WEEKLY SPOTLIGHT:  Soccer's Meredith Hester making an immediate impact

Rocky Mount, NC - The women's soccer program at North Carolina Wesleyan is full of tradition.  Over the years, the Bishops have amassed nine conference championships, ten NCAA tournament appearances, two regional championships, and one trip each to the Elite Eight and Final Four.  Entering her fourth season at the helm of Wesleyan's program, head coach Tory Lukasina has been striving to return the Bishops to top-tier status.  She took a major step in doing so by bringing in talented freshman Meredith Hester, who at week's end had tallied seven goals and two assists for a team-leading 16 points.

Hester's performances have already twice earned her USA South Rookie of the Week honors, most recently on September 25th.  Currently, she is ranked among conference leaders in shots, goals, and points.

The Reston, VA native quickly proved that she would be an offensive force when she recorded a hat trick with three goals in her very first collegiate game.  She followed up that performance by notching the game-winning goal against Shenandoah and an unassisted goal against conference powerhouse Christopher Newport, which ended the Captains' regular season shutout streak.  Over the weekend, the talented forward recorded two more goals and her first two assists en route to her second Rookie of the Week nod.

Hester is a 2006 graduate of South Lakes High School where she was a four-year letterwinner in soccer and basketball. Majoring in Exercise Science, Meredith is the daughter of John Hester and Sherry Spinelli.

The Bishops are now 3-2-1 overall.  Wesleyan will travel to Greensboro College on Wednesday before returning home on Saturday versus Catholic.

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