"I fell in love with the campus on my first visit," Newland said. "I like the warm climate. I've got family living in Phoenix."

WTC head women's coach Fanta Cooper said Newland's role was leading the defense."Rikki's role has been to shore up the defense," Cooper said. "She was a leader during her freshman season and it carried over to last season. We had a strong defense with her out there."

Newland said Cooper helped her the past two years become a better player."It's hard to believe that I'm leaving WTC," Newland said. "I appreciated everything coach Cooper did for me. I plan to complete work on a bachelor of arts in business and play two more years of soccer in Arizona."