Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus UCF on January 31, 2026 , Win , 65, to, 52
Final
Women's Basketball
65
UCF
52
Iowa State University Athletics
Cyclone Freshmen Begin Life on Campus
06.25.2008 | Women's Basketball
AMES, Iowa ? For five Iowa State women's basketball seniors, summer school and pick-up games mark the beginning of the end. It's the last time they will go through the summer rituals of preparing for the upcoming season. But three Cyclone freshmen are just beginning the journey.
Ashley Arlen (Cascade, Iowa), Whitney Williams (Ft. Worth, Texas) and Alexis Yackley (Onida, S.D.) have all made the trek to Ames and after attending ISU's elite camp in early June, the trio officially moved into the dorms and became college students.
“It definitely helped to go through the summer transition, because we got into the weight room, got to play with the older players and got into the flow of things,” senior Heather Ezell recalled of her freshman summer experience. “It gave us an idea of what things would be like later once school started. It's a good time to take classes and figure out that it's your responsibility to get up and go and motivate yourself to put in the work, because it's a lot different from high school.”
The three newcomers have begun classes, and have gotten their first taste of early morning workouts with strength and conditioning coach Andy Moser. And their older teammates are teaching them a little bit about the rigors of playing division I basketball in pick-up games a couple of nights a week.
“Once I committed (to play at Iowa State), it was a huge relief and I was really excited about coming here,” Williams said. “Now that I'm here, it's still hitting me that I'm finally really here. I'm excited and nervous. A lot of things are going through my mind.”
Most college freshmen make the transition in August, moving away from home and figuring out how to adjust to life away from mom and dad. But these three freshmen are already on their way, and their objectives in June and July are to prepare themselves to be successful as students and athletes when their fellow classmates arrive on campus.
“I'm ready for the season to get going, and regular classes to start and to really feel like I'm in college,” Arlen said. “I need to get stronger and learn to play bigger.”
One of the biggest benefits of the newcomers' early arrival is the chance to develop chemistry with their teammates. The more comfortable they become with their surroundings now, the easier life will become when the fall semester tips off.
“Getting here and playing with the girls is kind of nerve racking, because you haven't played with them before” Yackley said. “But it is good to get that out of the way for preseason and the real season. I'm glad I came this summer to get acclimated not only with the campus and the classes, but with the other girls, to start forming that bond.”
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballSaturday, March 21
Friday, March 20
Friday, March 20
Sunday, March 15
