Ellis Nicole Wheeler (born December 14, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for the

Kansas City Current Kansas City Current is an American professional women's soccer team based in Kansas City, Kansas. It began play as an expansion team in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in 2021. History Establishment Kansas City last had an NWSL t ...

of the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a professional women's soccer league at the top of the United States league system. It is owned by the teams and, until 2020, was under a management contract with the United States Soccer Federati ...

(NWSL). She played college soccer for the

Penn State Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interc ...

and was selected by the Current in the second round of the

2024 NWSL Draft The 2024 NWSL Draft presented by Ally will be the twelfth annual meeting of National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) franchises to select amateur players above the age of 18 playing in the United States who exhausted, lost, or renounced any remaini ...

Early life and college career

Wheeler grew up in

Fairfax Station, Virginia Fairfax Station is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 12,030 at the 2010 census. Located in Northern Virginia, its center is located southwest of Washington, D.C. Geography Fairfa ...

, the daughter of Scott and Nicole Wheeler, and has two brothers. She played club soccer as a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

for FC Virginia of the

Elite Clubs National League In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. De ...

(ECNL), leading her division in goals in 2015–16. She committed to the

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State becam ...

in March 2017.

Penn State Nittany Lions, 2020–2023

Wheeler was a four-year starter for the

from 2020 to 2023. She was converted to a defender at the college level, moving to wing back for her first season and then

center back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

in the team's back three as a sophomore. As a junior, she helped the team win the 2022 Big Ten tournament. She recorded three goals and six assists over 77 appearances.

Club career

Kansas City Current, 2024–

The

selected Wheeler 18th overall in the second round of the

, the team's highest pick of the night. She was signed to a one-year contract with a one-year option. She made her professional debut in the starting lineup of the season opener on May 16, 2024, and scored the second goal of a 5–4 home win against

Portland Thorns FC The Portland Thorns FC is an American professional women's soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), which receives support from the Uni ...

. On August 27, her contract was extended for four years to keep her with the Current through the 2028 season.

International career

Wheeler participated in Virginia's

Olympic Development Program Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

in 2013 and 2014. She was called into a training camp with the United States national under-17 team in July 2018. She was rostered with the national under-19 team for a friendly tournament in Spain in February–March 2020. While in college, she played friendlies with the national under-23 team against NWSL clubs in the 2023 preseason.

References

External links

*
Ellie Wheeler
at the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Ellie Living people 2001 births Soccer players from Virginia People from Fairfax Station, Virginia American women's soccer players Women's association football defenders United States women's youth international soccer players Kansas City Current draft picks Kansas City Current players National Women's Soccer League players 21st-century American sportswomen