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Ritchie an All-American By Kris Henry When Bryn Ritchie signed on to play soccer at the University of Washington three years ago, Huskies coach Dean Wurzberger couldn�t contain his excitement on landing such a prized recruit. Ever since then, opponents have been unable to contain Ritchie. The former South Medford High standout and Class 4A player of the year in 1997 recently added to an already stunning resume by being named a second-team All-American as a junior defender. "If there ever was a guy who deserved it, it�s Bryn," says Wurzberger. "He�s worked hard at his game. The guy has earned it. "He�s experienced unprecedented levels of success every year he�s been here." Ritchie has been a starter at central defender in 58 of his 60 games as a Husky, using his 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame to pose a threat on both sides of the field. This season Ritchie scored six goals, including three game-winners, and had five assists in leading Washington to its third straight league title and first in its inaugural season as a member of the Pac-10 Conference. The Huskies previously belonged to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. In his three-year collegiate career, Ritchie has scored 12 goals and assisted on nine. Of those 12 goals, six have been game-winners. "For a center back to have those type of numbers, ahead of most of our attacking players, that�s just amazing," says Wurzberger. "He�s such a huge weapon. When you have someone who can do both jobs, stopping the opposing team�s most dangerous forward, defend well and score on restarts, you�re getting an impact player." Ritchie is the second Husky underclassman ever and fifth UW player overall to earn All-American honors. He is the fourth to make it as high as the second team. "It�s always fun to get some recognition," says Ritchie, 21. "I didn�t know if any of us would get national recognition because we didn�t proceed into the playoffs as far as we wanted to." Washington was ousted in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Indiana in a nailbiting, 2-1 decision. The Hoosiers, who eliminated the Huskies last year as well, advanced to the semifinals before falling shy of a second straight national title. Ritchie says this year�s recognition mostly had to do with his offensive production on restarts. "When you score goals as a defender, you get attention for it," he says. Ritchie says that a lot of credit should also go to Wurzberger. "He allows me to do a lot of things," he says. "It�s nice to know that your coach has confidence in your abilities." Confidence is an understatement when you consider the praise Wurzberger has for his standout defender. "The big man made an immediate impact as a freshman, and I just think he�s gotten better every year," says the coach. "Athletically, he is as talented as they come. He�s got it all: speed, size, agility. "He has every chance to go first-team All-American and have a pro career." With one more season remaining at Washington, anything is possible. The most important objective for Ritchie, however, has nothing to do with personal achievement or potential career placement. "The No. 1 thing is we want to go win a championship," he says. "We�ve come close to doing that this year and last year." If anyone is optimistic in Washington�s ability to get the job done, it�s Ritchie. He�s been in a similar situation before while at South Medford High. The Panthers steadily developed when he was a freshman and sophomore, then got ousted in the quarterfinals his junior season when they might have had their strongest lineup. All the Panthers did Ritchie�s senior year was post a 15-1-1 record en route to a state championship. "Hopefully, there�s some kind of pattern there we can repeat," says Ritchie. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.