Anne-Sophie Courteau was the first tennis athlete we took. We had to make sure we had a solid player that would reflect our values and high performance criteria.
Anne-Sophie is now a key piece of West Virginia University women's tennis and we are proud to have helped her along the way. Here's her story.
Why did you choose to study in the US?
"It gave me the opportunity to keep training and competing while continuing my education. It also allowed me to receive effective training that allowed me to keep improving in the sport I love as well as continue to compete against some of the best players in the world. "
What's your major?
"I am in the Biology Pre-Med program, as well as in two minors: communications and psychology."
What's is special about West Virginia University?
"The most distinguishing thing about my school is the “Mountaineer Spirit”, pride, and passion of the students, fans, alumni, and staff. When looking at the student body in general, everyone is united, hardworking, and doing their best to bring the school to new heights every day. In athletics, the student athletes are dedicated to representing the mountaineer spirit with constant hard work, grit, dedication, and perseverance. Every student athlete is dedicated to the elevation of their program as well as their school, and you can feel that in every practice and competition. "
How's your experience of studying in the US so far?
"It is great. The academic part of my school is actually one of the aspects I love the most about my college experience. The school provides you with so many opportunities and resources which help make your learning optimal. There are always people willing to help. Student-Athletes are especially lucky because they have access to a whole separate academic department filled with people and resources to help you achieve academically. However, depending on the size of your school, you may find yourself in lecture rooms that have almost 300 people. Which can make it intimidating at first to ask questions and reach out for help when you don’t fully understand something in class. "
How did Sports Ambitions help you?
"Sports Ambitions took a chance on me as their first tennis player. They supported me in a time in the recruiting process where I really needed help. A few things happened before they stepped in that made it that I was left pretty late in the recruiting process without a school. As soon as they started managing this process for me I quickly received probably around 40-50 full scholarship offers. "
How did WVU help you evolve as a player?
"WVU has helped me become even stronger mentally when competing because of all the distractions you are faced when competing in college (yelling, cheering, cheating, refs, fans, music). It has also helped me train better and more efficiently every day. I learned to compete at a consistently high level because you have to be at your best for every match in the BIG12. It also helped me learn how to be a better team player and help work, push, and encourage my teammates to always do their best. "
Describe the first time you set foot at WVU.
"Getting to campus, I thought that the transition would be a little difficult and that it would take time, but personally I found that the transition was quick and it quickly felt like home. I was excited to be part of a new team, meet new people, learn new things, and start a new adventure. Unfortunately my team at the time was not very close nor welcoming to freshman. This being the case actually helped me meet many other students who were amazing, as well as made me become really great friends with the other freshman on the team. "
Can you tell us about a specific tennis accomplishment with WVU?
"As a team, one of the biggest accomplishments we’ve had for the program was our win against Iowa State in 2018, it was the first time in program history that the tennis team beat them in conference. Everyone was happy, proud, and excited about where the program was going.
o Individually, last October, at the ITA regionals my doubles partner Kat Lyman and I secured two upset wins in the same day. We beat the second seeds of the tournament 8-7. It was a crazy match. We started down 6-1 and fought our way back up to a tie break at 7-7 and closed out the match. It was our first win against a nationally ranked top 25 team together. We then went on in the next round to beat the number 15 seed (William & Mary) 8-5, where we also had to fight back up from 5-1."
What would you say to somebody who is hesitating to pursue the NCAA experience?
"I would say that it is a very rich experience. I would encourage them to give it a chance. If they don’t enjoy it, they can always transfer, graduate early, go to school back home, or leave and follow which ever path they think is right for them. But I would tell them that they don’t get many chances to be eligible to compete for a university like this. And if they want to continue playing and competing in their sport, then this is an amazing opportunity to do so while also moving forwards in your education. The knowledge, friends, connections, and skills that you will gather during your time as a student-athlete is monumental. "
Thanks Anne-Sophie for taking the time to answer our questions. We wish the best of luck for your remaining seasons as a Mountaineer.
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