The expansion Utah Royals and Bay FC selected North Carolina’s Ally Sentnor and Savy King, respectively, with the top two picks in the 2024 NWSL Draft.
Sentnor, a redshirt sophomore, was named ACC Midfielder of the Year in 2023 with 11 goals and seven assists. King started all 23 matches and led UNC in minutes (2,030) as a freshman.
Perhaps the biggest news to come out of the draft was the decision of the Washington Spirit to trade defender Sam Staab, who played every minute of every game in three of her five NWSL seasons, to the Chicago Red Stars and USWNT midfielder Ashley Sanchez to the North Carolina Courage.
With the third and fifth picks the Spirit received it selected Georgia midfielder Croix Bethune and Clemson’ midfielder’s Hal Hershfelt. It also received $250,000 in allocation money in the Sanchez trade.
Washington also took Clemson’s Makenna Morris and Penn State’s Kate Wiesner, giving it four first-round picks, the most of any team.
North Carolina had three players selected in the first round and six overall, the most of any school.
First Round
No. 1. Utah, MF Ally Sentnor. North Carolina
No. 2. Bay FC, DF Savy King, North Carolina
No. 3. Washington, MF Croix Bethune, Georgia
No. 4. Utah, FW Brecken Mozingo, BYU
No. 5. Washington, D/M Hal Hershfelt, Clemson
No. 6. Racing Louisville, FW Reilyn Turner, UCLA
No. 7. Washington, DF Kate Wiesner, Penn State
No. 8. Bay FC, DF Maya Doms, Stanford
No. 9. Orlando, MF Ally Lemos, UCLA
No. 10. Chicago, MF Leilanni Nesbeth, Florida State
No. 11. Portland, FW Payton Linnehan, Penn State
No. 12. San Diego, D/M Kennedy Wesley, Stanford
No. 13. Washington, DF Makenna Morris Clemson
No. 14. Gotham FC, DF Maycee Bell, North Carolina
*Underclassmen on U.S. U-20 national team.