Cary, NC (January 9, 2019) – The North Carolina Courage travel to Chicago on Thursday, January 10 for the 2019 NWSL College Draft. This is the third year the reigning NWSL champions participate in the draft which will start at 12 noon ET from the Skyline Ballroom at McCormick Place.

Head Coach Paul Riley will be joined by President and GM Curt Johnson, Technical Advisor Charlie Naimo as well as assistant coaches Scott Vallow, Sean Nahas and Nathan Thackeray, and VP of Operations and NC Courage Assistant GM Bobby Hammond at the Courage’s table in Chicago. The group will look to select the right players who will continue the excellence established in 2018 as they prepare to defend the NWSL Championship title. “The draft is a special day on the calendar,” said Riley. “Hopes abound and all these players have committed a substantial part of their lives to growing in the sport. This day won’t define them because it’s their habits that will dictate how far they go. We are looking forward to giving some of these players a fantastic opportunity and hopefully an environment which they can embrace and improve” The NC Courage will have the fifth and ninth selections in the first round of the draft, the 14th in the second round, and the 36th in the fourth round. The Courage acquired the fifth selection from the Houston Dash as part of the Allysha Chapman trade in May of 2018. The ninth selection was acquired in the Darian Jenkins trade with Seattle Reign FC last December, and the 14th selection arrived in an early 2018 season trade with Seattle for Merritt Mathias. In the 2017 NWSL College Draft, Ashley Hatch was the NC Courage’s first ever draft pick. Hatch, who was selected second overall, went on to be the 2017 NWSL Rookie of the Year. Jenkins was drafted seventh overall in 2017, followed by Claire Wagner selected 20th, and Jaycie Johnson selected 27th. In 2018, the NC Courage selected Frannie Crouse as the 10th overall pick in the first round. In the second round, Rebecca Rasmussen was selected 20th. Former Duke standout Morgan Reid, Carlin Hudson, and Ryan Williams were all selected in the fourth round. The League will live stream the 2019 NWSL College Draft via: Facebook.com/NWSL, YouTube.com/NWSL and NWSLsoccer.com/CollegeDraft, as well as on the NWSL App (iTunes App Store | Google Play). The defending NWSL Champions and Shield-winners are looking forward to another successful NWSL College Draft and bringing more talent to Cary, North Carolina. Click here for a full list of players eligible for the 2019 NWSL College Draft.