The National Women’s Soccer League welcomed 50 new athletes to the league as players around the world heard their names called Saturday in the 2022 draft.
Headlined by Stanford University defender Naomi Girma, who was selected by expansion side San Diego Wave FC with the No. 1 overall pick, the NWSL’s newest draft class features players from a record 40 different universities and five countries.
Stanford boasts four No. 1 selections in NWSL draft history. Girma joined Stanford grads Tierna Davidson (2019), Sophia Smith (2020) and Andi Sullivan (2018) as the first overall pick.
Jaelin Howell of Florida State University was drafted No. 2 overall by Racing Louisville FC, while Virginia Tech midfielder Emily Gray rounded out the top three picks, taken by the North Carolina Courage.
St. John’s University forward Zsani Kajan became the first Hungarian player to be selected in the draft, chosen by OL Reign with the eighth overall pick. The first German to be taken, Grand Canyon University forward/midfielder Marleen Schimmer was selected by Wave FC with the ninth pick.
This year’s draft saw four goalkeepers drafted. Jordyn Bloomer (University of Wisconsin – Madison) was taken by Racing with the 26th pick, Marisa Bova (Purdue University) went 45th overall to the Courage, Claudia Dickey (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill) was selected by OL Reign with the 20th pick and Hensley Hancuff (Clemson University) was chosen 34th by NJ/NY Gotham FC.
This year’s draft also saw first-time selections for three universities, including Cal State – Long Beach, the University of Georgia and Gonzaga University.
2022 NWSL DRAFT ORDER AND PICKS
| ROUND 1 | |
|---|---|
| 1 |
 Naomi Girma (Stanford)
|
| 2 |  Jaelin Howell (Florida State) |
| 3 |  Emily Gray (Virginia Tech) |
| 4 | Savannah DeMelo (USC) |
| 5 |  Mia Fishel (UCLA) |
| 6 | Diana Ordonez (UVA) |
| 7 |  Elyse Bennett (Washington State) |
| 8 |  Zsanett Kajan (St. John’s University) |
| 9 | Marleen Schimmer (Grand Canyon University) |
| 10 | Caitlin Cosme (Duke University) |
| 11 | Julie Doyle (Santa Clara) |
| 12 | Kaitlin Fregulia (LBSU) |
| ROUND 2 | |
|---|---|
| 13 |  Sydny Nasello (South Florida) |
| 14 |  Tinaya Alexander (LSU) |
| 15 | Madison Elwell (Vanderbilt) |
| 16 | Charme Morgan (Oklahoma State) |
| 17 | Chardonnay Curran (Oregon) |
| 18 |  Ava Cook (Michigan State) |
| 19 | Samantha Fisher (Notre Dame) |
| 20 | Claudia Dickey (UNC) |
| 21 | Ryanne Brown (Wake Forest) |
| 22 | Gabby Provenzano (Rutgers) |
| 23 | Lucy Shepherd (Hofstra) |
| 24 |  Kelly Ann Livingstone (Georgetown) |
| 25 | Sydney Pulver (Washington State) |
| 26 | Jordyn Bloomer (University of Wisconsin) |
| ROUND 3 | |
|---|---|
| 27 | Belle Briede (Stanford) |
| 28 |  Hope Breslin (University of Illinois) |
| 29 | Haleigh Stackpole (University of Mississippi) |
| 30 | Jenna Menta (Wake Forest) |
| 31 | Jada Talley (USC) |
| 32 | Kaile Halvorsen (Santa Clara) |
| 33 | Olivia Van der Jagt (University of Washington) |
| 34 | Hensley Hancuff (Clemson) |
| 35 | Sarah Griffith (Purdue) |
| 36 | Lily Nabet (Duke) |
| 37 | Kayla McKeon (University of Arkansas) |
| 38 | Audrey Harding (UNC Wilmington) |
| ROUND 4 | |
|---|---|
| 39 | Miriael Taylor (Hofstra) |
| 40 | Kayla Bruster (University of Georgia) |
| 41 | Jenna Winebrenner (TCU) |
| 42 | Sydney Cummings (Georgetown University) |
| 43 | Izzy Rodriguez (Ohio State University) |
| 44 |  Ryan Gareis (USC) |
| 45 | Marisa Bova (Purdue) |
| 46 | Raleigh Loughman (University of Michigan) |
| 47 | Marley Canales (UCLA) |
| 48 | Natalie Beckman (University of Denver) |
| 49 | Jayda Hylton-Pelaia (Arizona State) |
| 50 | Jordan Thompson (Gonzaga University) |
