Wayne State women’s soccer coach Joe Cleary announced the addition of 12 student-athletes to the Wildcat program for the 2019 season.
“This is the largest class we have brought in since my time at WSC,” Cleary said. “We are excited for all 12 of these young women to join us in the fall. A talented class like this doesn’t come together without a lot of work from multiple individuals. I would like to thank our assistant coach, Alex Piekarski, our admissions team, and the many professors that met with these girls on their visits. All of these individuals have helped us in our quest to improve our program on and off the field.”
The 2019 recruiting class includes:
Payton Haliburton, a 5-foot-10 midfielder from Omaha Central High School. Payton is a four-year start and letter-winner and also competes in club soccer for Gretna Soccer Club. As of April 17, Haliburton has scored 12 goals and registered eight assists in her Omaha Central career.
Melaini Jamison is a 5-foot-4 midfielder from Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., where she is a two-year letterwinner at Columbine High School after being forced to sit out her sophomore year due to high school transfer rules. Once allowed into the varsity squad, Jamison became an immediate starter and her junior year helped leader team to a league championship and an appearance in the Colorado 5A state quarterfinals. She also played her club soccer with Colorado Rush Soccer Club.
Madison Johnson is a 5-foot-1 attacking player from Arvada West High School in Colorado. She is a two-year letterwinner and two-year starter and also competes as a swimmer for Arvada West and plays her club soccer for Real Colorado Edge Soccer Club. As a junior, Johnson was Academic All-State First Team in both soccer and swimming and has accumulated one goal and eight assists in her high school career.
Alexa Martinez is a 5-foot-2 forward from Olympian High School in San Diego, Calif., where she was a three-year starter and letterwinner before choosing to forego her senior year of high school to compete for Albion SC in the United States Development Academy. This past season in the USDA, Alexa started 20 matches and scored seven goals.
Regan Ott is a 5-foot-11 goalkeeper from Immanuel High School in Reedley, Calif., and is a four-year letterwinner and four-year starter. During her time at Immanuel, Ott also has competed and lettered in track for three years. Regan plays her club soccer for the CenCal Cosmos.
Jace Poelstra is a 5-foot-4 winger from Harrisburg High School in South Dakota. She is a four-year letterwinner and in 2018 was named to the Eastern South Dakota All-State Team. Poelstra also competes in club soccer for Dakota Alliance. Her older sister, Darien, is currently a member of the South Dakota State women’s soccer team.
Chloe Schlines is a 5-foot-9 defender from Council Bluffs Lewis Central High School in Iowa where she is a four-year letterwinner. While at Lewis Central, Chloe has helped her team to three undefeated conference seasons en route to three Iowa State Championships. She is a two-time all-conference honorable mention and a two-time all-state honorable mention. While at Lewis Central, Chloe also competed in basketball and bowling. Chloe plays her club soccer for Sporting Omaha FC and helped her team to the 2018 State Cup championship, which means they will represent Nebraska at the Region II Championships this summer.
Tori Solley is a 5-foot-8 defender from Clovis East High School in California. She is a four-year letterwinner and defensive starter. During that time, she was a part of a team that went undefeated in conference and were named Valley Champions (2016), while also collecting individual honors in the form of Clovis East Defensive Player of the Year (2018, 2019) and second-team All-Conference (2018, 2019). Solley competed for Odyssey Soccer and was a captain for her club team her final two years. Along with soccer, Solley also competed and lettered in track and field for four years.
Sophia Sosa is a 5-foot-8 midfielder from New Life Academy in Woodbury, Minn., where she is a four-year letterwinner. Sosa received all-conference honors all four years while helping her team to a conference championship in 2015 and a second-place conference finish in 2018. She plays her club soccer for Salvo SC.
Skylar Stueckrath is a 5-foot-3 wing player from Elkhorn South High School under the direction of head coach and Wildcat soccer alumni Lindsay Aliano. In club soccer, she competes for Elkhorn Soccer Club. While competing as a winger for Elkhorn South, Skylar has helped the Storm to three state tournament berths (including a runner-up finish), the 2018 Metro Conference Championship, and two EMC championships.
Abby Sutton is a 5-foot-7 forward from Eastview High School in Apple Valley, Minn., where she is a three-year letterwinner. Abby currently competes in club soccer for the Minnesota Thunder Academy. Earlier in her club career, she helped lead her Dakota Rev Academy team to a Minnesota State Cup Championship and Midwest Regional League First Division Championship.
Olivia Thompson is a 5-foot-8 defender and a three-year letterwinner out of Gretna High School. Olivia has helped the Dragons to two EMC titles and one state runner-up finish. Olivia also competes for Gretna Soccer Club, where she was as a State Cup Finalist. Olivia was also previously a member of the Nebraska Olympic Development Program.
