GOLDEN, Colo. – Colorado School of Mines head women's soccer coach Kevin Fickes has announced the signing of nine student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to join the Orediggers for the 2023 season.
 
The class is comprised of nine athletes from six different states, including three from Texas and two from Colorado as well as Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and New Mexico and includes a pair of transfers from the Division I level.
 
Bella Campos // 5'5" // Forward // Highland Village, Texas // Marcus
Campos was a four-year standout at Marcus High School during her prep career, scoring 62 goals and registering 31 assists in four seasons including 22 goals and seven dimes as a junior. She registered 24 goals and 15 assists as a senior, including four goals in the Texas State Championship game to help Marcus secure the title and take home MVP honors in the process. A three-time First Team All-District selection, she earned TASCO All-State Honorable Mention and All-Area Honors in 2022 along with First Team All-State honors as a senior and was named Most Offensive Player in 2021 and 2022. A member of the Sting Black ECNL U18/19 on the club tour, Campos scored 14 goals with five assists during the 2022-23 season. Off the field, she was a three-time Academic All-State honoree, member of the National Honor Society, vice president of the Spanish Honor Society and named a College Board National Hispanic Scholar. Campos intends to major in Mechanical Engineering at Mines.
 
Finley Ewald // 5'4" // Forward // Elmhurst, Illinois // York
Ewald will arrive in Golden following a standout prep career at York High School in Illinois. As a junior, she registered 29 points on 10 goals with nine assists and this spring had 15 points on seven goals and one assist. She has earned IHSA All-Sectional honors and been named to the IHSA All-State Watch List. Off the field, Ewald is an AP Scholar with Distinction and a National Merit Commended Scholar in addition to being a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society and being named to the High Honor Roll. She intends to study Mechanical Engineering at Mines.

Keira Garcia // 5'7" // Goalkeeper // Leander, Texas // Liberty Hill
Garcia prepped at Liberty Hill High School and plays for Austin Sting SC on the club circuit, where she has earned ECNL Player of the Week honors. Off the field, she is a member of the HOSA Club, a group for future healthcare workers who want to be involved in their community regarding healthcare issues or needs. She plans to major in Quantitative Biosciences and Engineering at Mines.
 
Lindsay Jeans // 5'5" // Forward // Evergreen, Colorado // Evergreen
Jeans will arrive in Golden after wrapping up a distinguished high school career at Evergreen High School. A three-year letter winner in soccer, she tallied 17 goals and 10 assists in 16 matches as a junior and scored three times in two games before having her senior season end early. Jeans was a member of an Evergreen squad that has enjoyed a great deal of success lately, winning four of the last five conference titles and advanced to at least the state quarterfinals each of the past eight seasons. A two-time team captain, she earned First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-State honors in her junior year as she led the team in scoring. Jeans also played a season of football at Evergreen as a kicker and ended her career as the highest scoring female player in school history. On the club circuit, she plays for Real Colorado Athletico ECNL and Colorado Edge Select. Off the field, Jeans was named a 2023 Boettcher Scholar and has also been named a National Merit Semifinalist and an AP Scholar with Distinction. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and named Academic All-State for soccer and football. Jeans plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Mines.
 
Natalie Rouse // 5'4" // Defender // Carlsbad, California // Carlsbad (UNLV)
Rouse joined the Orediggers for the spring semester after spending the first two seasons of her career with the soccer program at UNLV, where she appeared in two matches during that time. Prior to her time in Las Vegas, Rouse prepped at Carlsbad High School and played for City SC San Diego on the club tour where she served as team captain in 2019. Off the field, she was a member of the National Honor Society and was a four-year honor roll honoree and was recognized by the California Scholarship Federation. Her father Robert attended Mines and earned a graduate degree in Environmental Engineering. Rouse is majoring in Computational and Applied Mathematics at Mines.
 
Izzy Sontheimer // 5'4" // Midfielder/Defender // Hummelstown, Pennsylvania // Hershey
Sontheimer will arrive in Golden after completing a decorated prep career at Hershey High School, where she amassed 50 career points on 20 goals and 10 assists. Named a captain her senior season, she was named First Team Mid-Penn Conference Keystone Division All-Star three times and named to the 2022 PennLive High School Girls Soccer All-Star Team as an Honorable Mention. The four-year letter winner also earned the Rosensteel Award, which is presented annually to an HHS girl's soccer senior who has demonstrated outstanding performance on the field and made a positive impact the soccer program during their career. On the club circuit, Sontheimer plays for PA Classics WPSL U23 and had previous stints with the Hershey Soccer Club WPSL, PA Classics Academy 04G and Philadelphia Soccer Club COPPA Swarm 04G. A standout on the club scene as well, she has been a three-time Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association National Championship Series State Cup winner from 2017-2019 and two-time USYS National Championship qualifier in 2018 and 2019 with Philadelphia Soccer Club COPPA Swarm 04G. She won the USYS Region I Championship en route to finishing as the National Finalist in 2018 and was a two-time Girls Academy League (GAL) National Championship qualifier with PA Classics Academy 04G (2021, 2022). Off the field, Sontheimer was a member of National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta where she served as treasurer as a senior, and a member of French National Honor Society. She was also a recipient of a Gold Key award (2023) and a Silver Key award (2022) for Poetry in the South Central Pennsylvania Writing Region of the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and was twice selected to Dauphin County Music Educators Association County Orchestra (2022, 2023) while also being recognized on the Hershey High School Distinguished Honor Roll each academic term. Sontheimer plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Mines.
 
Ally Townsend // 5'5" // Midfielder // Katy, Texas // Seven Lakes
Townsend prepped at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas and will arrive at Mines following a standout high school career. The younger sister of former Mines women's soccer All-American Emily Townsend who played for the Orediggers from 2015-2018, Ally was a three-year letter winner in soccer and also played two seasons of basketball. Townsend was a member of three teams that were Conference 6A Region III District 19 Regional Quarterfinalists from 2021-23. She earned All-District honors in back-to-back seasons, earning First Team laurels in 2023 while landing Second Team accolades in 2022. Townsend also helped lead Seven Lakes to a JV basketball district championship in 2021 and was a nominee for the Most Athletic Award. On the club circuit, she plays for the Albion Hurricanes. Off the field, Townsend was a member of the National Honor Society and earned Academic All-District laurels in 2021 and is ranked in the second quartile of her graduating class of nearly 900. Townsend plans to major in Civil Engineering at Mines.
 
Brooke Volza // 5'5" // Forward // Albuquerque, New Mexico // Cibola
Volza joins the Orediggers after prepping at Cibola High School in Albuquerque where she recently wrapped up a shining career on and off the field. A three-year letter winner in soccer, she was her team's leading scorer and earned numerous Player of the Game honors as she earned Second Team All-District and First Team All-State honors in 2022. A two-sport athlete, Volza was also a member of the track & field team as a sprinter and played for Rio Rapid 04 Girls Academy on the club circuit. Off the field, she earned the Academic 4.0 Achievement Award four times and the Aegis CASE (Creative Application of Science & Engineering) Award as well as the FBT Architects and SMPC Architects Awards. Volza has been featured in the New York Times in a front-page article entitled "How Title IX Helped Make Women's Soccer a U.S. Force" and also received the Old Republic National Title Insurance and CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) Awards. Volza plans to major in Mechanical Engineering at Mines.
 
Lia Zavalsky // 5'4" // Midfielder // Golden, Colorado // Golden (Middle Tennessee State)
A Golden High School product who will return home to play for the Orediggers this fall, Zavalsky began her college career at Middle Tennessee State University and spent two seasons with the Blue Raiders, appearing in four matches during that time and twice being named the Conference USA Honor Roll. Prior to MTSU at Golden High School, she was a First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-State selection. On the club circuit, Zavalsky played for the Colorado Rush and served as team captain and was a member of the 2021 State Champion club as well as the ODP Regional Team in 2016 as part of her time at the U.S. Soccer Training Center from 2015-17. Off the field, she was a member of the National Honor Society. Zavalsky plans to major in Chemical Engineering at Mines.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines women's soccer on Twitter and Instagram at @mineswsoc. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.