HICKORY, N.C. — History maker.
That’s the way to define the illustrious career of Appalachian State University graduate student-athlete Izzi Wood.
From her time at Hickory High School to her tenure with the Mountaineers women’s soccer program, Wood has made a name for herself wherever she has landed.
Wood completed her final collegiate match on Oct. 29 in a 1-0 victory against Sun Belt Conference opponent Georgia Southern University located at the Mountaineers’ Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex.
Nevertheless, before lacing up her cleats for the final time, Wood cemented her place as App State’s all-time leading scorer in the penultimate contest of her tenure via a 2-1 win at Southern Miss on Oct. 24.
She garnered the 31st goal of her career on a joint assist from Reagan Sturgill and Ellie Garrison at the 56th minute to take the lead. The former Lady Red Tornado standout eclipsed the program’s all-time scoring record with that goal, which was a mark that former Mountaineer star Casey Cleary had held since 2008.
During the 2025 season, Wood scored five goals and obtained two assists including three match-winners.
In the Sun Belt Conference, she ranked in 7th place with 41 shot attempts, in 10th place with 17 shots on goal and tied for 4th with those aforementioned match winners.
Following the season, Wood was named an All-Sun Belt selection for the third year in-a-row. She obtained third-team recognition this time around as announced on Nov. 2.
She is the first player in the program’s history to become a three-time postseason all-conference selection, and she is just one of 40 athletes in the league to be selected three or more times.
Wood was named a second-team All-Sun Belt selection in 2023 and notched first-team honors in 2024. She is the first App State athlete to be awarded a first-team nod since 2018. She also achieved All-Southeast Region honors the last two seasons.
Wood ranks second all-time in career games played in program history at 87, along with being second in points with 70. She holds the Mountaineers’ record for shot attempts at 264. She is also the only player in the Sun Belt Conference to score at least five goals in each of the last four seasons.
What makes this an even greater accomplishment is that she was able to capture these moments while also missing an entire season in 2021 due to injury.
She began her collegiate career during the murky times of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In her freshman campaign, she had nine starts in the 14 games she played, scoring a pair of goals and obtaining an assist.
Wood scored her first career goal on Oct. 16, 2020, in a 1-0 winning effort at Troy. This would also become her first-ever match winner. Her prowess at attacking ultimately led her to become one of the program’s all-time greats.
“I always knew I had a gift for scoring goals and the drive to keep pushing myself, but I never imagined I’d end up as App State’s all-time leading scorer,” said Wood. “My journey hasn’t been easy. My freshman year was during the height of COVID, so our season was shortened, and then in 2021, I tore my ACL in a summer league game. After two knee surgeries and a year away from the field, I went through some really tough moments mentally, wondering if I’d ever be the same player again.
“But I realized I had two choices: I could give up and be content with what I’d already accomplished, or I could commit to the grind, attack rehab every day, and come back stronger than before. I chose the second option, and that setback ended up shaping me into the player I am today.”
Despite the team being picked to be second-to-last in conference play (out of 14 teams) leading up to her return in 2022, Wood helped guide her squad to a seventh-place conference finish, posting a 5-5 mark in the Sun Belt Conference and 6-9-4 overall. She earned six goals on the season.
App State followed that up in 2023 with a 6-2-2 record in conference action, which was good for third place in the standings. Wood again added to the record books as this was the Mountaineers’ best conference finish in its history. It earned a 9-6-3 record overall. Wood netted seven goals and five assists.
In what would have originally been her final season in 2024, Wood amassed an App State single-season record of 11 goals scored. The Mountaineers finished 4-3-3 in league play while posting a 7-7-5 overall record.
Instead of hanging up her cleats, Wood decided to return for her 5th year and final year of eligibility with App State in 2025.
“When the opportunity came to return for one more year, I knew I was close to the scoring record, I needed just five more goals,” she said of her choice to return. “So that definitely played a role in my decision. But more than anything, I came back because I love this program.
“I love my teammates, my coaches, and playing at The Valley. Getting another chance to do what I love with the people I love made the decision an easy one. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.”
CAREER BEGINNINGS AND MAKING HISTORY AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL:
“When I think back to my childhood and growing up playing sports, the first thing that comes to mind is my competitive drive. I always loved being outside, especially on the soccer field,” Wood said of her love of playing sports. “I would beg my parents to take me to the fields, and once I was there, I never wanted to leave. I could spend hours taking shots, playing small-sided games, and just enjoying every moment of being out there. One funny memory from those days is that I used to show up to games hours early just to train on my own before kickoff.
“I started playing at CVYSA, a small club in Hickory, but in seventh grade, my family and I made the decision to switch to a club team in Charlotte. That’s when I truly set my sights on playing Division I soccer. The transition wasn’t easy, especially as a middle schooler. My parents would drive me over an hour to practice several times a week. I’d do my homework and eat dinner in the car, often missing out on after-school activities with friends. But I knew what I wanted, and I was willing to make any sacrifice necessary to chase my dream of playing collegiate soccer.”
At the high school level, she competed on Hickory High School’s varsity soccer team, along with being a member of the cross country and basketball programs.
Soccer was her pride and joy, though, which led to her receiving numerous honors. She was recognized as the Northwestern 3A/4A Conference Player of the Year during her junior season in 2019 in which she finished as the top scorer in the North Carolina 3A with 53 goals and 14 assists – which was also a top 10 ranking in the nation.
Other soccer awards she obtained through the ranks include: all-conference, all-region and all-state honors, as well as becoming a US Soccer Coaches All-Mid Atlantic Region selection. She also made the 2019 Charlotte Observer All-First team, along with being named the Charlotte Golden Boot Award winner and Charlotte Soccer Academy Elite Girls’ Player of the Year.
Additionally, if that wasn’t enough, Wood decided to make history by kicking for the Red Tornadoes’ varsity football team during her senior year. She became the first female to score points in its history via a point-after attempt against Hunter Huss High School on Sept. 13, 2019.
“I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to make history in both high school and college. When I look back, it’s incredibly rewarding to see how far the journey has come,” she said. “Being the first woman to score points on Hickory’s varsity football team and then breaking the all-time scoring record at App State are accomplishments that mean so much to me. I feel like they’re not just personal milestones. They represent years of hard work, belief, and the people who supported me along the way.
“Each of those moments holds a special place in my heart for different reasons. Kicking for Hickory taught me confidence and courage, while breaking the record at App State was the result of countless hours of dedication and love for the game. More than anything, I’m just grateful for every coach, teammate, and family member who helped me reach those goals and make those memories possible.”
LASTING LEGACY AS A MOUNTAINEER:
“The thing I’ve cherished most about my career is the day-to-day grind. The early mornings, the long practices, and all the little moments with my teammates that people don’t always see. Those are the memories that mean the most to me,” said Wood. “Every game day, when I put on that App State uniform, I felt a sense of pride and gratitude. It was a reminder of how far I’d come and how much work went into earning the chance to represent this program. Knowing that all the effort on and off the field was paying off and made it all worth it.
“When I think about my legacy, I hope it’s one of resilience and belief. My journey hasn’t been perfect, missing the 2021 season with an injury tested me in ways I never expected, but it taught me how powerful your response can be to adversity. You can’t always control what life throws at you, but you can control how you handle it. I hope future players see that if you stay consistent, work hard when no one’s watching, and truly believe in yourself, you can overcome anything and achieve goals you never thought possible.”
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