By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech soccer team will welcome five incoming freshmen into the program, as head coach Steve Springthorpe and the Golden Eagles announced a series of key additions after the conclusion of Wednesday's annual National Letter of Intent Signing Day.

Taylor Clark, Katelyn Farmer, Kayla Lynch, Gabby Garcia and Meredith Nye will be the latest to throw on the purple and gold, bolstering an already promising Tech squad that said goodbye to just four seniors at the end of the 2019 campaign. The group of five incoming Golden Eagle rookies comes on the heels of TTU's last year's largest signing class of the Springthorpe era with 12 freshmen on this past season's team.

"Because we are still a very young team with all those freshmen that came in last year, and since we are only graduating four players, we specifically looked for certain needs with this incoming class and didn't look to make a massively large roster in the process," Springthorpe said. "I believe all five of these players will have the opportunity to get on the field right away and help us. They all have the ability to contribute quickly and continue the growth of our program so we can get back to a level of play we routinely expect out of our team."

A two-sport athlete while at Lambert High School in Suwanee, Ga., Taylor Clark comes to Cookeville with a sturdy athletic resume in her back pocket. Named the Offensive MVP in both soccer and basketball, Clark shined on the pitch in leading her team to a 2017 state title, a 2019 state finals appearance and two regional championships throughout her high-school tenure. As a junior, the Cumming, Ga. native scored nine goals and collected seven assists, and from an academic perspective, Clark has been a member of the National Honors Society and on her high school's honor roll.

"With Taylor, we found her specifically at our ID camp after she made contact with us and let us know she had interest in coming here with an idea that it had the potential to be a good fit," Springthorpe said, on the only one of the five newcomers from the state of Georgia. "After we saw her play we were confident that Taylor could help our team and be a great fit for our program going forward. She is a very good athlete, who is strong and physically aggressive."

From a club perspective, Clark has been an offensive force throughout her time with Atlanta Fire United of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). With this year's campaign still in progress, the incoming 5-foot-5 freshman currently has 23 career goals and 31 career assists in over three years on the squad.

"Taylor has performed at a high level on the outside throughout her high school and club career and will more than likely play as a winger for us," Springthorpe said. "I could see her maybe play as an outside back over time, but we really like her speed and ability to get forward. She will fit in seamlessly with what we like to have on the outsides."

One of two in the class from the state of Kentucky, Katelyn Farmer joins the Golden Eagles after an impressive career at Assumption High School in Louisville that saw the incoming TTU rookie collect a series of honors and awards throughout a four-year tenure. Farmer was named an All-Region second-teamer, a two-time All-Region honorable mention and secured a spot on the All-Region tournament team while suiting up as a midfielder.

"We've had the chance to get to know and see Katelyn play and are confident that she can help us improve our team from the get go," Springthorpe said. "Due to some of the departures of this year's senior class, one of the areas we need to improve on going forward is play from our holding midfielders. We graduate two starters at that position, so there is a real need for us to find a player that can step in there and contribute immediately and we believe Katelyn has the potential to do that for us."

Farmer also helped pace her high-school squad to three district championships and a pair of regional finals appearances. While suiting up for the Kentucky Fire Juniors in the club ranks, the Louisville native helped lead her team to a state cup title and a state cup finals appearance. Academically, Farmer showcased her potential as a member of the National Honors Society in high school.

"Athletically, Katelyn has good size, is solid in the air, but also likes the ball at her feet because of her ability to make passes and create," Springthorpe said. "She understands the game extremely well and keeps it simple in the way she sees things out there. I'm confident she can give us stability in front of our back four and play a particular style we like to play."

Gabby Garcia will enter her Tech tenure with an imposing collection of honors and achievements gained during a star-studded prep tenure while at Elizabethtown High School in Elizabethtown, Ky. A two-time Region Offensive Player of the Year, Garcia was also recognized twice on the All-State second team, was named the Region Sophomore of the Year and was twice named her team's Offensive Player of the Year. A dynamic force throughout her four years with the program, the 5-foot-3 incoming freshman scored 70 goals and notched 31 career assists in 70 career games in high school. Garcia was also a four-year member of her high school's academic honor roll.

"We identified Gabby a few years back and have had the chance to get to know her for a while now," Springthorpe said. "She's a great player from the state of Kentucky, who has had an awesome high-school career. What we like about Gabby is that she is an attack-oriented player that can play anywhere from an attacking midfielder to a target forward or out wide. She gives us that kind of flexibility on the offensive end of things."

Garcia teamed up with fellow incoming Golden Eagle freshman Katelyn Farmer on the Kentucky Fire Juniors and also suited up in the Kentucky Olympic Development Program.

"Gabby is fast, aggressive, wants to score, has the ability to finish and can certainly play well with others," Springthorpe continued. "I think it's another exciting attacking player that we've added to what is ultimately an already good group of attacking players that are currently on our team. We have moved from more of a defensive-minded group to one that is looking to score more goals, so the addition of a player like Gabby adds to our depth, but she will also have the chance to start from the onset and challenge some of the other players on our team."

Kayla Lynch, who is set to enroll at Tech in the spring, doesn't have to go far with her commitment to the program after enjoying a strong run as a Cavalier at Cookeville High School. Named District MVP and her team's overall midfield MVP, Lynch scored 21 goals and added 11 assists as a junior, while helping lead her team to a district title. Set to graduate early, the 5-foot-2 incoming TTU rookie is a four-year honor student at Cookeville HS with a 4.34 cumulative GPA.

"Kayla is a local player who we have become very familiar with and are excited about her addition," Springthorpe said. "Her sister, Kendall, was a member of our program, so we had the chance to get to know the type of player Kayla is and can be. We are happy she made the decision to come and play at Tennessee Tech and are looking forward to her joining us in the spring."

From a club perspective, Lynch suited up as both a member of the Tennessee Soccer Club and the Nashville United Soccer Academy.

"Kayla is an attack midfielder that could play up top a little bit if we wanted to, but I think ultimately she'll end up as an attacking midfielder for us," Springthorpe noted. "She's aggressive, good on the dribble, has a very competitive style about her and I think she'll perform at a high level for us over the next four years."

A two-sport athlete that suited up in soccer and basketball at Madison Academic Magnet in Jackson, Tenn., Meredith Nye brings a wealth of accolades into her collegiate career in Cookeville. On the pitch, Nye is a four-time All-District performer, a two-time All-Region player and a two-time District MVP that helped lead her squad to three district championships, four region titles and four state quarterfinalist appearances. The Jackson, Tenn. native scored 85 goals in four years, highlighted by 36 scores as a senior, while adding 29 assists throughout her career as well. 

On the hardwood, the 5-foot-6 incoming Golden Eagle freshman was twice named to the All-District team and twice named to the All-Tournament team. In the classroom, Nye is a National Honors Society member and ranks third in her class with a 4.0 GPA. 

"Meredith comes from the same club team as one of our current players, Sarah Block, so we are familiar with her and what she can bring to the table," Springthorpe remarked. "Meredith is an outside back, who is also a very smart student that is academically top notch. You can see with her play on the field that she possesses a strong thought process that allows her to perform at a high level. Meredith understands exactly where she needs to be on the field and has a great overall understanding of the game of soccer."

As a member of the 01 Lady Wolves in the club ranks, Nye helped guide her team to two Tennessee State championships as well as a President's Cup finals appearance. While on the 01 Lobos, the incoming Tech rookie helped pace her squad to a Tennessee State championship and a national finalist appearance in 2019.

"We are excited that Meredith chose to come here and that she wants to continue her playing career at Tennessee Tech," Springthorpe said. "We are confident that she will bring a lot to our program and can give us depth at outside back, but will also have the chance to step on the field right away."