The U.S. Youth Soccer National League held its Under-15 through Under-17 Girls tournament this past weekend at sites in Cary and Raleigh.

Those participants were also given tickets to the Women’s Soccer Final Four, which was held at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Former North Carolina player Lorrie Fair, now a member of Chelsea FC, was in town to help promote the tournament and catch her alma mater win the national championship.

Teams that have solidified their spots will meet again Dec. 31–Jan. 2 at the Disney Wide World of Sports, where they will continue competing for their ticket to the 2009 U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships in Lancaster, Calif.

Watching all the action were hundreds of college coaches, who convened on Cary to watch the nation’s top talent in both the high school and collegiate levels. 

Cary High’s Harrilchak named to watch list

Former Cary High baseball player Cory Harrilchak, now playing for Elon, has been named to the preseason 2009 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Watch List.

Harrilchak becomes the fourth Phoenix player put on the list in the past three seasons.   The Wallace Award is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. The 2009 award banquet will be held July 2 on the campus of Texas Tech.

Harrilchak, an outfielder and pitcher for the Phoenix, became the first Elon player to bat over .400 since 1988.  He finished the year with a .410 batting average, ranking 27th in the nation.  

Harrilchak was named the 2008 SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player after hitting .591 with three homers, 11 RBIs, 13 runs scored (tying a tournament record) and a 1-0 record on the mound in the tournament.