TOLEDO, Ohio - Head coach TJ Buchholz and the 2017 Mid-American Conference champion Toledo women's soccer program announced the commitment of nine student-athletes on Wednesday. The recruiting class of Lexa Bauer (Sylvania, Ohio), Adrianna Brewer (Liberty Township, Ohio), Ashton Cassel (Grand Blanc, Mich.), Betsy Lueck (Mount Clemens, Mich.), Elbony Rodriguez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), Rose Sawyers (Newark, Ohio), Payton Sullivan (Whitehouse, Ohio), Maddie Wilhoite (Ft. Wright, Ky.) and Tatiana Woodworth (La Quinta, Calif.) will begin attending the University of Toledo in the 2018-19 academic year.

"Our goal is always to recruit the best players locally, in our Midwest region, and nationally," Buchholz said. "We work hard to ensure that character and academic profiles meet our championship expectations in the classroom and on the soccer field. The 2018 class represents some of the top soccer players in the country and all nine have a GPA of 3.8 or higher."
 
Buchholz also commended the program's recruiting coordinator, assistant coach Jessica Nei, on the time and energy she devoted in helping the Rockets secure a top recruiting class.
 
"I can't say enough about the excellent work Jessica did on the recruiting trail to land these top players in this class," Buchholz said. "She does an exceptional job of identifying the right players for our system and then working passionately to get their commitments secured.  I believe Jessica continues to demonstrate why she is not only one of the best young coaches in country, but also one of the top recruiters."
 
Following is a look at Toledo's 2018 recruiting class:



Lexa Bauer

• Attends Notre Dame Academy (Toledo, Ohio)
• First-team all-league and all-district
• Team captain
• Played in All-American Game (Top Drawer Soccer)
• All- American Top 11 Coaches Award (Top Drawer Soccer)

Anticipated Position: Defense
Anticipated Major: International Studies
 
Why Bauer Chose Toledo: "I am very close with my family and would love to be able to have them involved in my college life as much as possible. I love the soccer program and coaches, and have a good foundation of networking started here to create opportunities for myself."
 
Coach Buchholz on Bauer:  "Toledo Soccer is committed to landing the top players in Northwest Ohio and Lexa fits that profile.  She is one of two high school All-Americans in this year's talented recruiting class and she prepped and developed under the guidance of Danny Fisher at Pacesetter Soccer Club and Chip Smith at Notre Dame Academy.  Both have done a fantastic job of coaching Lexa into one of the premier central defenders in the country.  Lexa is physical and a relentless 1 vs. 1 defender.  She is also a technical defender who will fit nicely with our possession style system."
 

Adrianna Brewer

• Attends Lakota West High School (West Chester, Ohio)
• Two-year captain
• Two-time All-Southwest Ohio as well as first-team all-conference first-team all-league and all-conference
• Member of U17 U.S. Youth Soccer 2017 National Champions (Cincinnati United Premier)

Anticipated Position: Goalkeeper
Anticipated Major: Business or Engineering
 
Why Brewer Chose Toledo: "The University of Toledo has everything I want in a school. From the amazing academic opportunities and major options, to the outstanding soccer program and coaches, Toledo showed me it had everything I wanted in a school the first time I visited. The University of Toledo and its soccer program offers the feeling of a great community and family, and I can't wait to spend the next four years there."
 
Coach Buchholz on Brewer: "Adrianna prepped for one of the top club teams in the state with the Cincinnati Development Academy.  She is a top goalkeeper for her age group and has won a club national title.  We first saw Adrianna in her sophomore year when she had an excellent run for her team at the club national championships.  Adrianna is one of those goalkeepers that does all the little details well for her position.  Adrianna's poise and command of her goal is something that definitely sets her apart from other goalkeepers we evaluated in this class.  She brings an excellent technical ability with the ball at her feet that is often overlooked in goalkeepers because of the nature of the position. That quality will help her succeed in our style of play."
 

Ashton Cassel

• Attends Grand Blanc High School (Grand Blanc, Mich.)
• First-team all-district
• First-team all-conference 

Anticipated Position: Midfield
Anticipated Major: Nursing
 
Why Cassel Chose Toledo: "After going on an unofficial visit and getting a feel for the campus, I really enjoyed the college of nursing.  The campus itself was appealing and I felt right at home. I also felt very comfortable with the soccer team, coaching staff, and players."
 
Coach Buchholz on Cassel: "Ashton comes to us from the highly-successful Nationals Club team out of the Detroit area along with Betsy Lueck.  We identified Ashton as a top midfield player in the area. Her ability to link with other attacking players will have a significant impact in our system.  The offensive awareness in Ashton's game will also fit well with the other possession-oriented midfielders we currently have on our team.  Ashton also possesses an outstanding serving ball on corner kicks and dead-ball situations that will be an offensive asset for us in the years ahead." 
 

Betsy Lueck

• Attends Regina High School (Mount Clemens, Mich.)
• Three-time State Cup finalist
• Girls Developmental Academy Team Member
• All-State and All-County as freshman, sophomore and junior
• Tallied 10 goals and 12 assists as junior, six goals and 10 assists as sophomore and 12 goals and 10 assists as freshman

Anticipated Position: Defense
Anticipated Major: Undecided
 
Why Lueck Chose Toledo: "I became interested in the University of Toledo the first time I spoke with coach Jess. When I attended my first camp, I was made to feel like a member of the team. Visiting the campus made me feel at home."
 
Coach Buchholz on Lueck: "Betsy comes to us from the highly successful Nationals Club team out of the Detroit area along with Ashton Cassel after really impressing us at our Elite camp.  She has great work ethic and endurance that will serve her well in our system of play.  Betsy is technical on the ball and a dangerous crosser in the final third. We look to get our wide defenders forward in our system, and Betsy will provide a threat on the left side for us."
 

Elbony Rodriguez

• Attends Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
• Three-year team captain
• Two-time selection for US Club ID2 Program
• Three-time selection for the ODP State Pool  

Anticipated Position: Midfield
Anticipated Major: Pre-Physical Therapy  
 
Why Rodriguez Chose Toledo: "I chose Toledo because it felt like an amazing environment in both athletics and academics. The program has always been very supportive, and it felt like a family from the very start. Toledo's coaching staff and style of play feel like a great fit for who I am as a player, and I can't wait to be a part of it. The quality of education at Toledo is a big reason why I chose to go there. All the professors I was able to talk to were happy to work with student-athletes. Moving so far from home will be one of the hardest things I'll have to do, however, I know it will be worth it in the end. Needless to say, I am very excited to officially become a Rocket!"
 
Coach Buchholz on Rodriguez: "Elbony comes to us from Southern California where she was a club teammate of current Rocket Grace Coelho. When we recruited Grace from Ted Smalls' talented Inland Empire Club team, Elbony was another player that immediately stood out to our staff.  She is a technical midfielder with excellent field vision.  Her precise linking ability will fit well with the other talented passing midfielders we have in our program. Another key element to Elbony's game is her ability to strike deadly free-kicks in scoring range.  She will provide a needed dead-ball threat for us."
 

Rose Sawyers

• Attends Granville High School in Newark, Ohio.
• Two-time second-team all-state
• Four-time first-team all-conference  and three-time first-team all-district
• Member of Crew SC Elite Soccer Team
• Four-year varsity starter who finished with 86 career goals and 71 career assists
• Holds school record for assists as sophomore and ranks second in school and county in career assists
• Member of Division II state runner-up in 2015 as well as state 'Final Four' squads in 2014 & 2016

Anticipated Position: Forward
Anticipated Major: Undecided
 
Why Sawyers Chose Toledo: "I fell in love with the campus immediately, and the University has so much to offer as far as academics. It's close enough to home that my family will still have the chance to see me play. Coach Buchholz's coaching style is the type of soccer that I love to play, and I believe he will give me the chance to continue to grow as a player. All of the coaches and players have made me feel like I'm already part of the team.
 
Coach Buchholz on Sawyers: "We were looking for an explosive forward for this recruiting class, and we found it in Rose from Crew SC Elite soccer club in Ohio.  She attended our Elite camp and really made an impact on our staff.  Rose's speed in the attack makes her a difficult player for teams to defend against in open space. She is also strong at going at defenders with the ball which will make her a difficult player to defend at the next level.  Not only can Rose create for herself in the attack with her speed, but she also is a fantastic goal scorer. We hope to use Rose in a wide attacking position in our system."
 

Payton Sullivan

• Attends St. Ursula Academy in Toledo, Ohio
• 2017 High School All-American Game participant
• First-team all-state as junior and second-team all-state as senior
• First-team all-conference as junior and senior; second-team all-conference as freshman and sophomore
• Team captain as senior

Anticipated Position: Defense
Anticipated Major: Accounting
 
Why Sullivan Chose Toledo: "I chose the University of Toledo because of the family atmosphere of the soccer team. As soon as I walked on the campus, I knew the University of Toledo was where I wanted to attend."
 
Coach Buchholz on Sullivan: "We are committed to recruiting the top soccer players in Northwest Ohio.  As a high school All-American, Payton is definitely one of those players this year.  Former Rocket assistant coach Scott Reed was her club coach, and he did a tremendous job training Payton to be ready to play at the next level.  Payton prepped for St. Ursula Academy under highly successful coach Chris Black, where she excelled at the forward position.  Payton's size and athleticism are at the top end of this year's class and will definitely help her succeed at the Division I level.  While Payton mostly played at forward in high school, she impressed us as a defender at our Elite camps and will be transitioning into a defender for our program next fall.
 

Maddie Wilhoite

• Attends Notre Dame Academy in Park Hills, Ky.
• 9th Region Tournament MVP and Offensive Player of the Year
• First-team all-state
• NKAC Player of the Year

 
Anticipated Position: Defense
Anticipated Major: Undecided
 
Why Wilhoite Chose Toledo: "I chose the University of Toledo because I fell in love with the campus, the soccer program and the coaches. I know Toledo will be the perfect fit for me both academically and athletically."
 
Coach Buchholz on Wilhoite: "Maddie comes to us from the Cincinnati Development Academy where she prepped under club coach Tiffany Roberts.  Maddie attended a couple of our Elite camps early in her high school years, where she continued to excite our coaching staff.  The more we saw Maddie play, the more we realized we wanted her toughness in our soccer program. Maddie is a defensive specialist by trade, and she will fill roles in our midfield or on our defensive line next season. Maddie is a smart defender and tactically sound.  She also has a knack of bringing a physical presence to her teams that immediately makes an impact against opposing offenses."
 

Tatiana Woodworth

• Attends La Quinta High School in La Quinta, Calif.
• Team MVP and Offensive Player of Year
• First-team all-league and all-state
• Team captain from 2011-18
• Holds La Quinta High School record for career goals (75) and assists (47) 

Anticipated Position: Forward
Anticipated Major: Pre-Med
 
Why Woodworth Chose Toledo: "I love the people and the culture at the school. I feel that Toledo is a perfect fit both academically and athletically for me."

Coach Buchholz on Woodworth: "I have known Tatiana and her father Tom for a long time.  Her dad is a highly respected coach in Southern California, and we began building a friendship when I was coaching at UC-Riverside.  Tatiana also plays club soccer with incoming recruit Elbony Rodriguez for Ted Smalls' Inland Empire Surf team. Tatiana made a commitment to attend our Elite camps in Toledo over the past couple of years, and she always impressed us.  She has an excellent talent for being in the right place at the right time to score goals for her teams.  She has great fight in the attack and is one of the most driven players I have been around.  Her tenacity and drive will be an excellent addition to our current complement of strong forwards in our program."