GOLDEN, Colo. – Colorado School of Mines head women's soccer coach Kevin Fickes has announced the additions of seven student-athletes who will join the reigning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champions for the 2025 season. Six first-year players and one mid-year transfer comprise this year's class which is laden heavily with talent from Colorado along with California, Florida and Texas and features exclusively field players with three defenders, three midfielders and an attacker.
 
Caelan DeBolt // 5'7" // Midfielder // Littleton, Colo. // Baylor (Heritage HS)
A mid-year addition to the program in January, DeBolt returns to her home state after redshirting her freshman season at Baylor as part of Bears team that went 8-8-5 overall and 2-5-4 in Big XII action. A 2024 graduate of Heritage High School, DeBolt was a two-sport athlete and earned a combined seven letters between soccer and basketball. As junior on the pitch, she was named Offensive Most Valuable Player and Max Preps Player of the Year with nine goals and nine assists while in her sophomore season, led HHS to a league title and an appearance in the state semifinals. On the club level, DeBolt plays for the Colorado Rush and helped lead the team to a Girls Academy Championship Cup in 2022 followed by a fifth-place result in 2023. Off the field, she was a member of the National Honor Society and ranked in the top 10 of her graduating class while being a four-time high honors academic letter winner. DeBolt is studying Quantitative Biosciences & Engineering at Mines.
 
Kate Hendrickson // 5'10" // Defender // San Diego, Calif. // Rancho Bernardo HS
Hendrickson arrives at Mines after a decorated three-sport career at Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego where she was also a member of the cross country and track and field programs. In her senior season, she logged more than 1,000 minutes of action and tallied 31 points on nine goals along with a further 13 assists. An All-Conference honoree in both soccer and cross country, Hendrickson also earned the Coach's Award in cross country and the Sportsmanship Award in soccer. On the club tour, she plays for San Diego Force FC where she has served as captain and earned the Coach O Award. Off the field, Hendrickson has been a multi-time Silver Star and Scholar Athlete Award winner. She plans to major in Civil Engineering at Mines.
 
Taylor Johnson-Balding // 5'6" // Midfielder // Grand Junction, Colo. // Palisade HS
Hailing from the Western Slope, Johnson-Balding comes to Golden from Palisade High School where she was a four-year letter winner and scored 20 goals with 19 assists for 59 points in her prep career. A four-year varsity starter, she was selected to serve as team captain three times in her career and earned a trio of both First Team All-Conference and Honorable Mention All-State honors. On the club level, Johnson-Balding played for Grand Junction Fire FC and served six times as team captain. Off the pitch, she graduated Summa Cum Laude and was a Graduate of Distinction while being named a Superintendent Scholar with a GPA of 4.0 or higher and twice earned First Team Academic All-State honors. Johnson-Balding plans to major in Computer Science at Mines.
 
Avery Kelley // 5'5" // Defender // Tomball, Texas // Tomball HS
One of two Texas natives in this year's incoming class, Kelley arrives at Mines following a standout career as a four-year letter winner at Tomball High School. A District 15-6A Honorable Mention selection as a sophomore, she earned TASCO All-Region Honorable Mention honors and was named THS's Utility Player of the Year as a junior before ending her career by serving as captain in 2025 and being named Tomball's Most Valuable Player and District 15-6A Midfielder of the Year. On the club circuit, Kelley plays for Challenge Soccer Club-Challenge ECNL RL G07 where she serves as a captain. Off the field, she graduated in the top 14% of her nearly 700 strong class and was a four-year honor roll student who also earned TASCO Academic All-State honors. Kelly plans to study Quantitative Biosciences & Engineering at Mines.
 
Lauren Koehler // 5'6" // Defender // The Woodlands, Texas // The Woodlands HS
Following in the footsteps of her older sister Katie, Lauren will come to Mines from The Woodlands High School and look to compete for playing time on the Orediggers' vaunted backline unit. Despite missing time in her senior season due to injury, the younger Koehler was a First Team All-District selection as junior and served as captain in her prep career while helping lead The Woodlands High School to a quartet of district championships. On the club tour, Lauren plays for Challenge Soccer Club 07G ECNL and has served as a captain for numerous seasons. Off the pitch, Koehler graduated Summa Cum Laude and ranked 10th in a graduating class numbering in excess of 1,100. A member of the National Honor Society, she was also a four-year honor roll recipient and Academic All-District honoree. Lauren plans to study Electrical Engineering at Mines.
 
Natalie Mezarina // 5'8" // Forward // Westminster, Colo. // Legacy HS
Mezarina comes to Mines from nearby Legacy High School and is the second member of her family to attend Mines. A three-year letter winner, she helped led LHS to the CHSAA Class 5A playoffs in each of her three varsity seasons. A double-digit goal scorer and distributor when it comes to assists, she twice earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors. On the club level, Mezarina competes for Colorado Rush ECNL 07 and was a Champions Cup semifinalist in 2024. Off the pitch, she twice earned First Team Academic All-State honors and earned the Seal of Biliteracy, was a perennial honor roll student and a member of the National Honor Society. Mezarina plans to study Quantitative Biosciences & Engineering at Mines.
 
Demi Woods // 5'5" // Midfielder // Lafayette, Calif. // Acalanes HS
The second of two newcomers from California for the upcoming season, Woods prepped at Acalanes High School where she was a highly-decorated center and outside back. A four-year letter winner twice voted captain, she scored in all four seasons of her career and dished out numerous assists, earning a pair of DAL All-League honors and leading AHS to the North Costs CIF Championships. Woods also earned the Coaches Award and was named All-North Coast Section. At the club level, she competed for Lamorinda 07 DA/GA and Bay Area Surf 07 ECNL. Woods was part of the NorCal Player Development Program with the Surf and also participated in in GA Talent ID Camp with Lamorinda. Off the pitch, Woods was a CIF President's list honoree four times and twice named to the North Coast Section CIF Scholastic Championship Team. She was a member of the National Honor Society of High School Scholars, the National Honor Society and was a recipient of the Acalanes Silver A Award for engagement and peer support. Woods plans to study Environmental Engineering at Mines.
 
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