365betÌåÓýÔÚÏßÊÀ½ç±­

College athletics in today’s age comes with a lot of moving parts. The landscape changes constantly and consistency can be hard to come by.

Yavapai College women’s soccer commit Haley Cody knows what it is like to have changes in scenery, and she has used her knowledge to find a new home not far from her own.

The multisport athlete started her high school career at Northland Preparatory Academy before transferring to Flagstaff High School to truly pursue her goal of playing soccer in college. Until around that point, playing after high school wasn’t on her radar.

“I wasn’t really looking to play in college in the first place, but I was really pushed to by my dad,� Cody said.

Cody said her father mentioned how much she talked to him about soccer and how she had improved over the years. From that point on, Cody’s focus was set on being a student-athlete at the college level.

The first two years at NPA were pivotal steppingstones for Cody. Her original plan was to pursue a playing career in college softball. Cody had a .330 batting average across her 42 games with the Spartans as a freshman and sophomore. She belted 33 RBIs on 38 hits and also scored 38 times, according to MaxPreps.

She also saw a major jump in playing time in her sophomore season for the NPA girls varsity soccer team, registering 700 minutes played across 19 games. She scored one goal and three assists en route to the team’s 20-2 season and 2A state championship in 2022.

“I had a really successful sophomore season at NPA, and I was really wanting to go for softball, but then I changed my mind,� Cody said. “I saw that soccer had a bigger impact on me.�

Cody also cited her move to a different club soccer team around the time she transferred to Flagstaff as a driving point of her focus and training.

It was clear to Cody after her sophomore year that she needed a bigger scene to make her college soccer goals a reality. As a Sinagua Middle School graduate, the move to a smaller high school was a drastic change. She originally picked NPA because of its coaching staff but transferred to Flagstaff High mainly for athletics. Cody said the move across town was also tough because much of her family went to Coconino High School.

“My mom and I had a long discussion on whether to go to Flag High or Coco,� Cody said. “My mom really liked Flag High because of the Native American club there.�

As a senior with Flagstaff softball, Cody batted .310 in 27 games played. She accumulated 10 RBIs on 22 hits. The Eagles went 19-10-1 last season, including a 9-3 record in Grand Canyon Region play. In girls soccer, Flagstaff went 4-9-3 in the 2024-25 season.

“At Flag High, we had tougher opponents,� Cody said. “That was the toughest part for me, going against bigger opponents. That’s how I learned how to get better and how I decided I wanted to play collegiate soccer.�

The commitment to play at Yavapai College was a fairly smooth one for Cody. The Roughriders were the first program to give her an offer. The coaching staff directly reached out to Cody -- which was a big selling point for her to hear from them as opposed to a recruiter.

The personal touch and proximity to home were the perfect combination for Cody and her family.

“When I went to go visit, I really liked the campus and the dorms were so close,� Cody said. “I liked that it was only an hour and 45 minutes away from home, so my brother wouldn’t be too sad or anything.�

Cody said she also received an offer from a school in Minnesota, which she admitted would have been a big jump for her away from Arizona. She made her decision to go to Yavapai in January and had her official signing ceremony at Flagstaff High School in April.

Yavapai women’s soccer’s social media presence also helped sway Cody. She said the way the team promotes its players and seeing where they go to play after their two years at Yavapai is something she can envision for herself.

“I really want this,� Cody said. “I really want to do that. I know I don’t have to decide now, but it’s a good tool to have in the future.�

Cody plans on spending the summer doing workouts that her coaches send her. She will move to campus in July before the semester starts in August.

The Roughriders went 6-7-5 in 2024 under four-year head coach Rozie DeWeese, who has been at the helm of the program since its inaugural season in 2021.