. / Central), Adam Ubert (Hartland, Wis. / Arrowhead) and Andrew Wagner (Waukesha, Wis. / Catholic Memorial).
"We're excited about this class for a number of reasons," Adlard said. "We've filled some of our vacant positions with these new kids, and they're going to help us play at a higher level over the next four seasons."
