Washington Spirit signs five 1st and 2nd round draft picks

Washington Spirit  |   March 4, 2019
Washington Spirit signs five 1st and 2nd round draft picks Featured Image

Boyds, Md. (March 4, 2019) – The Washington Spirit has signed all five players selected by the club in the 2019 NWSL College Draft, prior to the start of preseason training camp this week. Ranging from the No. 3 overall pick to No. 17, each of the five players were taken in the first two rounds of the draft on Jan. 10 in Chicago.

Washington’s draft class includes first-round picks Jordan DiBiasi, Sam Staab, Tegan McGrady and Dorian Bailey, and second-round pick Bayley Feist. Per league and team rules, the terms of the deals were not disclosed.

“We feel we’ve drafted five top players who can all contribute right away in this league, and we believe making an immediate commitment to them is important,” said Spirit Head Coach Richie Burke. “We’ve got five young stars of the future and I’m really looking forward to integrating them into our squad.”

DiBiasi, Washington’s first pick in the draft at No. 3 overall, had an illustrious career at Stanford during her four seasons at the program from 2015-2018. She appeared in 92 games, scoring 31 goals and assisting 25 more. She was named All-America first team, and was a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist as a senior.

Staab, drafted No. 4 overall, recently completed her distinguished NCAA career with Clemson, finishing tied for fourth in program history with 33 assists. The one-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year was recently named to the All-America third team for 2018.

McGrady was selected with the No. 7 pick, joining DiBiasi and Andi Sullivan as the third Stanford player drafted in the first round by Washington over the past two years. McGrady helped Stanford win the 2017 NCAA National Championship alongside DiBiasi and Sullivan. The U.S. Women’s National Team prospect earned All-America third team honors for her final NCAA season.  

Bailey was drafted by the Spirit with the No. 8 overall pick in January out of the University of North Carolina. She finished her career with 17 goals and 17 assists, appearing in 86 games. Seven of her goals were game-winners for the legendary Tar Heels program.

Feist heard her name called with the No. 17 selection during the second round. She netted 22 goals and assisted 10 more during her illustrious career with Wake Forest. She finished her career tied for 10th on the program’s all-time scoring list, and earn All-ACC honors each of the past two years.

Washington’s 2019 preseason game schedule kicks off March 16 at City Stadium in Richmond, Va. against James Madison University. [TICKETS]

Tickets for all four Spirit preseason games and the regular season home opener against Sky Blue FC on April 13 are available now at Tickets.WashingtonSpirit.com.

Jordan DiBiasi
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-6
Hometown: Highlands Ranch, Colo.
College: Stanford

Sam Staab
Position: Defender
Height: 5-7
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
College: Clemson

Tegan McGrady
Position: Defender/Forward
Height: 5-6
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
College: Stanford

Dorian Bailey
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-6
Hometown: Mission, Kan.
College: North Carolina

Bayley Feist
Position: Forward / Midfielder
Height: 5-6
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
College: Wake Forest

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