Returning home was just one part of the equation for Jordan Nytes when she opted to transfer out of Oklahoma State following a standout freshman season.
A native of Aurora, Nytes indeed was stoked to land with Colorado, but her primary objective in the transfer portal was to find a spot in the Pac-12, arguably the top women’s soccer conference in the nation.
Nytes achieved that goal, but it will be a short-lived success.
The 2023-24 athletic calendar kicked off for Colorado on Tuesday, as the CU women’s soccer team opened preseason practice with a rare appearance at Folsom Field as the finishing touches are applied to the renovations at Prentup Field.
With 14 newcomers — six transfers and eight true freshmen — the preseason will be critical in meshing the new pieces ahead of the Aug. 17 opener at home against Northern Colorado, which will be the first night game in Prentup history. Yet with the Buffs preparing for their final season in the ultra-competitive Pac-12, it was difficult to ignore the pending move to the Big 12.
“Definitely coming to the Pac-12 is part of the reason that I decided to transfer. Better competition, better soccer teams,” said Nytes, the co-goalkeeper of the year in the Big 12 last season at Oklahoma State. “But with the times now, I think the Big 12 is going to be the best place to be. Itap going to be one of the best conferences. I’m excited. There’s a lot of good competition. Itap going to be a great chance for us to take our team to the next level.”
Alongside the ACC on the east coast, the Pac-12 has been the nation’s premier women’s soccer conference. The final Pac-12 season will be CU’s 13th in the league, and during the previous 12, the Pac-12 has won six NCAA titles — three by Stanford (2011, 2017, 2019), two by UCLA (2013, 2022) and one by USC in 2016. UCLA also was the national runner-up in 2017. No Big 12 team has ever won a women’s soccer title, although West Virginia played in the title game in 2016 (as did incoming Big 12 member BYU in 2021, when the Cougars lost to Florida State in penalty kicks).
Last year, 11 of the Pac-12’s teams finished in the top 72 of the RPI with five NCAA bids. Only four Big 12 teams finished in the top 72 of the RPI, with TCU’s Sweet 16 appearance leading the league’s three NCAA bids. However, with the Pac-12 also set to lose UCLA and USC to the Big Ten following the 2023 season, CU head coach Danny Sanchez believes the new-look Big 12 will have a chance to close the gap with leagues like the ACC.
Two of the programs beginning Big 12 play alongside the Buffs, BYU and Central Florida, finished in the top 20 of the RPI last year, with BYU reaching the Sweet 16. The Cougars are a perennial power that has played in the past five NCAA Tournaments and 16 of the past 18. UCF nearly toppled eventual national champ UCLA in the second round last year before losing in penalty kicks.
“This year, the Pac-12 will be one or 1-A , as far as strongest conferences. I think with USC and UCLA leaving, and us leaving, I think we’re stepping into a stronger conference with those three teams not being in the Pac-12,” Sanchez said. “We’re excited for the move. We’re excited for the opportunity. We’ve loved our time in the Pac-12. Obviously itap a super-strong conference. But things change and they evolve. Rick (George) has taken care of us. The administration and the regents have seen the big picture, and itap a great move for the athletic department.”
