Fitting Right In

By Serg Thomas, OSU Athletics Communications

The transition from high school soccer to Division I soccer can be tough.

The games are more intense, more physical. There can be long travel days, something that high school student-athletes aren't as accustomed to. Add in college classes, and it can be very overwhelming to keep up the performances not only in the classroom, but also on the field.

But Oklahoma State freshman forward Gracie Bindbeutel is making the most of it and enjoying the moment. Having been tasked with learning a new position, she's excelled.

"I definitely feel like I have already been pushed out of my comfort zone," Bindbeutel said. "I'm playing a new position so I'm having to learn that and playing in a new formation so having to learn about that. I think that it's good to play with a bunch of the older girls, as experienced as they all are, because I think that they are helping me grow as a player."

Hailing from St. Dominic High School in O'Fallon, Mo., Bindbeutel was twice named the Gatorade Missouri Girls Soccer Player of the Year, earning that honor her sophomore and senior seasons. She led her team to a Class 4A State championship her senior year, scoring 23 goals and chipping in with 11 assists. A three-time United Soccer Coaches High School All-American, she was a three-star recruit and was ranked 45^th nationally in top forward recruits.

Since joining the Cowgirls in the summer of 2022, she has impressed not only her teammates, but also her coaches. Bindbeutel has started every game this season for the Cowgirls, scoring two goals while also tallying 13 shots on goal in the process, and she ranks seventh nationally in shot accuracy.

OSU head coach Colin Carmichael has been pleased with Bindbeutel's development, especially considering how difficult the transition can be for some freshmen.

"I think she's a great player; we knew when we recruited her that she'd be really good," Carmichael said. "She came in during the preseason and immediately showed what she's capable of and earned a starting spot so that says a lot about her right there. She's just learning college soccer, you know? But she's confident, she's great on the ball, she's very very quick and I think she's just kind of finding her feet. We're expecting, as the season goes on, for that development to continue."

Naturally, when a freshman joins the team it's common for the older players on the team to show them the ropes and help get them acclimated to life as a student-athlete. For Bindbeutel, she's had two of OSU's best take her under their wings.

"Definitely Olyvia Dowell has helped me out with everything," Bindbeutel said. "I play center forward a lot and that's what she plays, and she's been helping me adjust. Grace Yochum has also been talking to me a lot out on the field and helping me do what I need to do in the midfield."

The advice Yochum gives the rising freshman has helped her immensely with her on-field play. Without her, the transition would've been a lot tougher.

"It's just the communication that she gives me in the game if I'm ever confused or don't know what to do or where to go," Bindbeutel said. "She's always behind me telling me what to do and telling me where I need to go to help the team out. To me, that's more important than any off the field advice she could give me."

Bindbeutel isn't the only freshman making an impact on this Cowgirl team. Goalkeeper Jordan Nytes and midfielder Xcaret Pineda have also broken through to the first team, both playing every game in the young season.

The three young standouts have played a key part in OSU's success so far this season, and Carmichael couldn't be more pleased with not only their performances, but also their futures.

"When you graduate seniors, you're always trying to recruit that next big-time player to come in behind them," Carmichael said. "So every year there's going to be one or two or three in our case, freshmen that come in and they hit the ground running, they jump right in. Gracie, Jordy and X (Xcaret) are all starting right now, and they're three really high-level recruits. They're doing really well now, but I just get really excited thinking about their future – you have to assume they'll continue to develop."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Gracie Bindbeutel

Olyvia Dowell

Jordan Nytes

Xcaret Pineda

Grace Yochum

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