Ava Tankersley

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Ava Tankersley
Personal information
Full name Ava Grace Tankersley [1]
Date of birth 2002 (age 23–24)
Place of birth Saint Peters, Missouri
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Tampa Bay Sun
Number 45
Youth career
St. Louis Scott Gallagher
Fort Zumwalt South Bulldogs
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2020–2024 Arkansas Razorbacks 102 (38)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2025– Tampa Bay Sun 13 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of December 20, 2025

Ava Grace Tankersley (born 2002) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for USL Super League club Tampa Bay Sun. She played college soccer for the Arkansas Razorbacks, earning first-team All-American honors in 2024. She was named the SEC Forward of the Year twice.

Contents

Early life

Tankersley grew up in St. Peters, Missouri. She is the daughter of Dennis Tankersley, a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher for the San Diego Padres. She attended Fort Zumwalt South High School, where she was named first-team all-state in her senior season. She played ECNL club soccer for St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC. [2]

College career

In her freshman season with the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2020, Tankersley scored 4 goals with 3 assists in 16 games, including the winning assist in the semifinals of the SEC tournament, and was named to the SEC all-freshman team. She did not regularly start in her sophomore season, when she recorded 5 goals and 6 assists in 21 appearances. Arkansas again made the SEC tournament final and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament. In her junior season in 2022, Tankersley grew into one of the team's leaders, starting all 22 games, scoring 9 goals, and leading the team with 12 assists as she was selected to the All-SEC second team. She scored twice during Arkansas's run to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals. [2] [3]

In her senior season in 2023, Tankersley led the SEC with 7 goals in conference play as Arkansas won the SEC regular-season title for the fourth time in five years. She was named the SEC Forward of the Year and first-team All-SEC. [2] [4] She finished the season with 8 goals and 5 assists as Arkansas made the SEC tournament final but only the second round of the NCAA tournament. [2] [5] Tankersley chose to return for her fifth season of eligibility, granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [6] In her graduate season, she scored a career-high 12 goals with 9 assists as Arkansas finished second in the SEC behind Mississippi State. She was named first-team All-American and repeated as first-team All-SEC and SEC Forward of the Year. [2] [7] In the NCAA tournament, she was one of two Arkansas players whose penalty attempts were saved by the opposing goalkeeper in a shootout loss in the third round. [8] During her years in Fayetteville, head coach Colby Hale played Tankersley throughout the front line at winger, attacking midfielder, and striker. [9] She left the program tied for second in career assists (32) and fourth in goals (38). [2]

Club career

Tankersley joined the Kansas City Current as a non-roster trialist in the 2025 preseason, but didn't make the roster. [10] On February 17, she signed her first professional contract with USL Super League club Tampa Bay Sun, joining former Razorbacks teammate Parker Goins. [11] She made her professional debut five days later as a substitute for Goins in a 1–1 draw with Brooklyn FC. [12] On April 5, she scored her first professional goal to conclude a 2–0 win over Fort Lauderdale United. [13] Tampa Bay finished the inaugural season as USL Super League champions. [14] On August 24, she made her first professional start in the 2025–26 season opener, being replaced by Jilly Shimkin at halftime in a 2–1 loss to Brooklyn FC. [15]

Honors and awards

Arkansas Razorbacks

Tampa Bay Sun

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "University of Arkansas – Spring Commencement 2024" (PDF). University of Arkansas. p. 57. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ava Tankersley". Arkansas Razorbacks . Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  3. ↑ Shi, Daniel (November 9, 2022). "Arkansas Soccer's Ava Tankersley stepping up as veteran leader". The Arkansas Traveler . Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  4. ↑ Brinkley, Rhett (October 27, 2023). "Razorbacks women's soccer team wins SEC conference championship". Arkansas Times . Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  5. ↑ Kamikow, Evan (August 22, 2024). "Ava Tankersley's Time to Shine". Pig Trail Nation. KNWA-TV . Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  6. ↑ Abels, Parker (September 18, 2024). "5NEWS Athlete of the Week: Razorback Soccer forward Ava Tankersley". KFSM-TV . Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  7. ↑ Kristensen, Anthony (November 3, 2024). "Arkansas soccer's Ava Tankersley wins consecutive forward of the year honors, seven Razorbacks named All-SEC". Whole Hog Spors. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  8. ↑ Kristensen, Anthony (November 24, 2024). "Arkansas soccer season ends with penalty shootout loss to Stanford". Whole Hog Spors. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  9. ↑ Kristensen, Anthony (September 29, 2024). "Ava Tankersley's milestone leads Arkansas soccer to win over No. 23 South Carolina in front of record crowd". Whole Hog Spors. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Kansas City Current Provide Roster Update As Preseason Camp Kicks Off". Kansas City Current. January 15, 2025. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
  11. ↑ Tampa Bay Sun FC [@TampaBaySunFC] (February 17, 2025). "Adding another weapon up front! ☀️" (Tweet). Retrieved February 17, 2025– via Twitter.
  12. ↑ "Sun Claim a Point Against League-Leading Brooklyn FC". Tampa Bay Sun FC. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  13. ↑ Zinken, Ella (April 5, 2025). "Pair of firsts for 2 Sun players as Tampa Bay shuts out Fort Lauderdale". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  14. 1 2 "Tampa Bay Sun crowned inaugural USL Super League champions with 1–0 win against Fort Lauderdale United". USL Super League. June 14, 2025. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Brooklyn FC 2-1 Tampa Bay Sun FC". Tampa Bay Sun FC. August 24, 2025. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
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