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San Diego Wave Sign NWSL's First NCAA Star Since Draft Was Eliminated

The Texas forward will join the Wave in January.

Madison Williams

Texas Longhorns forward Trinity Byars plays the ball during the game.
Texas Longhorns forward Trinity Byars plays the ball during the game. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

The San Diego Wave made NWSL history on Thursday when they signed Texas forward Trinity Byars. She's the first NCAA player to be signed directly to the league after the NWSL eliminated the draft.

With the draft gone, collegiate and young players have the opportunity to become free agents and sign with NWSL teams this offseason. The players can sign directly with the clubs. The elimination of the draft was included in the NWSL's new collective bargaining agreement reached this summer.

Byars is in her senior season at Texas. She's missed most of the season after she sustained a knee injury on Sept. 1. She is expected to have a nine-month recovery, meaning she will spend some of her time recovering from the injury after she joins the Wave in January.

Byars also regularly played on United States teams from U14 through U23.

Texas's women's soccer team is currently competing in the SEC tournament.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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