We Are @ASU World: International Students Big Part of @TheSunDevils Success

by Nicole Vasquez, SDA Communications Student Assistant

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The summer before golfer Linnea Strom arrived in Tempe, she wasn't sure leaving her home in Gothenburg, Sweden was the right choice.

She was nervous.

"I didn't know if I was making the right decision or not," Strom said. "Should I stay back home and practice with my coach or should I go to ASU?"

She left behind her coach, Ola Lindgren, a mentor since she was 12 years old. But he thought the opportunity to compete and attend school overseas was an experience his longtime pupil shouldn't pass up. With the help of fellow Sun Devil Swedish golfer Anna Nordqvist, he convinced her to make the journey to Tempe.

"He really pushed me to come out here," said Strom. "Now I know myself better as a golfer than I did before. Because if I'm struggling with something I have to figure it out on my own. Before back home, I could just ask him, 'Okay how do I fix this?"

Strom is a part of more than 60 current international student-athletes who made the decision to become a Sun Devil. Nearly 30 countries are represented, with Canada leading the way, contributing 21 student-athletes to ASU rosters.

@SunDevilHoops study hall has Congo????, Spain????, and Ukraine ???? represented! ???????? #Sundevilsgraduate pic.twitter.com/OvxXprsLCM

— Jessica Richardson (@jmrichardson229) September 16, 2016

Women's tennis coach Sheila McInerney is all-too familiar with what international students bring to the court with Australian duo Alexandra Osborne and Ebony Panoho capping last season as the program's first Pac-12 doubles champions.

"I probably get 15 to 20 emails a week from international kids wanting to go to school here," she said. "All the advantages of being a student-athlete at Arizona State; from the facilities to travelling, to the coaches and having a support system – just everything. They appreciate it, they work hard to stay. I think that's why they thrive here."  

The addition of international talent also fosters the growth of Sun Devil Olympic sports. German triathlete Charlotte Ahrens is a part of Sun Devil Triathlon's inaugural signing class.

"It was a big step for me coming here," the Nuremberg native said. "I'm used to not being home too much but it's another country, another culture, another language. But I talked with coach (Cliff) English and he told me what's possible being a part of the new triathlon team."

The August heat, the language, the unfamiliar city for international student- athletes like Ahrens and Strom, were natural, yet tough adjustments.

For Strom, the days bonding with her teammates in Northern Arizona at the Torreon Golf Club, horseback riding and practising swings at Karsten, made those adjustments possible.

Now she holds the Pac-12 Individual Champion title entering her sophomore year.

It's the journeys spent with teammates to tournaments like the Pac-12 Championship in Pleasanton Calif., Strom said, that are the best part of it all.

"That's my favorite memory here," she said."I had been working so hard but didn't get the results I wanted. At the tournaments I played good, but I really wanted to win. To do that with the team around me, supporting me – was special. They're like my new family."
 

Freshman @ramonvilsoley is one of the many international @TheSunDevils and this @ASU link tells you why https://t.co/PqfbxKFvpE pic.twitter.com/tJ6Kkfy98n

— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) September 27, 2016

Aside from competition, academics factor in a prospect's decision in leaving their home country.

Ahrens was juggling the idea of attending other schools, yet ASU was one of the few to have a Kinesiology program, a field she wishes to pursue.

"Kids want to make sure they're continuing their education," McInerney said. " But they really hate to give up their dream of participating in their sport whether that means going onto the professional ranks or collegiately. I think for them, it's Candyland coming over here. They can't believe they can continue their education and play high quality athletics."

The school year still may be at its' beginning, but that hasn't stopped Ahrens from joining in with the rest of the crowd at Sun Devil Stadium for football games. It's an experience, she said, that never would have been witnessed if she continued at the Sportgymnasium-Neubrandenburg school.

"It's like a big family here," she said."Everyone has school spirit and everyone is proud to be here. You can't imagine this in Germany."

AUSTRALIA
Michael Sleep-Dalton, Football
Lena Mihailovic, Water Polo
Alexandra Osborne, Women's Tennis
Gussie O'Sullivan, Women's Tennis

.@Pac12 Champ @ally_ausborn received her rock today! ???? #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/Iflm9DvBae

— Sun Devil Tennis (@sundeviltennis) September 22, 2016

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
Ivana Ninkovic, Women's Swimming

BRAZIL
Thomaz Martins, Men's Swimming
 

Pretty good place to be if you ask me... And by pretty good, I mean best in the nation. #ASU @asumensgolf https://t.co/heNAMaj3r5

— Jared du Toit (@Jareddutoit) September 2, 2016

CANADA
Peggy-Jean Allin, Water Polo
Drelan Bramwell, Men's Track and Field
Tyler Busch, Ice Hockey
Michael Angelo Coccia, Men's Track and Field
Rebecca Deacon, Women's Swimming
Quinn Dornstauder, Women's Basketball
Jared du Toit, Men's Golf
Whitney Folllette, Beach Volleyball
Keely Gormley, Soccer
Nicholas Gushue, Ice Hockey
Avery Hamill, Women's Lacrosse  
Dylan Hollman, Ice Hockey
Deshaunda Morrison, Women's Track and Field
Wade Murphy, Ice Hockey
David Norris, Ice Hockey
Ryland Pashovitz, Ice Hockey
Brinson Pasichnuk, Ice Hockey
Steenn Pasichnuk, Ice Hockey
Riley Simpson, Ice Hockey
Glynis Sim, Women's Track and Field
Larisa Staub, Soccer

CONGO
Jethro Tshisumpa, Men's Basketball

ENGLAND
Rosemary Huck, Water Polo

FINLAND
Heikki Makikallio, Men's Diving

FRANCE
Thibaut Capitaine, Men's Swimming

GERMANY
Charlotte Ahrens, Triathlon
Sophia Zeeb, Women's Golf

HUNGARY
Richard Bohus, Men's Swimming
Anna Olasz, Women's Swimming
 

Student-athletes. Sun Devils. Olympians.

Accomplishing goals, realizing dreams#FuelOurFuture pic.twitter.com/JAf8genKY6

— Sun Devil Club (@sundevilclub) September 26, 2016

ICELAND
Ingiborg Jonsdottir, Women's Swimming

IRELAND
Olivia Mehaffey, Women's Golf

ITALY
Nicole Fossa Huergo, Women's Tennis

LITHUANIA
Tadas Duskinas, Men's Swimming

NETHERLANDS
Maud Koopman, Water Polo
Bente Rogge, Water Polo

NEW ZEALAND
Connell Kilpatrick, Men's Golf

NORWAY
Nils Lervik, Men's Swimming

PORTUGAL
Jessica Barreira, Women's Track and Field

ROMANIA
Mara Aiacoboae, Women's Swimming

RUSSIA
Georgii Gorodetskii, Ice Hockey

SERBIA
Ivana Jeremic, Volleyball
Kat Simonovic, Women's Swimming

SPAIN
Carmen Unzue Basagoiti, Volleyball
Claudia Abad Garcia, Water Polo
Alejandro Del Rey Gonzalez, Men's Golf
Juan Jose Garcia Mesa, Men's Swimming
Ramon Vila, Men's Basketball

SOUTH AFRICA
Marlies Ross, Women's Swimming

SOUTH KOREA
Ki Taek Lee, Men's Golf

SWEDEN
Jakob Stridsberg, Ice Hockey
Linnea Strom, Women's Golf
 

Honored and excited to announce my commitment to @SunDevilHockey! Big thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way! #ForksUp

— Jakob Stridsberg (@jakobstridsberg) February 23, 2016

TAIWAN
Chia-Cheng Li, Baseball

UKRAINE
Vitaliy Shibel, Men's Basketball

VIETNAM
Anthony Truong, Men's Golf