Coastal Carolina University (CCU) has become a hub for international athletes seeking good weather, ample beaches and Sun Belt Conference (SBC) play opportunities.
With approximately 66 international athletes spanning numerous countries across the globe, CCU has embraced their international athletes through community focused housing programs, the Center for Global Engagement and athletic team bonding activities.
Sara Sarrion, women’s golf player and business management and marketing major from Valencia, Spain, has been playing for CCU since fall of 2021. Sarrion entered CCU ranked 514 in the World Amateur Ranking.
She began playing golf at 4 years old, inspired by her dad’s trips to the golf course where she was originally driven by the chance to have brunch with no intention of learning to play golf.
“The program is really good. We practice every day with different drills and courses. The good thing about Myrtle Beach is that you have more than 50 courses,” Sarrion said.
The transition for international athletes is not always the easiest. Sarrion shared how scary it was leaving home for the first time. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she had to make the transition alone, making it even more challenging.
“I was lucky to have coach [Katie] Quinney, and I met three other freshman international athletes, so I had a lot of company. It was hard at the beginning, but then it felt good,” Sarrion said.
After graduation, Sarrion hopes to stay in the United States for one or two years to pursue a master’s degree in business administration or sports management. She also aspires to become a graduate assistant for a golf team hoping to share the things that she has learned through CCU’s golf program.
Emma Van Elslande, women’s volleyball player and psychology major from Luxembourg City had a similar experience to Sarrion, as she also travelled to CCU to play in the SBC.
Inspired by her parents’ professional volleyball careers, Van Elslande originally wanted to pave her own path through tennis and horse riding because of the pressure to excel in volleyball, but she ultimately found her way back to the game.
“The former head coach Jozsef [Forman] showed me the whole campus by foot, on FaceTime with me and my parents. He showed us the turtles, and I was drawn here right away. It’s a very pretty campus,” Van Elslande said.
Van Elslande expressed how she was scared during her initial flight to CCU, as it was her first time flying alone and the flight took around 24 hours from Luxembourg City to Myrtle Beach.
“My flight attendant actually said that she was so proud of me for coming here and she was so sweet that I started to feel better,” Van Elslande said.
After graduation Van Elslande hopes to pursue a master’s degree at Coastal, but ultimately wants to return to Europe.
CCU men’s soccer player and marketing major Katio Ueki said he was happy to come to Coastal for the team, as well as the conference.
“The location and the team dynamic made me want to come to CCU. I also wanted to play in the Sun Belt Conference since it is one of the top soccer conferences in the United States,” Ueki said.
Kaito said he was initially nervous to become a Division I athlete when coming to Coastal Carolina, but he was still really excited for the experience.
Follow the athletes during their international experiences via @goccusports on Instagram.
