Black Hills State women's soccer and head coach Andrew Conniff have announced six signees for the 2022 season.

The six include two each from Colorado and South Dakota, one from Montana and one from Florida.

"I am really excited about this group's athletic ability," said Conniff. "Some of these players have real versatility in terms of their ability to play different positions. Whereas others bring some unique quality at their primary position. I expect that we will see an immediate increase in training and competition levels as these players enter the program."

Rylee Barnes
Barnes is a 5-3 defender from Flathead High School in Kalispell, Mont. where she will graduate first in her class with a perfect 4.0. During her time on the pitch, she totaled three goals and 12 assists with all three goals scored in her senior year.

Barnes was a captain of the team both her junior and senior years while earning Academic All-State all four years, Defender of the Year as a junior and First Team All-State as a senior.

She was also a member of club teams Montana ODP and Flathead Valley United. She totaled two goals and 10 assists with Flathead Valley United as the team won the Montana State Cup in 2019. With Montana ODP she tallied two goals and seven assists.

"Rylee is an extremely athletic outside back," said Conniff. "She made up her mind on Black Hills State early and we are fortunate to have this quality of student and athlete coming to join our program."

Leah Day
Day is a 5-5 midfielder from Brighton High School in Colorado where she has been a team captain all four years. In her junior season, she scored five goals and tallied six assists before an injury sidelined her for the remainder of the season.

Day has played in the state cup every year, and was named All-Conference First Team as a freshman and Honorable Mention as a junior. She also played soccer for the Broomfield Club. In addition to soccer, she ran track and cross country, and also played basketball.

"Leah is a center midfielder who has a very complete game," Conniff said. "Leah plays her club soccer at an extremely high level. She is a great fit for how we would like a center mid to play."

Kamara Jager
Jager is a 5-6 defender out of Rapid City Central High School where she lettered every year, and also played for Black Hills Rapids Club. At Central, Jager was awarded Second Team All-State as a Junior before earning Top Defensive Player as a senior.

In 2021, she helped the team to Regionals in Saint Louis after the team advanced to All-State in 2020, but couldn't advance further due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Mara is an extremely physical and brave defender," Conniff said. "Over the past year I've seen her take some real strides in improving her game. We are excited to have this type of competitor join the program."

Bresha Keegan
Keegan is a 5-9 defender and midfielder from Stevens High School in Rapid City. She has been named Best Defensive Player all four years and has played in two state championships. During her time in high school, she started 43 games, played in 46, and totaled one goal and an assist.

As a Freshman she was named SDHSAA Second Team All-State before earning First Team All-State as a sophomore. Her junior year, she garnered First Team All-State again, and was also named Senior Co-Captain before playing in the All-Star game as a senior.

"Bresha is an elite athlete with size and pace, yet still has excellent control of the ball," said Conniff. "Bresha has the ability to play at several different positions and we are eager to see where she may fit in."

Nittany Vega
Vega is a 5-6 goalkeeper from Timber Creek High School in Orlando, Fla. The younger sister of current football student-athlete Victor Vega, Nittany Vega has been a three-year letterwinner in soccer, and two-year in lacrosse while also being named to the All-Academic Team.

She was a 7A District 4 Runner Up her sophomore year and helped her team to the Florida State Cup Elite Eight in 2019. In her junior year, she helped the team record a school-record 10 consecutive shutouts. Vega also played for the Florida Kraze Krush from 2018-20.

"Nittany is a goalkeeper who has very good technique and understanding of the game," said Conniff. "She will join our three other goalkeepers and hopefully challenge to raise the performance level."

Ainsley Wilson
Wilson is a 5-8 defender from Mountain View High School in Loveland, Colo. who will graduate fourth in her class with a 4.2 GPA. On the pitch, she has totaled one goal and three assists on nine shots, while accumulating 286 steals.

She was a team captain for her senior season, and was named All-Conference in her sophomore and junior seasons. Wilson also played for the United Soccer Club Team.

"Ainsley is another player with real versatility and athleticism," Conniff said. "She predominantly plays in defensive positions and has real confidence playing on the left side of defense."