Jan. 14, 2005

Tulsa, Oklahoma - Tulsa two-time All-American Ryan Pore was selected 16th overall by the Kansas City Wizards in the second round during the 2005 Major League Soccer SuperDraft, which was held Friday in Baltimore, Md. Pore is the first soccer player in school history to be drafted by an MLS team.

A native of Mansfield, Ohio, Pore was one of two forwards selected by the Wizards. Kansas City selected Wake Forest standout Scott Sealy with the 11th pick in the first round. The Wizards concluded the 2004 campaign as the MLS runner-up, falling to DC United in the championship match.

"This is unbelievable," said Pore. "A couple of years ago I never would have dreamed I would be in this situation and now it is a great feeling to be here. Today was definitely worth all the hard work and dedication. Kansas City is a great team and I am very happy to be going there. They have put a lot of trust in me and I want to go out and contribute for them both on and off the field."

This past season, Pore became Tulsa's most decorated soccer player. He was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy and was selected as Soccer America's National Player of the Year. Pore became the first player in school history to be named a first-team All-American and concluded his collegiate career as TU's only two-time All-American. He started 59 of 63 games and registered career numbers of 51 goals and 21 assists for 123 points. Pore ranked second among the Hurricane's career leaders in goals and scoring and sixth for assists. He helped TU to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003 and 2004, and the Hurricane won 35 games in three seasons with him in the line-up.

Pore led the Golden Hurricane to its greatest season in school history in 2004 with a 12-7-4 overall record, a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament runner-up finish and Tulsa advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals before falling to eventual national champion, Indiana.

Pore put together the most prolific scoring season in school history with 55 points on 22 goals and 11 assists in 23 games. He became the first Tulsa player to lead the nation in scoring with 2.40 points per game and tied Maryland's Jason Garey for the most goals in the country. Pore's 55 points and 22 goals are each single-season records, while his 11 assists rank third. His points and goals totals in 2004 also rank second among the MVC's single-season leaders.

He was named to the MVC Player of the Year for the second straight season, becoming the first player in the conference's 15-year history to receive the award twice, and he was a repeat selection to the all-Midwest and all-MVC first teams.

"I'm very excited and proud for Ryan," Tulsa Head Coach Tom McIntosh said. "I believe he will do very well on the professional level. Kansas City has a great team and a great head coach in Bob Gansler. He will continue to develop and become a better player. This is a great day for Ryan and our team. Having Ryan drafted high in the second round not only reflects on his outstanding ability, but it's another statement on the level of the Tulsa men's soccer program."

"I think my success today speaks volumes of the TU men's soccer program. Tulsa should continue to grow into a national power and deserves a lot more recognition," Pore said.

Pore joins SMU's Ugo Ihemelu, Creighton's Julian Nash, Bradley's Luke Kreamalmeyer as players from the MVC who were drafted on Friday.