CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's soccer head coach Gavin McKinney announced the addition of seven to the Mocs' 2017 roster on National Signing Day.
 
"We are excited that these players have chosen to continue their soccer careers with us here at UTC," Chattanooga head coach Gavin McKinney said. "All together they make up a very well balanced class, we have a goalkeeper, two defenders, two midfielders, and two forwards.
 
"We feel that they will blend well with our current group as we believe they have the same mentality to become the best players they can be. We project that this group has the ability to come in and make an impact on the pitch and we are ready for them to arrive on campus in August."


Hailey Abston
Lenoir City, Tenn. | Lenoir City High School

Coach McKinney on Hailey Abston

 

Abston was selected the Loudon County Girl's Soccer Player of the Year in 2016 and is a finalist for the Knoxville News-Sentinel Girls Soccer Player of the Year to be named in June. She was the district 4-AAA Goalkeeper of the Year and a 4-AAA All-District first team member. She is a Region 2-AAA All-Region first team member and selected to the All-Loudon County first team. She is also a First Team selection by the Tennessee High School Soccer Coaches Association (THSSCA) and the Tennessee Sports Writer's Association (TSWA) and named to the Knoxville News-Sentinel AllPrepExtra first team.
 
Abston plays club ball for the Knoxville FC Alliance 99 G Black. The team was state finalists for two seasons and claimed one state title.
 
As a member of the Lenoir City football team, Hailey was named to the All-Loudon County first team for Special teams as the Panthers' place kicker.
 
Hailey is the daughter of Paul and Misty Abston and the older sister of Olivia. She was born in 1998 in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and plans to major in Physical Therapy.
 
 
Chloe Arnold
Bristol, Tenn. | Tennessee High School

Coach McKinney on Chloe Arnold

 

Arnold, the all-time leading goal scorer for Tennessee High School with 122 goals, is a four-time district Forward of the Year and all-district first team member. She was selected to the all-region team all four years and is a four-time member of the All-Tournament team. She is a two-time Tennessee High School Soccer Coaches Association All-State selection and named to the 2016 Tennessee Sports Writer's Association (TSWA) All-State team. In 2016 she was named to the Tennessee All-Star team and served as team captain for the Vikings for two years. Arnold was selected to the ODP first team four times and named to the 2014 ODP regional team. In 2015 she was invited to the ODP National Camp.
 
She helped the Vikings to their first-ever appearance in the state tournament in 2016. Tennessee High School claimed the 2016 region title and were the District 1 Runner-Up. The team claimed the 2015 District title and were the runner-up in the 2015 region tournament while placing runner-up in the 2013 district tournament.
 
She plays club ball for the FC Alliance 00 Black in 2015-16 and is a member of the FC Alliance 99 Black. The team won the January 2016 Disney Showcase.
 
Chloe holds a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the National Honors Society. She is a member of the Beta Club and on the yearbook staff. She serves on the Student Council and is a member of the Anchor Club.
 
She is the daughter of Piper Arnold and Andy Arnold. Her father Andy was a four-year letterman at quarterback for Appalachian State and was team captain as a senior. She is the older sister of Emma and Sophie. She was born in 1999 in Bristol, Tenn., and plans to major in Civil Engineering.
 
 
Maddie Burman
Clarksville, Tenn.. | Rossview High School

Coach McKinney on Maddie Burman
 


Burman earned the 2016 Most Valuable Player Award for her team and was a four-time All-District selection. From 2013-2017, she was named to the District All-Tournament team. In 2013 and 2014, she helped Clarksville Academy to the district runner-up title and in 2016 she was a member of the district runner-up and region semifinalist teams at Rossview High School.
 
She plays club ball for the Clarksville Soccer Club and was a member of the Tennessee Soccer Club. Burman is a member of the National Honors Society and the A-B Honor Roll. She is a member of Young Life, the Key Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the National Junior Classical League.
 
She is the daughter of Michael and Lisa Burman. She is the youngest of four, Michala, Morgan and Mallory who is a member of the Mocs soccer team. She was born in Nashville, Tenn., in 1999 and has not decided upon a major.
 

Lauren Dluzewski
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Archbishop O'Leary

Coach McKinney on Lauren Dluzewski


 
In her junior year, she helped the Spartans to the City Championship title in a penalty shootout against Holy Trinity in the finals after going undefeated in their group. She earned a spot on the senior soccer team and highly competitive soccer academy in seventh grade. In her first year she was twice named the Athlete of the Month and in 2012 she received the soccer academy Leadership Award. The next season she won the Coaches' Award.
 
For five years she was a member of Team Alberta and played in the Western Canada Games and the upcoming Canada Summer Games. She plays for FC Edmonton's Regional Excel program designed for top players in the province and a possible chance at a Canadian National team.
 
As a member of her club team, Inter, they advanced to provincials in Calgary, Alberta where they claimed the Gold Medal with a 5-0 win to be named "Best in Alberta". Inter won the National title with a 1-0 win over Ontario and was named "Best Team in Canada". Inter was recognized as the "Team of the Year" last month.
 
As a member of the women's Northwest United Major team, she helped them to the provincial title held in Edmonton and finished fourth in the Nationals.
 
She was a Merit Award recipient in junior high where she was a member of the cross country and track and field teams. In 2013 she was named the Most Outstanding Athlete in both sports.
 
She was born in 1999 in Edmonton, Alberta and is the daughter of Colleen Dluzewski and Richard Dluzewski. Her older brother Nick is enrolled at the University of Alberta. She has not selected a major.
 
 
 
Maeve Kelly
Nashville, Tenn. | Franklin Road Academy

Coach McKinney on Maeve Kelly
 


Kelly helped the Panthers to three Sub-State appearances in 2013, 2014 and 2016. She is the #6 rated Player in the South by Top Drawer Soccer. She is a two-time Division II A East/Middle All-Region player and a two-time Division II A Middle All-District selection. In 2016 she earned a spot in the Tennessee High School Soccer Coaches Association (THSSCA) All-Star Game. In 2013 and 2014 she earned ODP Honorable Mention for Region III.
 
She was selected the Defensive Player of the Year for Franklin Road Academy in 2013 and 2015 and was the school's Offensive Player of the Year in 2016. In her senior year she was selected FRA's Most Athletic.
 
Kelly played club ball for the Tennessee Soccer Club 99 Girls. She helped her team to five state titles and two state finalist finishes from 2010-2016. The team was the Region III semifinalist in 2012 and advanced to the quarterfinals in 2015 and 2016. In 2011, the team was the U.S. Club National Cup region champions and in 2015 they were the Southern Premier League Central Champions.
 
She also played for the BUSA ECNL (Ala.) and Tulsa Blitz United (Okla.) who were the Jefferson Cup Champions in 2013.
 
Kelly was named to the Dean's List and enrolled in Honors and AP Classes at FRA. She was a member of the track team in 2014 and 2015 and ran the 200m dash, 200m and 400m relays and did the triple and long jump.
 
She is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the 147 Million Orphans that supports orphanages in Uganda, Honduras and Haiti.
 
She is the daughter of Joe and LeAnn Kelly. Her father Joe was the center for the Mocs football team from 1984-87. He was a two-time All-Conference performer and was named the John E. Green Student-Athlete of the Year in 1987. Her mother LeAnn was a cheerleader for the wrestling team from 1985-88 at UTC. She was born in 1999 in Nashville, Tenn., and plans to major in Biochemistry.
 
 
Abby Nipp
Brentwood, Tenn. | Father Ryan High School

Coach McKinney on Abby Nipp
 


In her senior year, Nipp helped the Fighting Irish to the Class AA state title and an undefeated season. Father Ryan was the 2013 state runner-up. She was a four-year starter for the Irish and received the Coach's Award in 2016. In 2015 she was named to the Tennessee State ODP team and was named the Father Ryan Best Corner in 2013.
 
Nipp played club ball for the Tennessee SC. In 2013 the team was the CASL Showcase U15 Girls Elite White champions. In 2014, Tennessee SC won five titles including the Tennessee State U15 Division I title and the CASL College Showcase U16 Girls White Elite. They were the 2014, 2015 Premier League Central Champions and won the Tennessee State title for U16. In 2016, Tennessee SC was the Tennessee State U17 Division I and the CASL Cast champions.
 
She is a three-year member of the Honor Roll and was named to the 2016 Academic Dean's List. In 2014 she was a member of the varsity track team.
 
Nipp is the daughter of Jennifer and Bill Nipp. Her mother played basketball and ran track at Centre College. Her brother Billy attends New Mexico State University where he is a linebacker for the Aggie football team. She has two younger siblings, Alex and Arin. She was born in Phoenix, Ariz., in 1999 and is planning to major in Biology.
 
 
 
Emily Szymanski
Spring Hill, Tenn. | Summit High School

Coach McKinney on Emily Szymanski
 


Szymanski was a four-year starter for the Summit High Spartans. She was a four-year member of the All-District team and was a three-time Offensive Player of the Year. She was the Spartan Award recipient and named team captain. Emily holds the school record for goals scored.
 
She played club ball for the Tennessee Soccer Club and served as team captain. In 2015 the Tennessee SC won the Wide World of Sports Disney Tournament. They finished second in the state in 2012, third in 2013 and twice were fourth. She played for the FC Alliance in 2016-17.
 
She is a four-year member of Summit High School's Honor Roll and was a member of the varsity basketball team for two seasons. She is a member of the Key Club, Summit Girls Coalition, HOSA and a volunteer for the Salvation Army.
 
She is the daughter of Becky and Greg Szymanski. Her older sister Amanda attends UTK and she has a younger brother, Matthew. She was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1998 and is undecided on her major.