Reign FC Selects Three Players in 2020 College Draft

Reign FC made three selections in the 2020 NWSL College Draft in Baltimore, Maryland on Thursday, January 16. The club selected Santa Clara midfielder Kelcie Hedge, Stanford defender Sam Hiatt, and Nebraska midfielder Meg Brandt.

The club selected Hedge with the ninth pick in the first round, which they acquired in a trade with the Chicago Red Stars on January 10. Hiatt was selected with Reign FC’s natural pick in the fourth round, the 33rd overall, and took Nebraska’s Meg Brandt with the 34th overall pick.

Hedge played her freshman year at the University of Washington, where she scored four goals and was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. After redshirting her sophomore season to play with the U.S. national team at the at the 2016 U-20 Women’s World Cup, Hedge transferred to Santa Clara University. Hedge continued to impress with the Broncos and was honored as the WCC Player of the Year in 2018. As a senior, Hedge showed off her ability to create for her teammates, notching 10 assists to go with five goals en route to being named to the All-WCC Second Team and honored as a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist.

“Kelcie is a player we’ve been watching closely for many years. We expect she will add some needed depth and athleticism to our midfield,” said Reign FC CEO Bill Predmore. “She was the player we were targeting when we traded with Chicago to grab the 9th pick, so we are thrilled with the outcome.”

The selection of Hiatt with the 33rd pick brings to the club a player with extensive youth national team experience. The defender captained the U.S. U20s at the 2018 U20 World Cup in France. Hiatt went on to win two national titles at Stanford, captaining the team as a senior in 2019. The Kirkland native is a former Washington State Gatorade Player of the Year and was the 2015 state 3A Player of the Year at Seattle Preparatory School.

Shortly before selecting Hiatt, Reign FC acquired the 34th overall pick of the draft in a trade with Portland Thorns FC in exchange for defender Christen Westphal.

“Christen has been a fantastic part of the squad since she joined in 2018,” said Predmore. “We appreciate all she contributed during her time with the club and expect she will make the most of this new opportunity with Portland.”

With their last selection of the day Reign FC selected Nebraska midfielder Meg Brandt. Brandt was a mainstay for the Cornhuskers, playing 1,662 minutes and starting all 18 matches while receiving multiple call-ups to the U.S. U23s. She led Nebraska in goals, points, shots and shots on goal. Brandt was a Big Ten All-Tournament selection in 2018 and was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team in 2017.