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Richmond’s Greg Cryns signs with NIU
Greg Cryns, Richmond, signed a letter of intent with Northern Illinois University, NIU, and will be playing soccer for the Division I Huskies this fall. “It was a difficult decision,” says Cryns. He had a number of other offers, including West Point. A letter of intent is a contract Division I and II college athletic programs offer to super athletes to guarantee athletic scholarships in exchange for participation in a sport.
Men’s college teams have decreased in number as a result of Title IX and a general economic belt-tightening. NIU, a university with over 20,000 students, has 7 men’s intercollegiate sports. According to Willie Roy, NIU men’s soccer coach, “ The men’s soccer team has nine athletic scholarships for the entire team.”
How did Cryns achieve this high level of competence? Cryns began soccer in 3rd grade when he joined a recreational league at the urging of a friend. He soon proved himself to be one of the best players in the league. Cryns’ quickness and ability to score earned him a position as a forward.
Until high school, Cryns was coached for six years by Eric Mayer of Richmond. Mayer is was an All State soccer player in high school and played at college at Michigan State University. Mayer now practices dentistry in Richmond.
Cryns played varsity soccer for three years at Richmond-Burton. During his Junior year, he was named to the All-sectional Team, a huge accomplishment for a kid from a small school at the edge of the state. He also set a school record for the number of goals scored in a single season (29), was named all-conference for the third year, was named Westosha player of the year and named to the first team at the Northwest Herald.
Cryns plays competitive soccer in the summers with the Liga Azteca in Lake Geneva and with the Chicago Sockers in Palatine. During the winter, Cryns plays indoor soccer.
The Chicago Sockers have gained national recognition known for excellent soccer players year after year. Try-outs are mandatory. Discipline is rigorous and punctuality at practices is demanded. Sockers teams consistently win top honors at tournaments around the country. This year, Cryns’ team won the Illinois State Cup. Another Sockers team was the U.S. Nationals champion in 2001. Making the Sockers team was a dream come true for Cryns.
For the past two years, Cryns has commuted almost daily, in order to play a more competitive soccer and improve his play. He says he needed to work on his conditioning when he first joined the Sockers. “I was always out of breath and couldn’t keep up at first. But now, I’m up there with the rest of the team,” says Cryns.
Cryns completed his high school course work early and graduated in January so he would have more time to devote to soccer. He works out nearly every day. Most days he runs or lifts weights. Every day he kicks a soccer ball around.
As a Socker, Cryns rarely scores a goal. He plays mid-field or defense now and is very comfortable in the backfield. Says Cryns, “I’ve always been able to steal the ball so I’m kind of a natural for the position. I have the right style for it.”
He’s traveled to New York, Arizona, Ohio, Iowa, Florida, Texas, Indiana and Kentucky with the Sockers.
Cryns has practiced occasionally with the Chicago Fire Reserves and was recently asked to play in a Chicago Heat reserves game.
In June, Cryns’ U-18 Sockers team won the Illinois State Cup. Says Cryns of the win, “I’ve played in a lot of games in the State cup and we always lost the first game. It’s really awesome to win.” A couple of weeks later, the team lost a double overtime shoot-out heart breaker in Ohio as they competed in the Regional semi-finals.
In a month, Cryns will begin playing as a Huskie at NIU. He is confident he will be an asset to the team. Says Cryns, “I’m looking forward to college and playing at the next level.”
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