International Student-Athletes, Bringing More Than Just Competition

Wednesday, 25 January 2012 16:30

This year, the UA is home to 33 international student-athletes from 21 different countries, plus two from U.S. territories. Men’s and women’s swim and diving, men’s basketball, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s golf, women’s soccer, men's and women’s tennis all have at least one athlete from a country outside of the U.S.; track and field/ cross country having the most with a total of seven athletes.

“To recruit someone internationally, we’re looking for a person who is at the highest possible caliber in their event area, and they have to be better than an American athlete that we can get here in the states,” said Fred Harvey, the director of men’s and women’s track and field and cross country.

“We recruit at the World University Games, we recruit at the World Junior Games, so we go to the international competitions that are basically 23 and under.” “We will have a coach or two at those competitions,” said Harvey. “If we don’t have to recruit internationally we won’t.”

“We have 12 ½ men’s scholarships for the entire team, this includes track and field and cross country, and for the ladies' side we have 18 scholarships,” said Harvey. “ We don’t designate a certain number of scholarships for international students because when I distribute scholarships, it is based upon what that person can bring to the team.”

“A lot of the international students that we get realize it’s such a great opportunity that they aren’t going to blow it,” said Harvey. “It’s not just an education for them, it’s an opportunity. That’s why we have very little failure when it comes to our international students.”

International students bring something special to the their teams and coaches. “It teaches me every single day that when you have an opportunity and your willing to work at it, your limits are basically limitless,” said Harvey.  “It inspires me because I am a very competitive person so it allows me to really teach a lot of the American athletes another direction and focus other than thinking I’m just here, I can run fast, I’m going to get an education, but not sure what I’m going to do with the education,” said Harvey.

Recruiting for the swim and dive team is no different. “We have former swimmers throughout the world that are involved in this sport, and when they see someone that kind of fits our system, they let us know and point them in our direction,” said Eric Hansen, the UA swim and dive head coach.

“We have nine point nine scholarships on the men’s side and 14 on the women’s side, and we can use them any way we want,” said Hansen. Combined, the two teams have a total of five international student-athletes this season.

“A lot of those kids are some of the most appreciative kids you will ever meet. Most of them are all business in terms of how they conduct themselves because they're a long ways from home, and to be away from home and to waste your time would be not real good,” said Hansen.

“Usually some international basketball players will come over to the U.S. and play with a specific club team and then the coaches will see them playing on the club teams and then go about recruiting,” said David Buchanan, a senior studying math at the UA. Buchanan is a student manager for the UA men’s basketball team.

“I think that they fit right in. I was talking to one of the girls the other day and she just comes right in and she is friends with everyone, and then I found out that she was a freshman and I was so surprised. I think that they tend to be more outgoing than the other athletes,” said Kelsey Berg, a junior at the UA studying physiology. Berg is currently an athletic training tech and works with multiple athletes from various teams.

“I like to work with the international athletes because I always have interesting conversations with them,” said Berg.

“It’s really interesting when I will be talking to one of them about something like homecoming and they will ask me ‘what’s homecoming?’ so it’s kind of interesting hearing how different their lives are back home,” said Berg.

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