Texas Tech University Athletics
Tech picked fifth, three Red Raiders earn honors
August 03, 2026 | Women's Soccer
Kyle Bahr, Eleanor Hays and Taylor Zdrojewski all were named to the Preseason All-Big 12 squad
IRVING, Texas – Defender Kylie Bahr, defender Eleanor Hays and forward Taylor Zdrojewski were all named Preseason All-Big 12 selections, while as a team, Texas Tech was predicted to finish fifth in the Preseason Big 12 Coaches Poll, the league announced Monday.
A 2025 First Team All-Big 12 selection, Bahr earns Preseason All-Big 12 honors for the first time in her career after a strong 2025 season that saw the Colorado native tally a pair of assists and 14 shots in 17 games played.
Bahr along with fellow Preseason All-Big 12 selection (Hays), anchored a Tech backline that allowed just 16 total goals in 21 matches and held opponents to just 8.4 shots-per-game.
The Red Raiders second preseason honoree, Hays, will also look to improve on a strong 2025 campaign that saw the Clemson transfer earn Second Team All-Big 12 honors in her first season in Lubbock.
Hays helped bolster the Tech backline that recorded nine clean sheets in her 18 starts. The Lewisville native played nearly 1500 minutes (1498) and tallied three total shots.
Tech's third and final preseason honoree, Zdrojewski, will look to build off a breakout 2025 season that saw the striker score 16 goals and tally three assists. Zdrojewski's 16 strikes were the third-most in a single-season while her 35 total points were also the third-most in a single season in program history.
A native of Celina, Zdrojewski has earned All-Big 12 honors in back-to-back seasons, including last season when she was named to the Big 12 First Team. A 2025 Second Team All-Midwest Region honoree, Zdrojewski enters her fifth and final season in Lubbock with 26 career goals and nine total assists.
All 26 of her goals have come in the last two seasons where she has played in 43 total games and made 35 total starts.
Also included in Monday's announcement was the preseason coaches poll where the Red Raiders earned one first place vote and 180 total points.
TCU (222) earned 13 first place votes and were predicted to win the league while Colorado finished with 187 points to be predicted as runners-up in the poll.
Third place saw a tie between Kansas and West Virginia at 182 total points, with Tech finishing just two total points behind the duo for fifth.
BYU (163), Baylor (153), UCF (127), Arizona State (111) and Houston (84) round out the top-10 in the poll. Utah (77), Arizona (70), Oklahoma State (62), Kansas State (48), Cincinnati (42) and Iowa State (29) finished 11-16 in the poll.
Texas Tech opens its 2026 campaign on Thursday night with a home scrimmage against New Mexico. First touch from the John Walker Soccer Complex is set for 7 p.m.
