PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo's Oliver Twelvetrees has announced his resignation as head men's soccer coach of the ThunderWolves to take the same position at NCAA Division I member Florida Gulf Coast University. FGCU is located in Fort Myers, Fla., and is a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
 
"Words cannot appropriately put into perspective the impact that Oliver Twelvetrees has had on CSU Pueblo, our Athletics Department, and men's soccer program," said CSU Pueblo Vice President of Athletics and Strategic Partnerships Dr. Paul Plinske. "When Oliver came to CSU Pueblo in 2020, he instantly brought a standard of excellence never seen before. Over the years, he kept elevating our expectations and made CSU Pueblo a national power. I am incredibly grateful to Oliver, his wife Andrea, and their family for investing countless hours into CSU Pueblo and the Pueblo community. They will be missed greatly, but I wish them all the best on this much-deserved Division I opportunity."
 
During his five seasons at CSU Pueblo, Twelvetrees built the men's soccer team into a dominant force in both the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and nationally at the NCAA Division II level. In his time with the Pack, he led the team to three straight NCAA Division II Final Four appearances, including back-to-back national runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2023. The program also captured just its second-ever regular season RMAC title in 2024 and took home two consecutive RMAC Tournament titles in 2023 and 2024 and lost on penalty kicks in the 2022 RMAC Tournament final.

"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have served as Head Men's Soccer coach at Colorado State University Pueblo for the past five years. This experience has been invaluable to me, both personally and professionally. I will forever cherish the memories I made with our student-athletes, the dedication of my coaching staff, and the unwavering support of the entire CSU Pueblo community," Twelvetrees said. "The program is in great hands with Nick Blackwell, his staff and an exciting group of returning players. A special thank you to athletic director Paul Plinske, an amazing leader who has helped shape my career in the NCAA and finally a thank you to my wife Andrea and family for supporting me on this coaching journey we are on together. I am excited for this new chapter in my career, but I will always be thankful for my time at CSU Pueblo. I wish the ThunderWolves all the best in the years to come."
 
CSU Pueblo's student-athletes have also raked in accolades on and off the court under Twelvetrees' coaching. The program had a total of nine All-Americans, two RMAC Offensive Players of the Year, four RMAC Defensive Players of the Year, one RMAC Freshman of the Year, and Twelvetrees was named the RMAC Coach of the Year in 2024 and had a total of 30 All-RMAC selections and five CSC Academic All-Americans and 24 players earned All-Region honors.
 
Twelevetrees leaves CSU Pueblo with a 74-21-12 overall record and a 29-9-8 mark in RMAC play and departs Division II men's soccer with the fourth-best winning percentage among active coaches. Over his final three seasons with the Pack, Twelvetrees led the program to 54-13-8 overall record and a 21-5-4 record in RMAC play. He led the program to four straight double-digit win campaigns and won at least six RMAC matches three times in five seasons. Additionally, Twelvetrees and his coaching staff were named the United Soccer Coaches Regional Staff of the Year this season.

"Oliver showed us what success in the RMAC and NCAA Division II men's looks like. He recruited both domestic and international student-athletes so that our teams could win consistently and make deep playoff runs. The RMAC has become an incredibly strong conference in men's soccer, in large part due to Coach Twelvetrees and his competitive drive," Dr. Plinske said. "It's now our job to sustain this current system that has helped us compete at such a high level with a new leader. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that we have great men's soccer student-athletes; individuals who perform incredibly well in the classroom and have been outstanding community leaders. A huge credit goes to Oliver and the type of individuals he has attracted to Pueblo."
 
Current assistant coach Nick Blackwell will serve as the interim head coach while an immediate national search is conducted.
 
"I am very excited to elevate Nick to his interim position and will support him as he leads our program during this transition phase. He's been with Coach Twelvetrees since the beginning and deserves this opportunity," Dr. Plinske said. "I expect that we will attract a strong applicant pool. Our staff will review these candidates in January with hopes of a head coach being named quickly. I understand, however, that the next coach will have huge shoes to fill so I will be careful to support the new person with realistic expectations and an opportunity to instill their vision for this program."
 
TRANSACTIONS: CSU Pueblo announces resignation of head men's soccer coach Oliver Twelvetrees to take the head men's soccer coaching position at NCAA Division I member Florida Gulf Coast University.