| Ellie Wheeler | |
| Full Name: | Ellis Nicole Wheeler[1] |
| Birth Date: | 14 December 2001 |
| Height: | 5 ft 7 in |
| Position: | Defender |
| Currentclub: | Kansas City Current |
| Clubnumber: | 5 |
| Collegeyears1: | 2020–2023 |
| College1: | Penn State Nittany Lions |
| Collegecaps1: | 77 |
| Collegegoals1: | 3 |
| Years1: | 2024– |
| Clubs1: | Kansas City Current |
| Caps1: | 13 |
| Goals1: | 1 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2020 |
| Nationalteam1: | United States U-19 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | July 20, 2024 |
Ellis Nicole Wheeler (born December 14, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for the Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She played college soccer for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Current in the second round of the 2024 NWSL Draft.
Wheeler grew up in Fairfax Station, Virginia, the daughter of Scott and Nicole Wheeler, and has two brothers.[2] [3] She played club soccer as a forward for FC Virginia of the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), leading her division in goals in 2015–16. She committed to the Pennsylvania State University in March 2017.[4]
Wheeler was a four-year starter for the Penn State Nittany Lions from 2020 to 2023.[2] She was converted to a defender at the college level, moving to wing back for her first season and then center back in the team's back three as a sophomore.[5] As a junior, she helped the team win the 2022 Big Ten tournament.[3] She recorded three goals and six assists over 77 appearances.[2]
The Kansas City Current selected Wheeler 18th overall in the second round of the 2024 NWSL Draft, the team's highest pick of the night.[6] She was signed to a one-year contract with a one-year option in March 2024.[7] In the season opener on March 16, she scored the second goal in the Current's 5–4 home win against the Portland Thorns.[8]
Wheeler participated in Virginia's Olympic Development Program in 2013 and 2014.[4] She was called into a training camp with the United States national under-17 team in July 2018.[9] She was rostered with the national under-19 team for a friendly tournament in Spain in February–March 2020.[10] While in college, she played friendlies with the national under-23 team against NWSL clubs in the 2023 preseason.[11]