June 27, 2005
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.- New Mexico women’s soccer head coach Kit Vela has announced the addition of graduate assistant Kristen Graczyk to the 2005 coaching staff. Graczyk (GRAY-sick), a forward for the University of Connecticut from 2001-04, was an offensive machine for the Huskies as she led the team in goals and scoring all four seasons. An Albuquerque native, Graczyk graduated from La Cueva High School in 2001.
Graczyk is UConn’s all-time leader in goals and points scored in NCAA tournament play. As a junior, she became only the ninth player in UConn’s 25-year history to tally 100 career points. Graczyk started 91 matches out of 99 played and never missed one contest during her four years with the program.
Graczyk’s nose for the goal earned her a host of national, regional and conference awards. Most notably she was a two-time All-American in 2003 and 2004. Graczyk was also a four-time all-Big East Conference honoree, Big East Offensive Player of the Year in 2003, Northeast Regional Player of the Year as a junior and senior, Soccer America MVP in 2003, a 2004 MAC Herman Trophy semifinalist (equivalent to the Heisman Trophy for football) and a U-21 National Team member.
As a student-athlete, Graczyk received the Big East Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year for 2004 and the 2004 New England Scholar Award for having a GPA higher than 3.5 for two consecutive semesters. She was also a Big East Academic All-Star and was on the Director of Athletics Honor Roll from 2002-05. For her senior year, Graczyk was recognized as a UConn Remarkable Individual in leadership, academics and athletics.
Graczyk earned all state, district, and city honors at La Cueva. She led the state in scoring as a freshman, helping the Bears win the 1997 5A title.
Graczyk received her B.A. in Sports Marketing from UConn in May of 2005. While at UNM, she plans to pursue her graduate degree in Sports Administration. Her younger brother, Mike Graczyk, is entering his sophomore season as a goalkeeper with the UNM men’s soccer team.
Quotes from head coach Kit Vela: “We are thrilled to have someone of Kristen’s caliber join our staff. She brings a lot of winning experience and she shares a lot of the same coaching philosophies as myself and Jorge (Vela). It’s going to be very nice to have a young voice on the staff who can talk to the players about her own experiences. She will help our offense and her competitive background will help us build that winning tradition we are working toward.”
Quotes from Kristen Graczyk: “I’m just really excited to be coming back to Albuquerque and I’ve always wanted to help out the university. I’m really looking forward to seeing a whole different side of collegiate soccer through coaching. I think the Lobos have a great program and I hope to help the team with my experience of playing for a top program like Connecticut. I love soccer and I’m excited that I will still get to be around it.”