GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University head women's soccer coach Vanessa Fyffe has announced the commitment of four student-athletes to play for the Pioneers beginning with the 2023 season.
The four committed players are forward McKenzie Hanson (Oxford, Ohio), defender Caroline Heintzelman (Marietta, Ga.), forward/midfielder Brynn Stokes (Cleves, Ohio) and forward A'jaylah Yates (Fayetteville, N.C.).
"We are excited about the incoming 2023 recruiting class," said Fyffe, who was an assistant to Mike Joy before the longtime Tusculum coach announced his retirement on Nov. 3. "We have several positions to fill through our formation and we are committed to bringing in players who are going to make an immediate impact on our program."
Hanson attends Talawanda High School, where she has been a four-year varsity starter. The 5-5 Hanson is a three-year All-Conference selection and a four-year Academic All-Conference honoree. Hanson scored 17 goals as a junior for Talawanda and collected 39 goals in 33 career games.
Heintzelman comes to Tusculum from Pope High School, where she is a four-year member of the soccer and basketball teams and is also a two-year member and captain of the flag football team. The 5-8 Heintzelman plays club soccer for Southern Soccer Academy and was a three-year captain at Concorde Fire of the ECNL.
Stokes was the top scorer in the Cincinnati Hills League during the regular season, collecting 43 points on 17 goals and nine assists. The 5-9 Stokes was a four-year starter for Taylor High School, and twice was named first-team All-Conference and first-team All-District. Stokes played club soccer for TFA Elite, participating in nationals in 2022 and four times in the State Cup finals.
Yates was named United 8 Conference Player of the Year and All-State this past spring after scoring 42 goals for Seventy-First High School, including 11 goals in a half to set a state record. Yates is a three-time team Most Valuable Player and earned nine Player of the Game awards. The 5-4 Yates will also run track & field at Tusculum, where she was a state finalist in both the 100 and 200 meters. Yates was a member of the Liberty Point Soccer Club, where she served as team captain at multiple levels and was a Golden Cup Showcase selection in both 2021 and 2022.
Tusculum finished the 2022 season with a 9-4-5 overall record and in seventh place in the South Atlantic Conference with a 3-3-5 record. Three of the Pioneers' four losses came to qualifiers for the NCAA Division II Tournament, while the Pioneers earned draws with SAC tournament champion Limestone and NCAA participant Wingate.
"The players coming in will bring speed and great soccer IQ to our team," Fyffe added. "This season we were able to the program back on track and we are continually looking to raise our level of competition, especially knowing the battles that we will face within the conference."
