# 2016 NWSL College Draft

The 2016 NWSL College Draft was the fourth annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select eligible college players. It was held on January 15, 2016, at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Convention in Baltimore, Maryland.

## Format

* Draft order was determined by the final 2015 regular season standings.

## Results
### Key

| $^+$ | Denotes player who has been selected as NWSL Most Valuable Player |
| $^*$ | Denotes player who has been selected for an NWSL Best XI or NWSL Second XI team |
| $^^$ | Denotes player who has been selected as NWSL Rookie of the Year |
| $^#$ | Denotes player who has never appeared in an NWSL regular season, playoff, or Challenge Cup game |

### Picks

| Round | Pick | Player | Pos. | NWSL team | College |
| Round 1 | 1 | Emily Sonnett$^*$ | D | Portland Thorns FC | Virginia |
| Round 1 | 2 | Raquel Rodríguez$^^$ | F | Sky Blue FC | Penn State |
| Round 1 | 3 | Christen Westphal | D | Boston Breakers | Florida |
| Round 1 | 4 | Carson Pickett * | D | Seattle Reign FC | Florida State |
| Round 1 | 5 | Cari Roccaro | D | Houston Dash | Notre Dame |
| Round 1 | 6 | Rachel Daly$^*$ | F | Houston Dash | St. John's |
| Round 1 | 7 | Cheyna Williams | F | Washington Spirit | Florida State |
| Round 1 | 8 | Janine Beckie | F | Houston Dash | Texas Tech |
| Round 1 | 9 | Michaela Hahn | M | Western New York Flash | Florida State |
| Round 1 | 10 | Sam Witteman | D | Orlando Pride | California |
| Round 2 | 11 | Makenzy Doniak | F | Western New York Flash | Virginia |
| Round 2 | 12 | Cali Farquharson | F | Washington Spirit | Arizona State |
| Round 2 | 13 | Leah Galton | F | Sky Blue FC | Hofstra |
| Round 2 | 14 | Mallory Weber | F | Western New York Flash | Penn State |
| Round 2 | 15 | Christina Burkenroad | F | Orlando Pride | Cal State Fullerton |
| Round 2 | 16 | Katie Bowen | D | FC Kansas City | North Carolina |
| Round 2 | 17 | Brittany Ratcliffe | M | Boston Breakers | Virginia |
| Round 2 | 18 | Brianne Reed | D | FC Kansas City | Rutgers |
| Round 2 | 19 | Katie Naughton | D | Chicago Red Stars | Notre Dame |
| Round 2 | 20 | Alli Murphy | M | Washington Spirit | Texas Tech |
| Round 3 | 21 | McKenzie Berryhill | D | Portland Thorns FC | Arizona State |
| Round 3 | 22 | Sarah Gorden * | D | Chicago Red Stars | DePaul |
| Round 3 | 23 | Erica Skroski | D | Sky Blue FC | Rutgers |
| Round 3 | 24 | Laura Liedle$^#$ | D | Western New York Flash | Stanford |
| Round 3 | 25 | Paige Nielsen | M | Seattle Reign FC | North Carolina |
| Round 3 | 26 | Britt Eckerstrom | G | Western New York Flash | Penn State |
| Round 3 | 27 | Abby Smith | G | Boston Breakers | Texas |
| Round 3 | 28 | Alexa Newfield | F | FC Kansas City | North Carolina |
| Round 3 | 29 | Caroline Casey | G | Sky Blue FC | William & Mary |
| Round 3 | 30 | Summer Green | F | Seattle Reign FC | North Carolina |
| Round 4 | 31 | Dani Weatherholt | M | Orlando Pride | Santa Clara |
| Round 4 | 32 | Courtney Raetzman | M | Chicago Red Stars | Kentucky |
| Round 4 | 33 | Jannelle Flaws | F | Chicago Red Stars | Illinois |
| Round 4 | 34 | Madalyn Schiffel | G | Washington Spirit | San Francisco |
| Round 4 | 35 | Adrienne Jordan | D | Chicago Red Stars | Northern Colorado |
| Round 4 | 36 | Candace Johnson$^#$ | D | Chicago Red Stars | Missouri |
| Round 4 | 37 | Kara Marie Wilson$^#$ | D | Washington Spirit | Duke |
| Round 4 | 38 | Alex Arlitt | D | FC Kansas City | LSU |
| Round 4 | 39 | Ashleigh Ellenwood$^#$ | F | Chicago Red Stars | Arkansas |
| Round 4 | 40 | Lindsey Luke$^#$ | G | Seattle Reign FC | Utah |

### Notable undrafted players

Below is a list of undrafted rookies who appeared in a competitive NWSL game in 2016.
| Player | Pos. | Original NWSL team | College |
| Celeste Boureille | M | Portland Thorns FC | California |
| Megan Crosson | D | Houston Dash | Santa Clara |
| Caity Heap | M | Houston Dash | Texas Tech |
| Elise Krieghoff | F | Boston Breakers | Cal Poly |
| Erin Simon | D | Sky Blue FC | Syracuse |
| Taylor Smith | D | Western New York Flash | UCLA |
| Andi Tostanoski | G | Seattle Reign FC | Santa Clara |
| Catherine Zimmerman | F | Sky Blue FC | Providence |

## Trades

Round 1:
* ↑ Orlando Pride → Portland Thorns. October 26, 2015: Portland Thorns FC acquired the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft, the first pick in the 2015 Expansion Draft and an international roster spot for the 2016 and 2017 seasons from the Orlando Pride in exchange for forward Alex Morgan and midfielder Kaylyn Kyle.
* ↑ Boston Breakers → Portland Thorns → Sky Blue FC. October 26, 2015: Boston Breakers acquired midfielders McCall Zerboni and Sinead Farrelly from Portland Thorns FC in exchange for their first-round (No. 2 overall) and second-round (No. 20 overall) picks in the 2016 National Women's Soccer League College Draft. January 15, 2016: Sky Blue FC acquired the second overall pick in the 2016 draft as well as a first-round and conditional fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft from Portland Thorns FC in exchange for the rights to Nadia Nadim, the third overall pick in the 2016 draft, and a second-round pick in the 2017 draft.
* ↑ Sky Blue FC → Portland Thorns → Boston Breakers. January 15, 2016: Sky Blue FC acquired the second overall pick in the 2016 draft as well as a first-round and conditional fourth-round pick in the 2017 draft from Portland Thorns FC in exchange for the rights to Nadia Nadim, the third overall pick in the 2016 draft, and a second-round pick in the 2017 draft. January 15, 2016: Boston Breakers acquired the third overall pick in the 2016 draft, the fourth spot in the Allocation Ranking Order, and future considerations from Portland Thorns FC in exchange for the first overall spot in the Allocation Ranking Order.
* ↑ Western New York Flash → Seattle Reign FC. March 30, 2015: Seattle Reign FC acquired Amber Brooks, the rights to Abby Wambach, and a first round draft pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft from Western New York Flash in exchange for Sydney Leroux and Amanda Frisbie.
* ↑ Portland Thorns FC → Seattle Reign FC → Houston Dash. August 6, 2015: Portland Thorns FC acquired Lianne Sanderson and a first round pick and 3rd round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft from Seattle Reign FC in exchange for Portland's first round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. October 21, 2015: Seattle Reign FC acquired Meghan Klingenberg from the Houston Dash in exchange for Amber Brooks and the 5th overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ FC Kansas City → Houston Dash. January 13, 2016: Houston Dash acquired FC Kansas City's 1st Round Pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft and an international slot in exchange for Tiffany McCarty and Jessica McDonald.
* ↑ Chicago Red Stars → Western New York Flash. November 10, 2015: Western New York Flash acquired Adriana Leon, Abby Erceg, and the 9th overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for Whitney Engen and a 4th round pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Seattle Reign FC → Portland Thorns FC → Orlando Pride. August 6, 2015: Portland Thorns FC acquired Lianne Sanderson and a first round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft from Seattle Reign FC in exchange for Portland's first round pick and 3rd round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. January 13, 2016: Portland Thorns FC acquired the rights to Lindsey Horan from the Orlando Pride in exchange for the 10th overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft.
Round 2:
* ↑ Orlando Pride → Western New York Flash. December 17, 2015: Western New York Flash acquired Orlando's 2nd round pick (11th overall) in the 2016 NWSL College Draft and Orlando's 1st round pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft in exchange for Becky Edwards and the rights to Kristen Edmonds.
* ↑ Boston Breakers → Washington Spirit. November 19, 2015: Boston Breakers sent the 12th pick and the 20th pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft to the Washington Spirit in exchange for Angela Salem.
* ↑ Portland Thorns FC → Washington Spirit → FC Kansas City → Orlando Pride. January 16, 2015: Portland Thorns FC acquire Jodie Taylor from the Washington Spirit in exchange for the 13th overall pick in the 2015 NWSL College Draft and two second round picks (one from the Houston Dash) in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. January 16, 2015: FC Kansas City acquired two second round picks in the 2016 NWSL College Draft from the Washington Spirit in exchange for the 19th overall pick in the 2015 NWSL College Draft. October 26, 2015: Orlando Pride acquired Sarah Hagen and the 15th overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft from FC Kansas City in exchange for their 2nd round pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Houston Dash → Portland Thorns FC → Washington Spirit → FC Kansas City. January 16, 2015: Houston Dash acquired a player to be named later from Portland Thorns FC in exchange for the 13th overall pick in the 2015 NWSL College Draft and Houston's 2nd round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. January 16, 2015: Portland Thorns FC acquire Jodie Taylor from the Washington Spirit in exchange for the 13th overall pick in the 2015 NWSL College Draft and two second round picks (one from the Houston Dash) in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. January 16, 2015: FC Kansas City acquired two second round picks in the 2016 NWSL College Draft from the Washington Spirit in exchange for the 19th overall pick in the 2015 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Washington Spirit → Chicago Red Stars → Boston Breakers. June 17, 2015: Washington Spirit acquired an international slot for the remainder of the 2015 season and the 2016 season from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for Washington's 2nd and 3rd round picks in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. November 23, 2015: Boston Breakers acquired Whitney Engen, the 17th overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft, and a 2nd round pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for Alyssa Naeher and the 22nd overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Seattle Reign FC → Boston Breakers → Portland Thorns FC → Boston Breakers → Washington Spirit. August 6, 2015: Boston Breakers acquired a 2nd round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft from Seattle Reign FC in exchange for the rights to Lianne Sanderson October 26, 2015: Portland Thorns acquired the 2nd overall and 20th overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft from the Boston Breakers in exchange for Sinead Farrelly and McCall Zerboni. October 26, 2015: Boston Breakers acquired the 20th overall pick and the 35th overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft from Portland Thorns FC in exchange for Dagný Brynjarsdóttir. November 19, 2015: Boston Breakers sent the 12th pick and the 20th pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft to the Washington Spirit in exchange for Angela Salem.
Round 3:
* ↑ Orlando Pride → Portland Thorns FC. December 10, 2015: Portland Thorns FC acquired Adrianna Franch and the 21st overall pick from the Orlando Pride in exchange for Steph Catley.
* ↑ Boston Breakers → Chicago Red Stars. November 23, 2015: Boston Breakers acquired Whitney Engen, the 17th overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft, and a 2nd round pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for Alyssa Naeher and the 22nd overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Portland Thorns FC → Seattle Reign FC. August 6, 2015: Portland Thorns FC acquired Lianne Sanderson and a first round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft from Seattle Reign FC in exchange for Portland's first round pick and 3rd round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Houston Dash → Western New York Flash. October 16, 2014: Houston Dash acquired Carli Lloyd from the Western New York Flash in exchange for Becky Edwards, Whitney Engen, and a 3rd round pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft.
* ↑ Washington Spirit → Chicago Red Stars → Boston Breakers. June 17, 2015: Washington Spirit acquired an international slot for the remainder of the 2015 season and the 2016 season from the Chicago Red Stars in exchange for Washington's 2nd and 3rd round picks in the 2016 NWSL College Draft. January 15, 2016: Boston Breakers traded 2016 thirty-second and thirty-fifth overall picks to Chicago Red Stars in exchange for 2016 twenty-seventh overall pick.
* ↑ Chicago Red Stars → Sky Blue FC. January 15, 2016: Sky Blue FC traded 2016 thirty-third and thirty-sixth overall picks to Chicago Red Stars in exchange for 2016 twenty-ninth overall pick.
Round 4:
* ↑ Boston Breakers → Chicago Red Stars. January 15, 2016: Boston Breakers traded 2016 thirty-second and thirty-fifth overall picks to Chicago Red Stars in exchange for 2016 twenty-seventh overall pick.
* ↑ Sky Blue FC → Chicago Red Stars. January 15, 2016: Sky Blue FC traded 2016 thirty-third and thirty-sixth overall picks to Chicago Red Stars in exchange for 2016 twenty-ninth overall pick.
* ↑ Western New York Flash → Washington Spirit. November 13, 2014: Western New York Flash sent Kelsey Wys and their 4th round pick 10th pick to the Washington Spirit in exchange for Chantel Jones.
* ↑ Portland Thorns FC → Boston Breakers → Chicago Red Stars. October 26, 2015: Boston Breakers acquired the 20th overall pick and the 35th overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft from Portland Thorns FC in exchange for Dagný Brynjarsdóttir. January 15, 2016: Boston Breakers traded 2016 thirty-second and thirty-fifth overall picks to Chicago Red Stars in exchange for 2016 twenty-seventh overall pick.
* ↑ Houston Dash → Sky Blue FC → Chicago Red Stars. November 25, 2015: Houston Dash acquired the rights to Chioma Ubogagu from Sky Blue FC in exchange for the 36th overall pick in the 2016 NWSL College Draft and a 3rd round pick in the 2017 NWSL College Draft. January 15, 2016: Sky Blue FC traded 2016 thirty-third and thirty-sixth overall picks to Chicago Red Stars in exchange for 2016 twenty-ninth overall pick.

## Summary

In 2016, a total of 27 colleges had players selected. Of these, 13 had a player drafted to the NWSL for the first time: Arizona State, Arkansas, Cal State Fullerton, California, DePaul, Hofstra, LSU, Northern Colorado, Rutgers, San Francisco, St. John's, Texas and Utah.

### Schools with multiple draft selections

| Selections | Schools |
| 4 | North Carolina |
| 3 | Florida State, Penn State, Virginia |
| 2 | Arizona State, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Texas Tech |

### Selections by college athletic conference

| Conference | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
| ACC | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 13 |
| Big East | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Big Sky | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Big Ten | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Big West | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Big 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Colonial | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Pac-12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| SEC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| West Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |

### Selections by position

| Position | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
| Goalkeeper | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Defender | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 16 |
| Midfielder | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Forward | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 13 |