Cyclones Add Pair of International Student-Athletes

AMES, Iowa - Two international student-athletes have joined Iowa State's tennis team for the upcoming season. Caroline Hauge Andersen of Bergen, Norway and Ksenia Pronina of Duesseldorf, Germany had unique signing experiences that led them to start their freshmen year at ISU.

Andersen knew a future Cyclone before she had ever been to Ames. While he was coaching at North Florida, Iowa State Assistant Coach Rod Puebla was recruiting the Norwegian to be an Osprey. A year later, Puebla accepted his position at ISU, and the connection eventually helped Andersen decide to don Iowa State's cardinal and gold.

"When North Florida did not happen for Caroline, they called us up and we got it going," Cyclone head coach Armando Espinosa said. "She knew when he came here and that made it easier for all of us."

Puebla turned out to be in the right place at the right time for Pronina as well. With classes underway at ISU, he was in Germany recruiting. There, Pronina decided to attend Iowa State, and an accelerated signing process began to take shape.

"We got her admitted within a day, we had her papers in two days, and she was here a week later," Espinosa said. "She was able to get on a plane within a week of her commitment, so it was really fast."

Espinosa noted that it was due to Pronina's attentiveness that her transition into Ames was possible.

"The nice thing about Ksenia is that she was very diligent about all of her paperwork, and whatever we needed she had done right away," he said. "Now that she's here, we're concentrating on getting her ready to play."

With the duo now in Ames, Espinosa is confident that both girls will be driving forces for this year's squad. Their energy and enthusiasm, he says, will translate to great momentum on the court.

"Each of them will be an impact player," Espinosa said. "They're happy about this new opportunity, so Caroline and Ksenia are excited to go out there and do the best they can to make the most of it."