Ellie Wheeler

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Ellie Wheeler
File:NC Courage vs KC Current (Sep 2024) 077 (cropped).jpg
Wheeler with the Kansas City Current in 2024
Personal information
Full name Ellis Nicole Wheeler[1]
Date of birth (2001-12-14) December 14, 2001 (age 24)
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
 Kansas City Current
Number 5
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 Penn State Nittany Lions 77 (3)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– Kansas City Current 44 (2)
International career
2020 United States U-19 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 01:46, November 10, 2025 (UTC)

Ellis Nicole Wheeler (born December 14, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as an outside back for the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Current in the second round of the 2024 NWSL Draft.

Early life

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Wheeler grew up in Fairfax Station, Virginia.[2] Growing up, she played as a midfielder or forward for FC Virginia, earning DA all-conference honors.[3][4] She committed to Penn State as a freshman over offers from programs including North Carolina and Duke.[3] She was ranked by TopDrawerSoccer as the No. 34 prospect of the 2020 class.[2]

College career

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Wheeler played four seasons for the Penn State Nittany Lions, playing in 77 games (76 starts) and scoring 3 goals as a defender.[2] Head coach Erica Dambach converted Wheeler to defense when she was a freshman in the spring of 2021, playing in the wing back position, then moved her to center back as a sophomore.[5] Wheeler later played at outside back and helped the team win the Big Ten tournament in her junior season in 2022.[6] In her senior year in 2023, Wheeler and the two seed Nittany Lions reached the NCAA tournament quarterfinals after three consecutive round of 16 finishes.[7]

Club career

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Wheeler was drafted 18th overall by the Kansas City Current in the second round of the 2024 NWSL Draft, the team's highest pick of the night.[8] She was signed to a one-year contract with the option to extend another year.[9] Wheeler made her professional debut on March 16, 2024, starting and playing all 90 minutes in the season opener against the Portland Thorns as the Current inaugurated their newly built CPKC Stadium.[10] She scored her first professional goal in the game, putting away a loose ball in the penalty area for the Current's second in a 5–4 victory.[10] On August 27, she signed a four-year contract extension, tying her to Kansas City through 2028.[11] She made 23 regular-season appearances as a rookie as the Current placed fourth in the standings.[12] She played the entirety of their two playoff games, a 1–0 quarterfinal win over the North Carolina Courage and a 3–2 semifinal defeat to the Orlando Pride.[12]

On August 23, 2025, Wheeler was involved in both goals in a 2–0 win at the Portland Thorns, scoring a header on Izzy Rodriguez's cross and providing a long assist to Temwa Chawinga.[13] She played in 21 games and scored 1 goal in the 2025 regular season, helping the Current win the NWSL Shield with the best record in the league.[14] The team set multiple NWSL records including most points, most wins, and fewest goals allowed in a season.[15] In the playoff quarterfinals, Wheeler scored a desperately needed goal to level the game 1–1 against Gotham FC in the 90+6th minute – the latest equalizer in NWSL playoff history – but lost 2–1 in extra time.[15]

International career

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Wheeler was called into training camp with the United States under-17 team in July 2018.[16] She played for the under-19 team in a friendly tournament in Spain in February–March 2020.[17] She played for the under-23 team against NWSL teams in the 2023 preseason.[18]

Personal life

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Wheeler is the daughter of Scott and Nicole Wheeler and has two brothers.[2] Wheeler got engaged to Olympic wrestler Roman Bravo-Young on March 15, 2025. He proposed to her on the field at CPKC Stadium after the Current's season-opening victory over the Portland Thorns.[19]

Honors and awards

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Penn State Nittany Lions

Kansas City Current

References

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