OL Reign Exercises Option on Defender Shae Holmes

OL Reign today announced that it has exercised the 2024 option on defender Shae Holmes. The University of Washington graduate was selected by OL Reign as the 19th overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft.

“As a rookie, Shae contributed in the way she and Coach Harvey discussed when she was drafted. She was able to navigate an entire professional season physically and mentally in a way that proves she's ready for the next step in the club,” said general manager Lesle Gallimore. “She played a lot of quality minutes during the year, remained healthy, and was a positive teammate. It's going to be fun watching Shae's continued development and contribution.”

In her first professional season, Holmes made nine starts in 12 appearances across all NWSL competitions, logging 839 total minutes.

The 23-year-old played a pivotal role during the UKG NWSL Challenge Cup to help the club win the West Division and reach the semifinals for a second consecutive year. Holmes was one of two players on OL Reign to start in all seven games of the Challenge Cup and recorded a perfect tackle success rate, 18 duels won, eight interceptions and a team-leading eight blocks. She was also part of a defense that held opponents scoreless throughout the six games of group play.

Following Holmes’ impressive run throughout the tournament, the first-year defender was one of two rookies named to the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup All-Tournament Team.