Men’s Soccer Announces 2017 Signing Class

MACON, Ga. – Mercer, the defending Southern Conference men's soccer champion, and head coach Brad Ruzzo are excited to welcome a five-player 2017 recruiting class to the program, as announced Thursday morning.

Coming off the 2016 SoCon Tournament championship and the program's third NCAA Tournament appearance, Mercer is prepared to reload in the upcoming fall season by adding the five additions to an already talented and experienced roster. Joining the Bears in the fall are Kareve Richards (Loganville, Georgia), PJ Milner (Douglasville, Georgia), Joshua Harrison (Brookhaven, Georgia), Jack Wilson (Birmingham, Alabama) and Alex Turner (Sarasota, Florida).

The five-player group joins the SoCon's most consistent program over the last three seasons as Mercer owns a .645 winning percentage, ranking best among conference schools. The Bears are 20-8-2 in SoCon regular season play and 3-1-2 in tournament play under Ruzzo.

2017 MERCER MEN'S SOCCER RECRUITING CLASS

PLAYER	POSITION	HEIGHT	HOMETOWN	PREV. SCHOOL
Kareve Richards	Defense	6'0	Loganville, Ga.	Loganville HS
PJ Milner	Defense	6'2	Douglasville, Ga.	Chapel Hill HS
Joshua Harrison	Midfield	6'0	Brookhaven, Ga.	Woodward Acad.
Jack Wilson	Midfield/Forward	6'2	Birmingham, Ala.	Westminster School
Alex Turner	Forward	6'2	Sarasota, Fla.	Cardinal Mooney HS

KAREVE RICHARDS | Loganville, Georgia
POS: Defense
HT: 6'0
PREV. SCHOOL/CLUB: Loganville High School | Atlanta United FC & KSA

Member of KSA's 2015 State Cup Championship team
Won 2014 Disney Championship with KSA

Coach Ruzzo on Richards:
"Kareve comes to us from a very successful program in Atlanta United. He brings good size, good athletic ability and great speed as a defender. We are looking for him to come in and compete right away by strengthening our already solid back line. He is a good 1-vs-1 defender and has strong upside looking toward the future."

PJ MILNER | Douglasville, Georgia
POS: Defense
HT: 6'2
PREV. SCHOOL/CLUB: Chapel Hill High School | DDYSC Wolves & Concorde Fire

Named Chapel Hill HS' Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore
Named to 5A All-Region Team as a sophomore
Played under Wolfgang Sühnholz for Georgia ODP (2015-17)

Coach Ruzzo on Milner:
"PJ is a central defender with good athletic ability. He is tenacious and plays well in the air. He has the ability to play several different positions for Mercer and we look forward to adding him to our strong core of defenders."

JOSHUA HARRISON | Brookhaven, Georgia
POS: Midfield
HT: 6'0
PREV. SCHOOL/CLUB: Woodward Academy | Concorde Fire Elite

2015 Georgia 4A State Semifinalist with Woodward Academy
2014 and 2015 Region Champion with Woodward Academy
Named to 2015 All-Region Second Team
Two-time team captain at Woodward Academy
Two-time state champion with Concorde Fire

Coach Ruzzo on Harrison:
"Joshua can play multiple positions for us but primarily as a midfielder. He covers ground well in the midfield and possesses the physical attributes to get forward quickly. He is strong in the air and we expect him to compete with our midfielders right away."

JACK WILSON | Birmingham, Alabama
POS: Midfield/Forward
HT: 6'2
PREV. SCHOOL: Westminster School | BUSA 99 Elite

Won 2014-15 AHSAA State Championship with WSOM
Team captain and MVP as a junior at WSOM
Made RPL, CASL and Disney appearances with BUSA 99 Elite team

Coach Ruzzo on Wilson:
"Jack possess good size and a very strong left foot that can deliver quality services or even strikes on goal. He can play in the midfield or as a forward…we look forward to him being integrated within our pour program to see his development as a player."

ALEX TURNER | Sarasota, Florida
POS: Forward
HT: 6'2
PREV. SCHOOL/CLUB: Cardinal Mooney High School | FC Florida Elite White & Braden River Rage '98

Two-time Class 2A District 11 champion (2016, 2017) and regional finalist (2016) at Cardinal Mooney High School
Named 2A Florida Dairy Farmers Player of the Year (2016)
Cardinal Mooney's single-season and career goal-scoring record holder
Two-time CMHS team captain
Two-time state championship runner-up with FC Florida Elite
Disney Showcase qualifier semifinalist and IMG Cup Champion with Braden River Rage '98

Coach Ruzzo on Turner:
"Alex is a forward but has the potential to play other positions for the Bears. He is a hard-working young man with the knack to score goals in a variety of ways. We look for him to bring that talent into our program. He has good frame for a center forward and solid pace to get in behind defenders."

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For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Soccer, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_MSoccer (Twitter) and /MercerMSoccer (Facebook) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.

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