To know Colorado State soccer is to know the number 47.
First-year forward Ava Wallhead has quickly made her mark on the CSU program in not only her first collegiate season but also in the program’s inaugural Pac-12 season.
Wallhead is originally from across the border in Laramie, Wyoming, but made her way to Fort Collins this fall after committing last November.
“I really liked Keeley and all the coaching staff,” Wallhead said. “I liked how this team is family, and I just love how people keep each other accountable.”
That decision seems to be the right path for her, especially with the exceptional performances she has had in the past eight games of the season. And it’s caught the attention of head coach Keeley Hagen.
“She’s learning a lot, and again, I just tell every single one of my players, it’s like controlling the controllables,” Hagen said. “You have to work your tail off, and good things happen when you do.”
Those early accomplishments she’s had wouldn’t have come to fruition without the motivative environment she plays in.
“All of those older players, especially Bridget (Arnold), Avery (Boulom) (and) Mia (Casey), they’ve been really big role models for me,” Wallhead said. “They always keep everyone accountable (with) their work rate during practice or even off the field. They’re always keeping people accountable and showing what it means to be a captain and a leader on a team.”
Wallhead put up many firsts during the season opener against Colorado. Her first collegiate goal, the first and only Rams goal of the game and the first goal as a team within the Pac-12.
“That was such a cool moment that I really don’t forget,” Wallhead said. “Just scoring that one and then looking at my teammates, it brought me so much confidence and hope that we can play these high level teams and compete with them.”
Even with all those firsts, the transition from club to collegiate soccer can be a challenge, but new challenges are something Wallhead has experienced before.
In 2025, she was named captain of the U17 U.S. Olympic Development Program team for the Torneo Internazionale de Calcio Italia tournament and came away from it with a 3-0 record.
“It was such an honor to just even be there, being a girl from Wyoming,” Wallhead said. “It’s not really heard of, but honestly, I just had such a good time. It was just such a cool opportunity to just be there and to play against all these really high level players.”
With the success of the tournament, Wallhead was able to find ways to make the pressures that accompany playing soccer seem less intense.
“I do a lot of meditations (and) stuff,” Wallhead said. “My relationships and my faith are really important to me as well. The main thing is, I just try to just enjoy it and just remember my passion for the game, even when it gets hard. I just remember I love to play.”
Soccer isn’t the only sport Wallhead has found success in. In high school, another outlet for her was track.
“It was kind of a nice break from soccer, and my twin sister and I loved to do it together,” Wallhead said.
Wallhead shattered the previous Laramie indoor track and field girls’ long jump record of 17 feet, 5 1/2 inches by nearly a foot, landing at 18 feet, 5 inches.
“It was just honestly a really fun event to do,” Wallhead said. “I was on a lot of the relay teams, and did a lot of the sprinting and placed in that (event at) state. I started track when I was, like, a sophomore, and then I did a lot of sprinting, then my senior year of high school, I did long jump. Then I broke the record, and it was honestly just a really fun event to do.”
What isn’t seen on the field or in her records is what Wallhead does in her time away from competing.
“I love being outdoors,” Wallhead said. “I love hiking. I love hanging out with my family and friends, just doing anything that’s outdoors.”
Every athlete is more than the performance they put up on the field, and it can be a struggle if you don’t have a person to connect with. For Wallhead, her twin sister Chloe Wallhead is that person.
Despite being 632 miles away, as Chloe Wallhead plays for Northern State University, a Division II program in South Dakota, the two still make time for each other.
“Honestly it is really hard, but we try to call every day,” Ava Wallhead said. “Our relationship is really good, and I think she’s also enjoying her experience. I’m just happy for her, and it’s so cool that we get to have these different opportunities.”
Only eight games into the season, and the first-year has already found ways to make a name for herself, but none of it comes without hard work and dreams for what the rest of the season will look like.
“There’s a lot of work, and it’s a process,” Ava Wallhead said. “I have so much hope in our team, and I know that we’ve worked really hard and that we’ll continue to work hard. So hopefully moving forward, we’ll learn from these obstacles and then win the championship.”
Reach Abigail Wood at sports@collegian.com or on social media @Abigaiil_Wood.
