9 Danielle Kot Class: Junior Hometown: Brookfield, Wis. High School: Central Height: 5-9 Position: D Birthdate: 11/08/1988

2008 - Sophomore: Named second-team All-Big Ten and to the Soccer Buzz All-Great Lakes Region Second Team ... Started all 23 matches without missing a single minute of play, leading the Illini defense to nine shutouts ... Assisted on game-winning goal against Dayton ... Recorded first shot against Florida ... Tallied two assists against Michigan State ... Recorded three shots, two on goal, against Indiana ... Had one shot in Big Ten Tournament against Michigan State ... Team Co-Defensive MVP ... Academic All-Big Ten.

2007 - Freshman: Named to Big Ten All-Freshman team ... Also earned a spot on the Top Drawer Soccer All-rookie first team ...  Named Soccer Buzz All-Freshman Great Lakes Region ... Started in 20 games ... Captured her first career goal vs. Penn State ... Assisted on the game-winning goal vs. Wisconsin ... . Played the full 90 minutes in 12 matches including four complete overtime games.

High School/Club: Listed as a Top 75 recruit by Soccer Buzz ... Two-time NSCAA/adidas Youth All-America selection in 2005 and 2006 ... Member of the ODP Region II team in 2005 and 2006 ... Led FC Milwaukee to four consecutive Wisconsin state championships ...  Helped FC Milwaukee to the Midwest Regional semifinals in 2005 ... Attended ODP national camps in 2004, 2006 and 2007 ... Participated in ODP Interregional events in 2005 ... Led Brookfield Central to state championships in 2004 and 2005, the only years she played high school soccer.

Personal: Born November 8, 1988 ... Majoring in psychology ... Daughter of Norb and Meg Kot ... Has an older brother, Nathan, who attends Minnesota ... Member of National Honor Society, student council and the school newspaper in high school.

Getting to Know Danielle: Favorite Actors: Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston ... Favorite Singers/Bands: Justin Timberlake, Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer ... Favorite Food: Hot chocolate.

Coach Rayfield on Kot: "She may only be a junior, but Danielle has established herself as the "commander-in-chief" of the Illini backline. She feels the game as much as she plays it, reacts early, and solves problems before they happen. Her vocal leadership will be critical to the 2009 season as she must organize a defense that will be replacing two seniors in the lineup (Olympian Emily Zurrer and Jamie Alvis). Whoever steps in to fill those roles and lines up alongside Kot will do so with shared confidence and faith in the leader who leads them. Our defense will be strong because we have a strong and competent leader."

KOT'S CAREER STATISTICS

Year	GP-GS	G	A	P	GWG	Shots	SOG
2007	20-20	1	3	5	0	13	6
2008	23-23	0	3	3	0	11	4
TOTALS	43-43	1	6	8	0	24	10