Ellie Wheeler

Last updated

Ellie Wheeler
NC Courage vs KC Current (Sep 2024) 077 (cropped).jpg
Wheeler with the Kansas City Current in 2024
Personal information
Full name Ellis Nicole Wheeler [1]
Date of birth (2001-12-14) December 14, 2001 (age 23)
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Right back, left back
Team information
Current team
 Kansas City Current
Number 5
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2020–2023 Penn State Nittany Lions 77 (3)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2024– Kansas City Current 38 (2)
International career
2020 United States U-19 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of August 23, 2025

Ellis Nicole Wheeler (born December 14, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as an outside back for the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Current in the second round of the 2024 NWSL Draft.

Contents

Early life

Wheeler grew up in Fairfax Station, Virginia. [2] Growing up, she played as a midfielder or forward for FC Virginia, earning DA all-conference honors. [3] [4] She committed to Penn State as a freshman over offers from programs including North Carolina and Duke. [3] She was ranked by TopDrawerSoccer as the No. 34 prospect of the 2020 class. [2]

College career

Wheeler played four seasons for the Penn State Nittany Lions, playing in 77 games (76 starts) and scoring 3 goals as a defender. [2] Head coach Erica Dambach converted Wheeler to defense when she was a freshman in the spring of 2021, playing in the wing back position, then moved her to center back as a sophomore. [5] Wheeler later played at outside back and helped the team win the Big Ten tournament in her junior season in 2022. [6] In her senior year in 2023, Wheeler and the two seed Nittany Lions reached the NCAA tournament quarterfinals after three consecutive round of 16 finishes. [7]

Club career

Wheeler was drafted 18th overall by the Kansas City Current in the second round of the 2024 NWSL Draft, the team's highest pick of the night. [8] She was signed to a one-year contract with the option to extend another year. [9] Wheeler made her professional debut on March 16, 2024, starting and playing all 90 minutes in the season opener against the Portland Thorns as the Current inaugurated their newly built CPKC Stadium. [10] In the game, she scored her first professional goal, putting away a loose ball in the penalty area for the Current's second in a 5–4 victory. [10] On August 27, she signed a four-year contract extension, tying her to Kansas City through 2028. [11] She made 23 regular-season appearances as a rookie as the Current placed fourth in the standings. [12] She played the entirety of their two playoff games, a 1–0 quarterfinal win over the North Carolina Courage and a 3–2 semifinal defeat to the Orlando Pride. [12]

On August 23, 2025, Wheeler was involved in both goals in a 2–0 win at the Portland Thorns, scoring a header on Izzy Rodriguez's cross and providing a long assist to Temwa Chawinga. [13]

International career

Wheeler was called into training camp with the United States under-17 team in July 2018. [14] She played for the under-19 team in a friendly tournament in Spain in February–March 2020. [15] She played for the under-23 team against NWSL teams in the 2023 preseason. [16]

Personal life

Wheeler is the daughter of Scott and Nicole Wheeler and has two brothers. [2] Wheeler got engaged to Olympic wrestler Roman Bravo-Young on March 15, 2025. He proposed to her on the field at CPKC Stadium after the Current's season-opening victory over the Portland Thorns. [17]

Honors and awards

Penn State Nittany Lions

Kansas City Current

References

  1. ↑ "Penn State Commencement, Summer Session 2023, Baccalaureate and Associate Degrees" (PDF). Penn State. August 12, 2023. p. 14. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Ellie Wheeler – Women's Soccer". Penn State Nittany Lions . Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Clark, Travis (March 17, 2017). "ECNL scoring ace makes 2020 commitment". TopDrawerSoccer . Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  4. ↑ "USSF announces Girls DA 2017-18 awards". United States Soccer Federation. July 10, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2025– via TopDrawerSoccer .
  5. ↑ Lyons, Otis (August 25, 2021). "Ellie Wheeler's Defensive Improvement Key To Penn State Women's Soccer's Success". Onward State. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Women's Soccer Wins Ninth B1G Tournament Title". Penn State Nittany Lions. November 6, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Women's Soccer Concludes Season in National Quarterfinals". Penn State Nittany Lions. November 25, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  8. ↑ Sperry, Daniel (January 13, 2024). "KC Current pick versatile right-back from Penn State, 2 goalkeepers in NWSL Draft" . The Kansas City Star . Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Kansas City Current sign pair of draft picks ahead of 2024 season". Kansas City Current. March 7, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Sperry, Daniel (March 18, 2024). "History made & a wild game: KC Current electrify CPKC Stadium in season-opening win" . The Kansas City Star . Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Kansas City Current extend defender Ellie Wheeler for four years". Kansas City Current. August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  12. 1 2 "Ellie Wheeler 2024 Match Logs". FBref.com . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  13. ↑ Sperry, Daniel (August 24, 2024). "KC Current carrying impressive defensive streak while dominating NWSL standings" . The Kansas City Star . Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  14. ↑ "U17 WNT heads to Kansas City for camp". United States Soccer Federation. July 16, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2024– via TopDrawerSoccer .
  15. ↑ "U19 WNT roster announced for La Manga". United States Soccer Federation. February 25, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2024– via TopDrawerSoccer .
  16. ↑ "U23 WNT Roster for Thorns Tournament". United States Soccer Federation. March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2024– via TopDrawerSoccer .
  17. ↑ National Women's Soccer League [@nwsl]; (March 15, 2025). "Ellie Wheeler secures the win and a ring! 💍" . Retrieved March 16, 2025– via Instagram.
  18. ↑ "Match Report: Kansas City Current win NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup with 2-0 victory over NJ/NY Gotham FC". Kansas City Current. October 25, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
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