Utah Valley announces full 2017 class

February 8, 2017

Utah Valley University men's soccer coach Greg Maas has announced his full 2017 recruiting class, consisting of seven high school players and one transfer.

Announced last week were the additions of BYU transfer Jaiden Waggoner and Zach Maas, both of whom are enrolled at UVU this spring. The remainder of the class consists of Paytin Ayau, Aidan Dayton, Sam Hess, Zech Meddleton, Aaron Nixon, and Ian Stonehocker. Ayau and Meddleton will be at UVU this fall while the other four are planning to serve LDS missions prior to enrolling.

"This year's signing class of student-athletes is vastly talented and will help to build on the momentum we've established as a program in our first three years," Maas said. "We have a very mature and experienced group of players returning, so it was important for our staff to identify players that will impact our program now and well into the future." 

Ayau (Kula, Hawai'i) prepped at Kamehameha Schools Maui in Pukalani, Hawai'i on the island of Maui. He was named First Team All-State and to the All-Tournament Team at the state tournament and was also named first-team All-Maui Interscholastic League (MIL). Ayau was also recognized on TopDrawerSoccer.com's Winter 2017 High School All-American watch list. He played club soccer for Maui United for seven seasons and last year trained in Seattle, Washington with the Seattle Sounders FC 2.

Dayton (Elk Ridge, Utah) spent one season with Real Salt Lake in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and played club soccer for the Utah Storm. He was also a member of Utah Soccer Alliance and the US Youth Soccer Region IV '98 ODP Team. Dayton was named Mr. Soccer for the state of Utah by the Deseret News and was also the Gatorade Player of the Year after leading Maple Mountain High School to a State Championship as a junior in 2016. He was also recently chosen to the Fox 13 All-UYSA Team. 

Hess (Pleasant Grove, Utah) played on the US Youth Soccer Region IV '99 ODP team in 2015 and 2016, and was a member of the Utah ODP '99 team for five years. He played club for La Roca and currently attends American Fork High School where he was named to the 5A First Team All-State by the Salt Lake Tribune. In 2015, Hess was a team captain on the first Utah ODP team to win a National Championship. He also has been a member of the Desert Premier League and State Cup Championship teams with La Roca. He was also recently chosen to the Fox 13 All-UYSA Team. 

Meddleton (Corrales, N.M.) is the second of two out-of-state signees for Maas. He was a member of the US Youth Soccer Region IV '98 ODP team that included future teammate Zach Maas and another UVU signee currently serving an LDS mission, Kaleb Augat. Meddleton attends Bosque High School in Albuquerque, N.M. where he scored 24 goals as a senior and was selected to the New Mexico 4A All-State Team. Meddleton was a long-standing member of the Rio Rapids SC 98 – an affiliate member of the Colorado Rapids.

Nixon (West Jordan, Utah) was a member of the US Youth Soccer Region IV '99 ODP team for three years and a member Utah ODP team for four years. He was on the Utah ODP team that won a National Championship and he earned US Youth Soccer Region IV ODP Championships '99 Best XI. He played club for Utah Soccer Alliance for 10 years where he led his team to four Utah Youth Soccer State Cup Championships. Nixon preps at Copper Hills High School where he is a team captain. He was also recently chosen to the Fox 13 All-UYSA Team. 

Stonehocker (Mapleton, Utah) was a member of the Utah ODP '98 team for four seasons and played club for the Utah Storm, helping his team to one state championship. Along with future Wolverine teammate Dayton, he preps at Maple Mountain High School, winning the state championship in 2016. Stonehocker earned Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune 4A First Team All-State and also holds the 4A Utah state assist record.

Previously announced were Zach Maas and Waggoner. Maas (Sandy, Utah) is the son of UVU's head coach and graduated from Alta High School one semester early to enroll and practice with the team this spring. He spent time with RJO Willem II/RKC out of Tilburg, Netherlands and with the Portland Timbers in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy before returning home to Utah for his senior year. He played club for Sparta United SC, helping the team to seven Utah Youth Soccer Association State Cup Championships. Maas also competed for three years on the US Youth Soccer Region IV '98 ODP Team and was named to the US Youth Soccer Interregional '98 Best XI and the US Youth Soccer Region IV ODP Championships '98 Best XI. He was also recently chosen to the Fox 13 All-UYSA Team.

Waggoner (Spanish Fork, Utah) prepped at Maple Mountain High School and played for La Roca FC from 2011-15. He helped La Roca to a State Cup Championship in 2014 and to the finals of the prestigious Disney Cup International. He was also a member of the Region IV '97 ODP Pool. As a prep player at Maple Mountain he was named first-team All-State and All-Region and led the team to Region 8 Championship in 2014. Waggoner started 13 games during his stint with the Cougars.

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