International Seniors Find Home in Oklahoma with Cowgirl Tennis

More than 15,000 combined miles separate the hometowns of Sofia Blanco, Marina Guinart and Katie Stresnakova from Stillwater.

The international Oklahoma State women's tennis players sat in an orange and black clad locker room reflecting prior to the beginning of their final seasons. Guinart, Blanco and Stresnakova each took a different path to OSU from overseas. For as different as those paths were, they all share the same commitment to Cowgirl tennis and love and appreciation for the coach and community that brought them together.

OSU head coach Chris Young has many resources when it comes to international recruiting. He has former players from foreign countries, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Pro Circuit website and even a former player working for a Spain-based recruiting company. It's this networking that he credits for the "tennis junky" OSU recruits.

Young said he first discovered Blanco on the ITF website, where many college tennis coaches discover great talent from foreign countries.

"Sofi came from Argentina and was playing some professional tournaments," Young said. "She had a really good pro ranking as far as amateur players coming through."

A rule is in place for NCAA tennis that states a player must begin his or her college career within six months after graduating from high school. Young said Blanco was a unique case in that she had graduated in December, and he didn't really find out about her until a full year later.

"Chris was the first coach to ever contact me," Blanco said.

She added the Greenwood Tennis Center grabbed her attention initially, but she was set on attending the University of Florida to further her tennis career and begin her college education.

"I wanted to go to Florida because I had family there," Blanco said. "So with OSU it was like, I loved the school… I loved everything, but I wanted to be close to my family."

Guinart was in the States prior to coming to Oklahoma State. She spent two years at East Tennessee State before putting in to transfer to a larger program. Young said she was a highly sought-after recruit, with the likes of Ohio State, Baylor, Kentucky and Mississippi State in the running.

"I visited four universities and Chris messaged me one day and said, 'Hey, I heard you're transferring.', so I communicated with him a lot," Guinart said. "I texted Sofi because I knew she was here, and I talked to the Spanish girls who were here before. They all told me really great things about the program."

"I was like, 'I'm coming here.' I don't know why. It was just a feeling. The environment here is so good," Guinart chuckled.

Young attributed the Cowgirl's attitude to what has made her instrumental in the team's success in her two years in Stillwater.

"Marina came in and gave us the shot of energy that we needed," Young said. "She always plays with passion and energy. I think it's a big responsibility because she can't really have a bad day because we need her and her energy. It's part of her talent and something she brings to the entire team."

Stresnakova, too, said OSU was the place for her.

"I visited one other school and was supposed to look at four others," Stresnakova said. "I was going to compare that other school to OSU just to see. Then I came here and met the people and met Chris, and I just had a good feeling about the community and environment."

Like Blanco, Stresnakova was working toward a professional career when Young discovered her. Luckily for Young and the Cowgirls, it was earlier in the game and she wasn't forced to forfeit a year of eligibility.

"Katie came in January and played right away on the 2016 team," Young said. "I think she has always had big goals. As she saw the team really have success and her contribution to that success, I think it helped her grow as a person. Through that process from her freshman year to now, she has gone from being a really solid No. 5 player to being one of the better players in the country at No. 1 this year. I think she's developed a lot on the court, but off the court she has really come into her own as a person and has become more confident in who she is."
I think she's developed a lot on the court, but off the court she has really come into her own as a person and has become more confident in who she is.

Blanco ultimately chose OSU for reasons similar to those of her teammates.

"Chris fought so hard for me," Blanco said. "He showed me every reason the program was good and why it was developing so much. Then I talked to two former Spanish players, and they really showed me how the growth was coming about and how much Chris cares about his players. I felt like it was a family here, and honestly, it was the best decision I ever made."

Young said Blanco was an instant fit with the program and that her demeanor is what has made her so successful here.

"Sofi came in right away and just really fit in with the team," Young said. "She's somebody who has a great heart and does everything we ask her to. It's very easy to coach her because whatever you ask, she's going to do to the best of her ability. On and off the court, she's exactly what you want in a student athlete. She's a 4.0 student. She's an All-American on the court. I couldn't be more pleased with her."

Across sports, it's commonplace for athletes and coaches alike to overuse words such as, "community" or "family" or "culture." For international athletes, this is exactly what they have in mind when selecting a school.

"It's easier to go to a place with other international players because you understand how the others feel," Blanco said. "You feel more like a family because your own family is so far away that you really have to rely on the people who are here."

Guinart added saying great teammates are the most important part of this experience because when you're far from home you just appreciate it that much more.

Young said though OSU might not have been on any of these women's radars from the beginning, it was about developing relationships as best he could from a distance and giving them the concrete information about the program and facilities to at least get them interested. He said it's generally important to get the recruits here so Stillwater can sell itself because it's difficult to compete with the Floridas and Stanfords and UCLAs in college tennis.

He described the community as being a bit unknown, especially to international players looking to come to the U.S. Oddly enough, Young credits the type of recruits he lands to this.

"The kids who are going to come here are really focused on tennis and what this program has to offer," Young said. "We get the tennis junkies… the kids who really want to be professional players, the kids who see themselves having a future afterward and recognize how we can develop them and how these facilities will develop them. I think we really get a certain type of player at this program."

Years of recent success haven't hurt the Cowgirls' recruiting efforts, either. Young, amid his 10th at the head of the program has made seven consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament, three trips to the round of sixteen in the past four years, claimed two Big 12 titles in the past three years and finished as the national runner-up in 2016.

Under his watch the Cowgirls have had immense success on and off the court, and his players credit that to him.

"Chris is one of the best people I know," Stresnakova said. "He's going to help me with anything and he's really like a second father."

The familial atmosphere provided by OSU's women's tennis program can't be overstated especially as it pertains to international recruits. The three women believe the program has helped them grow both in their game and personally.

Guinart said she has matured a great deal in her year at OSU. She said upon arriving in Stillwater, she felt like a kid.

"When I came here, I didn't even know how to boil a potato, you know?" Guinart said.

Her friends and teammates burst into laughter, in part because they both shared in this sentiment. Like siblings, they relate and share in these types of struggles far from home with mostly each other to rely on.

None of them would change it.

"Every semester here has just gotten better and better," Stresnakova said. "Right now, I don't even want to go back home. I just like it here so much. I like my teammates, the people here, the coaches, and I'm having the best time of my life."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

International Seniors Find Home in Oklahoma with Cowgirl Tennis

Players Mentioned

Sofia Blanco

Marina Guinart

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