A record five Big 12 Soccer student-athletes were chosen in the 2023 NWSL Draft on Thursday evening. Oklahoma State midfielder Grace Yochum was selected as the No. 14 overall pick by the Chicago Red Stars, while TCU forward Messiah Bright was drafted at No. 21 overall by the Orlando Pride. The Kansas City Current drafted West Virginia defender Gabrielle Robinson (No. 15 overall) and Iowa State goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz (No. 18 overall) in the second round before selecting Kansas midfielder Rylan Childers at No. 42 overall in the fourth round.
Yochum became the fourth Cowgirl taken in the NWSL Draft following former teammate Charmé Morgan last year. Morgan was the No. 16 overall pick in the second round while AD Franch was drafted No. 6 overall in 2013.
The Houston, Texas native became the career leading scorer in OSU history during the 2022 season, ending her career with 41 goals and becoming the program’s all-time leader with 91 points. In five seasons at OSU, she appeared in 86 matches and had 83 starts. The midfielder earned All-Big 12 honors all five seasons and received her first All-American recognition this season. Yochum was named a Big 12 Soccer Player of the Week nine times, which ties a total career Conference record.
Robinson, a four-year starter in the Mountaineer program, played in 78 out of 79 possible matches. A 2022 All-Big 12 Second Team honoree, she was named a Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week twice in her career. The Springfield, Virginia native scored two career goals and recorded three career assists in 7,113 total minutes played.
She is the Mountaineers’ sixth NWSL draft pick and the first since 2019.
Silkowitz is the first-ever Cyclone to be picked in the NWSL Draft. She transferred to the Iowa State program in 2020 and started all 43 contests she appeared in. The four-time Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week led all goalkeepers in the Conference with 100 saves during the 2022 season.
Bright had a successful career as a Horned Frog holding the top spot in program history with 50 goals and 118 points after five seasons. She appeared in 103 matches for TCU, which includes 12 NCAA Tournament games. Bright is a two-time All-American and has received All-Big 12 honors every season, including being named the 2018 Big 12 Soccer Freshman of the Year. She was named United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week this season and has four-career Big 12 weekly awards. The Dallas, Texas native was the Big 12’s leading scorer in 2021 with 17 goals and was named the Most Offensive Valuable Player at the Big 12 Soccer Championship in 2019 and 2021.
Bright is the fourth Horned Frog to be picked, joining Ryan Williams (2018), Yazmeen Ryan (2021) and Jenna Winebrenner (2022).
Childers scored 14 goals and registered 11 assists in her three seasons at Kansas after spending two seasons at Kansas City. The super-senior started all 52 games possible for the Jayhawks from 2020-2022. She became the second Jayhawk to be voted to a CSC Academic All-America team in 2022, a feat no KU soccer player had accomplished since 2005.
Childers joins Estelle Johnson (2013), Whitney Berry (2013), Katie McClure (2020) and Addisyn Merrick (2020) as Jayhawks that have been NWSL Draft picks.