PHILADELPHIA– Alabama women's soccer standout Celia Jimenez Delgado was selected by the Seattle Reign FC in the fourth round as the 36th overall pick of the 2018 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Draft. Jimenez Delgado was one of four players selected from the Southeastern Conference and is the first player in Crimson Tide history to be drafted into the national league.

"I am so excited for Celia," exclaimed head coach Wes Hart . "She certainly deserves this. She was an incredible player at Alabama and I have no doubt that she will do great in Seattle! They got a fantastic player and an even better person. This is a big day for Celia and Alabama Soccer!"

"Celia is one of the players with probably the most potential in this draft," said Seattle Reign FC head coach Vlatko Andonovski. "She's young and at the same time experienced. She's used to playing under pressure, playing big games, and we expect to be in big games at the end of the season so we may need her."

The Alcaudete, Spain, native played her first two seasons of collegiate soccer for Iowa Western Community College (2013-14), before transferring to the Capstone for her junior season. In her first season playing for the Crimson Tide, she was selected as a member of the All-SEC second team while leading the team in five categories – points (10), goals (4), game-winning goals (2), shots (55) and shots on goal (18).

After medically redshirting in 2016, Jimenez Delgado returned for her senior season, playing in 20 contests and making 18 starts on the year. She knocked in three goals and assisted on six scores, while leading the team to its third appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history.

To cap off her 2017 campaign, Jimenez Delgado snagged First Team All-SEC honors as well as earning Second team NSCAA All-Southeast Region accolades. Jimenez Delgado became the Crimson Tide's first all-conference honoree to be named to the First Team since Justine Bernier in 2010 while being the first NSCAA second team selection since Merel van Dongen in 2012.

In 2015, Jimenez Delgado was a member of the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup Spanish National Team, earning a start in all three of Spain's matches in the country's first World Cup appearance. She also represented Spain on every youth national team from the age of 14, making 12 appearances with both the U-17 and U-19 squads. Furthermore, she was a captain on the U-17 UEFA Championship winning squad (2010-11) and the U-19 UEFA Championship runner-up team (2013-14).

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