In the second round of Friday’s pro draft, the Portland Thorns selected Olivia Wade-Katoa and Kelsey Kaufusi two picks apart (23rd and 25th in the round, 37th and 39th overall).

Kaufusi (née Steed), a Syracuse High School alum, became the first Utah State University player selected in the NWSL draft. Wade-Katoa, a Davis High alum, was part of a five-player contingent drafted out of BYU this season.

Wade-Katoa played in 120 games in five seasons at BYU. She started every game (47) in the final two seasons, totaling 21 goals and 13 assists. BYU went 20-3-3 this season and went to the national semifinals. In 2021, BYU reached the national final when Wade-Katoa made a game-deciding penalty kick in the semifinals.

Wade-Katoa will be the second Davis High alum in the NWSL. The Utah Royals, a franchise relaunching in the NWSL this season, traded with Orlando to acquire Mikayla Cluff (née Colohan) two months ago.

Kaufusi started all 76 games of her Utah State career, winning the 2023 Moutain West Conference defensive player of the year and totaling seven assists in four seasons. USU won the MWC for the first time this season and drew No. 1 seed BYU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 2-0.

BYU’s Brecken Mozingo was taken fourth overall by the Utah Royals. Utah also took BYU defender Olivia Smith-Griffitts with the 20th overall pick. BYU also had Utah natives Jamie Shepherd and Laveni Vaka taken by Bay FC during the draft.

UMA GETS FIRST COLLEGE COMMITS

Utah Military Academy-Hill Field, a charter high school in Riverdale, recently had its first-ever college commitments from its girls soccer program, according to information provided by head coach Nick Lopez.

Kendall Prieto, a senior goalkeeper and Roy native, committed to NAIA York University in Nebraska.

“She will make us all proud,” Lopez said. “She is a commanding figure in the box.”

Cassidee Zollinger, a midfielder/defender from Layton, committed to Division III Mitchell College in Connecticut.

“Cassidee is very hard working and she has a natural ability to disrupt the opposition’s attack,” Lopez said.

ST. JOSEPH MAKES COACH CHANGE

St. Joseph Catholic High School, in Ogden, is seeking a new football coach after the conclusion of the program’s first season.

Jeramy Hunt-Loveless, who helped St. Joseph launch its eight-player program, “is no longer with St. Joseph,” the school’s athletic director, Cindy White, told the Standard-Examiner.

The Jayhawks recorded a 2-8 record in their first football season, playing in the “1A 8-player” classification added by the UHSAA as an option for 1A-sized schools. Their two wins came in consecutive weeks, defeating Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind (Salt Lake) 64-0 and Monument Valley 56-14.

St. Joseph makes the seventh football coaching change in Northern Utah after the 2023 season and is one of two, joining Weber High, with a current opening.

Other hires this winter are Carson Mund at Box Elder, Cody Caputo at Clearfield, Nate Tuatagaloa at Fremont, Mitch Tulane at Syracuse and Eric Jones at West Field.