In the Ashes of Realignment, Oregon State Is, Once Again, America's Team

It would've been easy for everything to fall apart in Corvallis. Instead, the Beavers are back in the NCAA Tournament after a Cinderella run to capture the nation's heart.

Courtesy: Oregon State Athletics

No one would’ve blamed Scott Rueck or any of his players had this year been a lost season. On the heels of an Elite Eight run in 2024, the Beavers team seemingly imploded in the span of a month. Players sat down and considered their options, spoke to one another and made the choice they felt was best for them. Talia Von Oelhoffen went to USC, Raegan Beers headed to Oklahoma, Timea Gardiner transferred to UCLA while up-and-coming freshman Donovyn Hunter left for TCU. And that was just the start.

When the dust settled, the Beavers had lost around 75% of their active roster.

A magical season in the final year of the Pac-12 seemingly wiped away as the school and athletic department faced uncertainty in the WCC and a world without a premier west coast league.

But instead of falling apart, Oregon State has done the seemingly impossible. A team that was .500 as late in the year as February 27th is now back in the NCAA Tournament and once again staking a claim to the moniker of ‘America’s Team’.