(St. George, Utah – July 31, 2023) With the program's fourth season at the Division-I level on the horizon, Utah Tech women's soccer head coach Lexi Brown announced the addition of nine new players to the program on Monday.

"We're so excited to welcome this year's incoming freshmen to campus. This is a talented group who have the potential to make a real impact on our program," Brown said. "While these players were recruited by the previous staff, I'm thrilled to have them on our team. They all have great resumes and will provide a wealth of talent to an already deep roster and I look forward to seeing what they can bring to this program."
  
A four-year letter winner at Maple Mountain High School in Mapleton, Utah, Mauri Ashman can play both in the midfield and on the back line. Having been named an All-Region selection twice during her high school career, Ashman chose Utah Tech over interest from Southern Utah and said the enivronmnent was a key factor in the decision.
 
"The environment and the people at Utah Tech matched what I was looking for in a school," she said.
 
Joining Utah Tech from a nationally-ranked soccer program at Broomfield High School (Broomfield, Colo.), Nicole Choren was a four-year varsity letter winner and was a 2021 Colorado Class 5A State Champion who is coming off a successful 2023 season that ended with a Second Team Front Range League selection.
 
Choren was named First Team All-State Academic in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and chose Utah Tech due to a connection with the campus.
 
"From the moment I set foot on campus, I felt an undeniable connection to Utah Tech. I knew it was the perfect place for me as being a Trailblazer presented many incredible opportunities that allow me to grow as a student-athlete," she said. "The dedicated coaching staff and amazing group of girls on the team create an amazing team environment that I am so excited to be a part of!"
 
Rachel Feveryear joins the Utah Tech program after playing four seasons at American Fork High School in American Fork, Utah. Having won the state championship as a freshman and finishing as the runner up as a sophomore, Feveryear was an All-State Academic selection in both soccer and swimming.
 
A midfielder, she also had interest from Alabama, BYU, Gonzaga, Utah State, and Boise State and chose UT because it allows her to develop both on and off the field.
 
"I feel like Utah Tech is a place that can help me grow as a person and where I can also make an impact on the field," she said.
 
Parker LaMont is a 5-7 goalkeeper from Palm Springs, Calif., who found success both on the field and in the classroom. With three varsity letters to her name, LaMont was a league champion all three years at Palm Desert High School and was named both First Team All-League and Goalkeeper of the year after the 2023 season.
 
An AP Scholar Award winner, LaMont chose Utah Tech because of the school's "great location, great environment and team mindset."
 
Having split time during her childhood between Washington D.C. and Los Alamos, N.M., Tara McDonald was named First Team All-State three times during her high school career at Los Alamos High School. A three-time District Offensive Player of the Year selection, McDonald also played varsity basketball for the Hilltoppers.
 
With interest from Nevada and St. Mary's, she cited Utah Tech's "location, sports atmosphere and team chemistry" as the primary factors in deciding to play collegiately in St. George.
 
A forward from Huntington Beach, Calif., Hannah Petteys was a First Team All-League selection after both her junior and senior seasons, earning an academic award in the process. Having played club soccer for Slammers FC, the decision to attend Utah Tech came down to three primary factors.
 
"I chose Utah Tech because it is a beautiful school, I loved the soccer program, and it's not too far but not too close to where I'm from," she said.
 
Michelle Rodriguez is one of two defenders that joined the Trailblazer backline this offseason, as the 5-6 center back comes to St. George after graduating from East High School in West Valley City, Utah. At East, she was a three-year letter winner and was named class 5A All-State Second team after her senior season.
 
With aspirations to become the best player she can while contributing to winning games both on and off the field, Rodriguez decided to play at Utah Tech because she fell in love with the overall environment.
 
"I fell in love with the overall environment of the school," she said. "It's close to home and something about Utah Tech was just calling my name."
 
Coming to St. George from Millennium High School in Litchfield Park, Ariz., Ella Rusick was a two-year letter winning forward who won a region championship with her team in both 2022 and 2023. Her play on the field led to an Offensive Player of the year award in 2022 and she later added Region Player of the Year honors in 2023 while being named All-Academic in both 2022 and 2023.
 
For Rusick, the decision to play at Utah Tech came down in part to the team's hard-working attitude.
 
"I chose Utah Tech because St. George is a beautiful place and it's close to home," she said. "The team is also very hardworking and competitive which is key to success."
 
Rounding out the 2023 signing class is Ella Weathers, who comes to Utah after playing high school soccer at Sherwood High School (Sherwood, Ore.). A First Team All-League and First Team All-State selection, the 5-4 forward was also named Pacific Conference Player of the Year while also earning All-League honors as a runner for the Bowmen Track & Field program.
 
For Weathers, the decision to play at Utah Tech came down to fit.
 
"I chose Utah Tech because I loved the campus, the location, the girls on the team, and the women's soccer team," she said. "It felt like a great fit."
 
Trailblazer women's soccer kicks off its 2023 season with an Aug. 10 exhibition at home against Eastern Arizona College, and the regular season will commence on the road at South Dakota. Kickoff against the Coyotes is slated for 5 p.m. MT on Aug. 17.