Posted: Nov 16, 2024

WE’RE IN! The Drovers are Headed to the NAIA National Tournament for the 8th Time in Program History

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On Saturday afternoon, the NAIA announced that the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (17-2-1, 8-1 SAC) was selected for the 2024 NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship Opening Round. The Drovers will travel to Columbia, Mo. for the opening round and will begin the tournament with a showdown against Friends University (14-5-2, 9-3-1 KCAC) on Thursday, Nov, 21 at R. Marvin Owens Field.

The national tournament appearance is the eighth in program history (2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024).

The 40-team field will kick things off in the NAIA National Championship First & Second Rounds presented by Select Sport America, at 16 campus locations on November 21-23.

The 2024 NAIA National Championship Second Round winners will meet up in Pensacola, Fla., at the NAIA National Championship final site event. The final site will be held at the Ashton Brosnaham Soccer Complex from December 2-9, 2024, hosted by Pensacola Sports.

This year's championship field includes 26 automatic qualifiers and 14 at-large selections. Automatic berths were given to teams that either won their respective conference tournament title, regular-season championship, finished runner-up at the conference tournament as determined by each conference qualification plan. The at-large bids were determined by the NAIA Women's Soccer National Selection Committee. This committee consists of one representative from each geographical area, a representative from the National Administrative Council, the current and past president of the NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches Association, and three at-large members. The committee evaluated teams throughout the year on various criteria.

During the regular season, the Drovers went 15-1-1 and earned a share of the Sooner Athletic Conference championship for the fifth time in program history.

USAO then proceeded to win their first two games in the SAC Tournament against Southwestern Christian University and Mid-America Christian University, advancing to the SAC Tournament finals for the 10^th year in a row. USAO was dealt a tough loss in the finals at No. 19 ranked John Brown University.

The Drovers were not ranked at the start of the season, but consistently made the climb and were ranked at No. 21 in the final NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Furthermore, the Drovers ranked No. 12 in the final RPI poll and had the No. 30 strength of schedule.

2024 Sooner Athletic Conference Awards

The Drovers hauled in a staggering 13 awards after one of the best regular seasons in program history. Highlighting those honors was Niall Crick being selected as Coach of the Year, while Ilse de Jong earned overall Player of the Year honors as well as Offensive Player of the Year. Kylie Yousey was voted the league's Defensive Player of the Year, and Ashlee Davison earned Freshman of the Year. Five Drovers earned spots on the first team all-conference, along with three more players on the second team.

Niall Crick - SAC COACH OF THE YEAR

Niall Crick earns his first SAC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Drovers to a 15-1-1 record in the regular season, along with a share of the conference's regular season championship. The Coach of the Year award is the sixth in program history, with legendary coach Jimmy Hampton having won the previous five (2011, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2022).

Crick in his second season as the program's head coach, after spending 11 years as an assistant coach at USAO. As the head coach, he has led the Drovers to an incredible 31-8-1 win-loss record.

He originally came to USAO in 2008 on a soccer scholarship and was a four-year soccer player for the Drover men. Additionally, he was a member of three teams that made the National Tournament. He was a two-time NAIA All-American and won numerous other awards as a player, prior to graduating in April 2012

Ilse de Jong - SAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR & SAC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ilse de Jong made a massive impact in her sophomore season, claiming the league's Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year honor. It is the fifth time in program history that a Drover has earned the award for the league's top player (Jade Ovendale – 2014, Emma Rice – 2019, 2021, 2022). Furthermore, it is the eighth time that a Drover has earned the award for the league's top offensive player (Jade Ovendale – 2014, Cristina Ramos – 2018, Emma Rice – 2019, 2020, 2021, Alicia Rey – 2022, 2023).

Through the first 20 games of the 2024 season, de Jong has tallied 14 goals and eight assists, for a total of 36 points. She ranks third in the conference in goals, fourth in assists, and fifth in total points.

In her 40-game career at USAO, she has recorded 18 goals, 11 assists, and 47 points.

Kylie Yousey - SAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Kylie Yousey anchored the Drovers back line, which has led the Drovers to 17 wins so far this season. Yousey is the third player in program history to be recognized as the league's best defensive player (Zoe Watkins – 2017, Makena Wood – 2019).

In her career, she has appeared in 66 games and has produced two goals, three assists, and seven points.

Ashlee Davison - SAC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Ashlee Davison immediately made her presence known in the SAC, tallying five goals and eight assists for a total of 18 points in her rookie campaign.

Davison is the fourth Drover to earn the award for the conference's top freshman (Emma Rice – 2018, Sara Vijfhuizen – 2019, Luna Knoester – 2022).

FIRST TEAM ALL-SAC

Daniela Salinas - Forward

18 goals, 4 assists, 40 points
Ranks second in the conference in goals and third in points.
Three-time SAC Offensive Player of the Week award this season.

Ilse de Jong - Midfielder

14 goals, 8 assists, 36 points
One SAC Offensive Player of the Week award this season.
Ranks third in the conference in goals, fourth in assists, and fifth in total points.

Dagbjort Gudmundsdottir - Midfielder