Jodi Ulkekul is a local, who was raised outside the Seattle area. Growing up, Jodi played with Crossfire Premier for her entire youth club experience. Jodi played for her age group’s “B” team for 8 years until finally making the ECNL roster her last year. Because Jodi had a difficult time receiving interest from college coaches, she was thrilled when Gonzaga University gave her an opportunity to walk on to the team.

After a handful of games, Jodi became a consistent starter and significant contributor for the Zags. By spring of her sophomore year, Jodi was named co-captain and helped lead the program to develop into a consistent competitor at the conference and national levels.

After graduating with a degree in kinesiology with a fitness specialist concentration, Jodi went on to play professionally in Rome, Italy while completing a master’s degree in sports management and soccer coaching. Following a break due to COVID and injury, Jodi then played in Castellon, Spain for a season. After this, she moved back home to train with OL Reign and signed a temporary National Team Replacement Player contract. Then shortly after, she signed another contract to remain on the team for the rest of the season.

Jodi still trains as a player full-time while continuing to grow in the game by participating as a coach. Over the years, she earned her US Grassroots Coaching License in 2018, Coerver Coaching License in 2019 and became an ACSM Certified Exercise Physiologist in 2019. She works to encourage her players to overcome their obstacles in ways that strengthen their ability to fight adversity on and off the pitch. In her free time Jodi loves to be with family and friends, reading while enjoying a good cup of coffee, and traveling to new places!