EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – The UW-Eau Claire women’s tennis team is enjoying a strong fall campaign, earning a first place tie during the dual portion of their schedule with their sights set on a WIAC championship at the end of the month which would be their first since 2002.

Another success story for the Blugolds on and off the courts, bringing aboard two student-athletes from South America who have provided energy and plenty of spirit to UWEC.

Led by seniors Sam Fuchs and Anna Lee, the team’s success on the court has been bolstered by a talented freshmen class that includes an international flavor, Ana Ricaurte from Ecuador and Beatriz Felchak from Brazil.

“The biggest challenge? I think the language, not that it’s hard but we speak so much English,” says Felchak. “It’s so much fun, I have so much fun, the girls are so nice, the coaches awesome. Practices are really good, the matches, we get the opportunity to travel, get to see Wisconsin, Minnesota.”

Being thousands of miles from home can be daunting for anyone especially when your a college freshman. For Ana, she’s grateful for the support from her Blugolds teammates and girls she’s thrilled to call her friends.

“For me it was hard because I’m so close to my family, leaving them was hard,” says Ricaurte. “But weeks later, for me making the right friends, and joining the right groups, and the friends on the tennis team is really cool because they really helped me. And have been super helpful because having your family away can make you feel a little bit alone.”

Ana credits Bea for helping her adjust to living so far from home.

“I think she is more social than I am, so that’s really helpful for me to have friends that push me to be more social because when I first came here I was more shy than her so she really helped me with that and she’s really supported me when I was sad because my parents left,” explains Ricaurte.

Bea adds, “I think Ana is someone you can always count on, she’s always there if you call her to do anything, Ana come to my dorm to study, Ana let’s get dinner, Ana let’s warm up together, she’s always down for that.”

For head coach Ken Cychosz, a Blugold Hall of Famer, he believes the addition of Bea and Ana has been a positive experience, embraced by their teammates.

“Commonly, they’re all 18,19, 20-year olds, once you put the I’m from Brazil, Ecuador or the U.S., once you separate all that out, they’re all the same,” says Cychosz. “They do the same things, they all like to do the same things but they share some different cultural experiences.”

One of those cultural breakthroughs, Bea’s introduction to an all-time American favorite.

“And so one of our picnics, we were making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and Bea was obsessed with it, she loved it,” says Morgan Dekan, Blugolds senior.

Fellow freshman Hannah Byrhe chimed in saying, “We gave her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and she thought it was the greatest thing. And we were like it’s just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

“And I tried for the first time, peanut butter and jelly, and it changed my life. And I’ve been eating it almost every day, I hope I don’t get sick of them because they’re very good,” says Felchak.

The Blugolds wrap up the fall portion of their schedule at the WIAC championships October 26-27 in Madison.

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