Wildcats Add 11 Newcomers for 2022 Season

DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire women's soccer program, led by ninth-year head coach Steve Welham, has announced that 11 newcomers will join the team for the 2022 season.

Name	Yr.	Pos.	Ht.	Hometown	High School (previous school)
Grace Burcaw	Fr.	B	5-6	Nazareth, Pa.	Moravian Academy
Delaney Diltz	R-Fr.	B	5-7	San Diego, Calif.	Cathedral Catholic (Creighton)
Elaina Grenz	Fr.	F	5-6	River Edge, N.J.	River Dell Regional
Gudrun Haralz	Gr.	F	5-7	Kópavogur, Iceland	Verzlunarskóli Íslands (U. of Miami)
Lily Johnson	Fr.	M	5-4	Wykcoff, N.J.	Ramapo
Maddie Kolb	Fr.	B	5-7	Tolland, Conn.	Tolland
Abbi Maier	Fr.	M	5-3	Cincinnati, Ohio	Mount Notre Dame
Mary Muller	Fr.	F	5-5	Westmoreland, N.Y.	Westmoreland
Lauren Ruth	Sr.	M	5-3	North Wales, Pa.	North Penn (Delaware)
Maddy Warren	Gr.	F	5-9	West Covina, Calif.	South Hills (Texas Christian)
Beth Winnor	Fr.	B	5-3	Hidden Valley, Pa.	Greensburg Central Catholic

"We are very excited about this exceptional group of young women," Welham said. "It is a very balanced class that brings in talented youth combined with experienced and successful veterans. We brought in seven freshmen and four transfers that will add talent, substance, maturity and success to our program.

"We have gone right up the spine of the team starting in the back line, through the midfield and of course the front line," Welham added. "I speak for the coaching staff when I say we are really looking forward to working with these young women and meld them into our current team which we feel has the foundation and platform to achieve great things."

Grace Burcaw ~ Fr. ~ B ~ 5-6
Nazareth, Pa. ~ Moravian Academy
Grace was a three-time team Defensive MVP at Moravian Academy and led the Lions to four consecutive district championships, including one as a senior captain in 2021. She also served as captain of her ECNL club team for three years and is a Lehigh Valley Soccer Scholar-Athlete nominee.

Played club for both Match Fit Academy and Lehigh Valley United
High Honor Roll all four years at Moravian
President's Education Awards Program as a junior (all A's every semester)
Jo-Patricia Stiles Carlock Award (art award)
Grand Concours National French Competition silver and bronze medalist
David and Miriam Devey Award (faculty chosen award for leadership)
Captain of school's FRC robotics team
Two years on student council

Coach Welham: Grace Burcaw is your steady and consistent defender. Grace has the ability to play anywhere along the back line. She reads the game well and understands positioning along with being a vocal leader. This will help Grace develop and add depth to our back line.

Delaney Diltz ~ R-Fr. ~ B ~ 5-7
San Diego, Calif. ~ Cathedral Catholic High School ~ Creighton University
Delaney was an All-County First Team and All-Conference First Team selection as a junior and senior at Cathedral Catholic; the Dons were conference and sectional champs and finished third in the state both years. She was also an All-Region First Team honoree as a junior, when the team was also regional champs. Delaney did not play a match last season as a freshman at Creighton.

Olympic Developmental Program player pool in 2017 and 2018
Played club for the Del Mar Carmel Valley Sharks for 11 years
Cathedral Catholic Scholar Athlete all four years
Three-time UT All-Academic Team (2019, 2020, 2021)
Two-time CIF Scholar-Athlete (2020, 2021)
Two-time All-Western League Academic Team (2020, 2021)
All-Conference Second Team and All-County Second Team as a sophomore
2017 San Diego Girls Soccer All-Star Team
Also lettered in track & field

Coach Welham: Delaney Diltz, who transferred from Creighton University and has all four years of eligibility remaining, brings size, strength and power to our back line. We originally recruited Delaney out of high school and we are so happy we got her on the second time of asking. Strong in the tackle, powerful, versatile and a vocal leader are ways to describe Delaney. She has the attributes to make a positive impact here at UNH.

Elaina Grenz ~ Fr. ~ F ~ 5-6
River Edge, N.J. ~ River Dell Regional High School
Elaina was selected to both the All-County First Team and All-League First Team as both a sophomore and senior at River Dell Regional.

Top 20 North 1 Region honoree
Academic honors included Principals List and Honor Roll

Coach Welham: Elaina Grenz loves to go 1-v-1 and has the ability to beat multiple opponents off the dribble. Elaina possesses a deadly left foot that can strike from range or inside the box. She has the prototypical frame for a winger and has great potential and ability to score goals.

Gudrun Haralz ~ Grad Student ~ F ~ 5-7
Kópavogur, Iceland ~ Verzlunarskóli Íslands ~ University of Miami
Gudrun was a four-year member of the University of Miami women's soccer team and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology and Psychology with a 3.70 cumulative grade-point average. In three seasons – Gudrun missed a year because of injury – she recorded 10 goals and two assists for a total of 22 points in 47 games (44 starts).

Played for the U16, U17 and U19 national team of Iceland from 2015-18 and scored 14 goals in 24 games
Started all 16 matches as a redshirt junior at Miami in 2021 and scored a goal against No. 1-ranked Florida State
Played all 13 matches with 10 starts as a redshirt sophomore in 2020
Redshirt season in 2019
Started all 18 matches as a freshman in 2018, when she led the team in goals (seven), game-winning goals (two) and points (16); she tied for second in assists (two)
2018 graduate of Verzlunarskóli Íslands High School

Coach Welham: Gudrun Haralz is a very fast, athletic, dynamic attacking presence. Gudrun is a proven goal scorer at the Power 5 level. She has the ability to score inside the box. Her runs and instincts in the box will pay dividends in a Wildcat uniform. She is not only a poacher in the box but can beat you with pace and aggression outside of it. We really liked Gudrun from her high school days back home and we are very happy that she becomes a Wildcat this year while obtaining her MBA in the Peter T. Paul School of Business and our first Icelandic player.

Lily Johnson ~ Fr. ~ M ~ 5-4
Wyckoff, N.J. ~ Ramapo
Lily was a Top 20 player in the state whose other recognition included All-Region, All-Section and Top 20 North 1 Region.

Played club for both NYCFC Development Academy and World Class ECNL
Captained both her club and high school teams
Big North Conference First Team as a senior
County tournament finalist as a senior
As a sophomore, recorded eight goals and seven assists to lead Ramapo to the Bergen County championship

Coach Welham: Lily Johnson is your box-to-box midfielder and can also play on the front line. Lily has an outstanding work ethic and will cover a ton of ground which is key in our pressing style of play. LJ is very dynamic, technical, aggressive, smart and consistent in her play. We are looking forward to her contributions.

Maddie Kolb. ~ Fr. ~ B ~ 5-7
Tolland, Conn. ~ Tolland High School
Maddie received All-New England, All-State and All-Conference recognition as a senior, the only year she played soccer at Tolland High School. She was also named to the All-Academic Team.

Played club for Oakwood and FSC
Two-time national finalist at the Oceanside CA girls playoff week
National finalist at the IMG Academy girls playoffs week
Three-time Honor Roll
Also lettered in basketball and tennis

Coach Welham: Maddie Kolb is another player with great versatility. Maddie can play as a central defender, outside back, or defensive central midfielder. Maddie will bring a presence to our team with shutdown defensive capabilities along with the ability to build and start the play from the back. Size, strength and power are what comes to mind when I think of Maddie.

Abbi Maier ~ Fr. ~ M ~ 5-3
Cincinnati, Ohio ~ Mount Notre Dame
Abbi was a three-time All-Conference First Team selection at Mount Notre Dame High School. As a senior captain, she led the Cougars to their first OHSAA D1 soccer state championship and also garnered All-City Team and team MVP honors.

U.S. Youth Futsal National Team; 2017 trips to Costa Rica and Canada (named team MVP); 2018 trip to Portugal (team captain)
Played club for Ohio Elite SA
Played in the National Selection Game at ECNL Florida
Led Mount Notre Dame to first undefeated regular season in school history as a junior
MND won first district title in school history as a freshman
Academic Class rank was 4 of 198
Billiart Scholar
Earned First Honors every semester
AP Scholar

Coach Welham: Abbi Maier is a very dynamic and technical midfielder who can play anywhere in both the midfield and front line. Abbi possesses a very high soccer IQ, a tremendous engine and can play the decisive pass in the final third. She is very dangerous in small, tight areas and is capable of finding the pass that breaks down compact defenses. Abbi will be a handful to defend.

Mary Muller ~ Fr. ~ F ~ 5-5
Westmoreland, N.Y. ~ Westmoreland High School
Mary was a two-time All-State Team selection and four-time Center State Conference All-Star at Westmoreland. She scored 40 goals as a sophomore and was named Forward of the Year. She was also named a Mohawk Valley All-Star as a junior and senior.

Played club for Syracuse Development Academy Utica
Scored 94 career goals at Westmoreland
Rookie of the Year recipient
Academic honors include National Honors Society, Advanced Regents Diploma and Michelle Jackson Award
Also lettered in track & field

Coach Welham: Mary Muller is a tough, hard-nosed attacking player who loves to press the ball. She can play anywhere across the front line and is a tireless worker. We are excited about her potential contributions, and she is another player that has the potential to score goals.

Lauren Ruth ~ Sr. ~ M ~ 5-3
North Wales, Pa. ~ North Penn High School ~ University of Delaware
Lauren was a three-year letterwinner and played in 30 matches at the University of Delaware. In just three years at Delaware, she earned a bachelor's degree in Health Behavior Science with a 3.40 cumulative grade-point average. She will be pursuing a master's degree in nursing at UNH.

Three-time CAA Commissioner's Honor Roll
Played club for Continental FC Delco
Scored a total of 100 goals in four years of high school
Ranked 77^th nationally and third in the state by Top Drawer Soccer
Attended North Penn as a senior following three years of high school at Archbishop Wood
Graduated from North Penn early to attend Delaware in spring 2019 semester
All-Conference First Team and Honor Roll in her lone season at North Penn
All-Catholic Team selection all three years at Archbishop Wood
Won the PCL championship at Archbishop Wood in 2016

Coach Welham: Lauren Ruth comes to us from the University of Delaware and has two years of eligibility remaining. Lauren is a versatile and dynamic player who is ferocious in pressing and tackling. These are key attributes in our pressing game. Not only does Lauren possess these qualities, she also has the ability to play multiple positions on the field. We are very happy to finally have Lauren here in Durham as we lost out on her the first time.

Maddy Warren ~ Gr. ~ F ~ 5-9
West Covina, Calif. ~ South Hills ~ Texas Christian University
Maddy was a four-year letterwinner at Texas Christian University who earned a Business Administration bachelor's degree with a 3.65 cumulative GPA. She played in 72 matches (20 starts) with totals of 11 goals and six assists for 28 points, and was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team in 2018. TCU advanced to the NCAA tournament all four years.

Four-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team member
Golden Key International Honor Society
Dean's Honor List
As a senior in 2021, played in 21 of 24 games with three points (one goal, one assist)
As a junior in 2020, played in 14 games with five starts and four points (two goals); that included a goal in the NCAA tourney second round win
As a sophomore in 2019, played 18 games with four starts and five points (two goals, one assist)
As a freshman in 2018, played all 21 games with 11 starts and became the first freshman since 2014 to lead the team in scoring with 16 points; tied for the team lead with six goals; career highs in goals (two) and points (four) at Arkansas Little Rock
Played club for Slammers FC; three-year national playoff qualifier
2018 graduate of South Hills High School
Recorded 72 goals and 171 points at South Hills; both numbers rank second in program history
Holds South Hills single-season records for goals (35), goals per game (1.40) and points (78)
Four-time recipient of academic all-league award
San Gabriel Valley Tribune All-Area Player of the Year in 2018

Coach Welham: Maddy Warren is another proven goal scorer from the Power 5 level who has helped her previous school to new heights culminating in a run to the Sweet 16 last season. Maddy has the ability to play back to goal, link with the midfield and drop deep to combine and help create the attack. Importantly, Maddy can score both from inside and outside the box with either foot. She is smart and has very good awareness in and around the box leading her to also help create goals as well as score them. Maddy will also look to obtain her MBA from the Peter T. Paul School of Business this year.

Beth Winnor ~ Fr. ~ B ~ 5-3
Hidden Valley, Pa. ~ Greensburg Central Catholic High School
Beth was a four-time All-Section Team and two-time All-Conference Team selection at Greensburg Central Catholic. She led GCC to the WPIAL title as a junior and the team was the WPIAL runner-up in her sophomore and senior seasons.

Played club for Pittsburgh Riverhounds Development Academy
GCC finished as state runner-up in 2020 and 2021
Four-time section champion

Coach Welham: Beth is a talented, dynamic and fast wide player and we feel is best suited as an attacking outside back or winger. She is technically very sound and has the ability to get forward in the attack and also defend very well 1v1. We are excited about her upside and potential contributions to our team.

These newcomers join a UNH program that advanced to the America East championship game last season; after advancing on penalty kicks in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, the Wildcats were edged 1-0 on a late goal in the title game.

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Wildcats Add 11 Newcomers for 2022 Season

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