LOS ANGELES (Friday, January 13, 2017) – Real Salt Lake selected DF Reagan Dunk from the University of Denver with the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft on Friday. The Claret-and-Cobalt then selected DF Justin Schmidt from the University of Washington with the 35th overall pick in the second round.
“We rated both Reagan and Justin very highly on our board, so to end up with both of them with our two picks was great,” Real Salt Lake General Manager Craig Waibel said. “They are both big, strong defenders who came out of successful programs. We look forward to what they can bring to the team.”
Dunk, 22, is a two-time MAC Hermann Semifinalist and a 2016 First Team All-America selection and finished second in Denver’s Division I history with 79 appearances, making 74 starts. The Dallas, Texas, native finished his college career with two goals and 18 assists, a mark good for third in Denver’s Division I record books. Dunk was part of a team that had back-to-back unbeaten regular seasons, the first program since 1977-78 to do so.
Dunk helped turn around the Denver defense over the last two seasons, improving from 106th in the country in goals against average in 2014 to cracking the top five in each of the last two seasons under Head Coach Jamie Franks. In his 19 starts in 2015, Dunk and the Pioneers kept a 0.40 goals against average (2nd nationally) and followed that up with the third-ranked defense with a 0.52 goals against average in 2016, leading Denver to the NCAA Final Four in 2016.
“I’m super excited. This is something I’ve been dreaming of my entire life and I’m blessed that Real Salt Lake has put faith in me,” Dunk said. “I can’t wait to get in there and get to work.”
Schmidt, 23, had nine goals and 19 assists in 80 career appearances for the Huskies, 78 of them in a starting role. He earned NSCAA First-Team All-Far West Region honors twice and was a First-Team All-Pac-12 selection in his senior season, when he had three goals and two assists and anchored the Washington defense that reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in his five years with the program.
“I’m very excited to come to Real Salt Lake,” said Schmidt, who was coached by Waibel at Washington in 2013. “Waibel was one of the most influential coaches I’ve had and I’m looking forward to working with Tyrone Marshall and Mike Petke and absorbing every bit I can from them.”
RSL concludes the SuperDraft on Tuesday with the third and fourth rounds. Salt Lake holds the 48th, 57th and 79th overall picks in the final two rounds.
