Pursue Podcast

Curious how a student athlete can become a college coach? Hear it from Maite Sturm, assistant field hockey coach at Temple University! Maite came to the U.S. as a student-athlete, graduated, and discovered her passion for coaching college field hockey. As an All-American as a senior and a three-time All-Atlantic 10 First Team honoree, she knows the ups and downs players face and how to support them. Tune in to the latest episode of the Pursue Podcast to hear Maite’s story and her insights on recruiting, player development, and life in NCAA field hockey!

Dive into tennis coaching with Ryan Kucera, former college tennis player and current Head Coach of the NCAA Division I Eastern Michigan University. We discuss the importance of tracking key performance indicators, working with world-class experts, and fostering a supportive team environment. Ryan shares his approach to scouting players, focusing not just on technical skills but also on mindset, competitiveness, and resilience. Join us and discover the world of college tennis coaching!

Tom Zeuch wasn’t sure the US college tennis route was the right one for him after finishing high school in Germany, but he decided to give it a go. What a great decision! He picked the University of Indianapolis – an NCAA D2 school with phenomenal athletics programs. Graduating as a multi-selection All-American, being the #1 ranked player, a Sports Marketing degree, and meeting best friends for life. After graduation, he is chasing the pro tennis circuit dream.

Check out the latest episode of the Pursue Podcast! In this special feature, DII tennis player Tom Zuech sits down with Felix Mischker—one-half of the Tennis Brothers. Together, they explore the contrasts between competing on the ATP Tour and playing college tennis, offering a unique perspective on both worlds. Don’t miss this exclusive glimpse into professional ATP tennis and college tennis in the US. Tune in now!

Tom Zeuch wasn't sure the US college tennis route was the right one for him after finishing high school in Germany, but he decided to give it a go. What a great decision! He picked the University of Indianapolis - an NCAA D2 school with phenomenal athletics programs. Graduating as a multi-selection All-American, being the #1 ranked player, a Sports Marketing degree, and meeting best friends for life. After graduation, he is chasing the pro tennis circuit dream.

Bernhard Bratsberg is a former Division 1 soccer player at St. Peters University in Jersey City. We'll discuss his "different" college journey, filled with long nights in NYC, art, and how he has become a well-known artist with several exhibitions.

In this episode, we talk to Mari Alvsaker about her life as a competitive swimmer at Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Florida. Mari gives us a great insight into the demanding life of a swimmer and a student.

Arman Bashiri told us his story as an openly gay soccer player. We talked about his journey from playing in Strømmen, to playing in the US in South Carolina and New Jersey. Arman gave us an insight into his experiences coming out to his teammates, friends, and family. He has experienced a ton in his college and work career, and we're happy to share his journey with you!

Start your weekend off with a fantastic story about adventures and opportunities. Just traveled to the US with a determination to play high-end D1-soccer, but as time went by, he realized that there was something else that drew his attention. He packed his bag and moved from Green Bay to Hawaii, and that’s when his life took a turn. Just has made content that several hundreds of millions of people have watched, he’s befriended and made content with superstar Logan Paul and made his US experience all about the word “YES”.

Not many words are needed here: CSUSA’s latest MLS Draft Pick Sivert Haugli joins us for an exclusive talk about getting drafted by the Portland Timbers. We’ll cover all the decisions leading up to the MLS-Draft, his amazing determination and attitude towards his own goals, and of course his time at Virginia Tech. Episode out on Spotify, Apple, and Youtube. #Pursueambition #whatsyourjourney

Severin Sørlie started his adventure in the US at Gardner Webb University, before making a transfer to Syracuse University and the ACC. Severin had an amazing journey and we’ll be covering life in sunny North Carolina vs upstate New York, life as a D1-soccer player, the prestigious ACC, and of course how he became a Youtube sensation at Gardner Webb. Start your weekend with a great story. #pursueambition #whatsyourjourney

Head Coach TJ Kostecky joins us for a chat about recruiting international student-athletes. Throughout his career, Kostecky has been an instrumental figure in facilitating the growth of soccer in America. He’s probably most known for his 20-years at LIU Brooklyn (D1), where his program had massive success in the classroom and on the field, winning 3 conference titles, made 3 NCAA Tournament appearances, and became the NEC Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2018. TJ is conducted into the Ukrainian Hall of Fame, is a big believer in Vision Training, and is currently the Head Coach at prestigious Bard College (D3).

Craig Rogers (Liverpool, England) started his college career at Cloud County Community College in Kansas before taking the leap into NCAA D1-soccer at Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma. The word “No” is not in Craig’s vocabulary and has therefore opened doors most people could not. With an incredible work ethic and determination, he ended up playing professionally in the US, Iceland, Wales, and Norway. We’ll talk about his untraditional route into soccer, how he ended up being redshirted for one season, the USL-combine, and of course his incredible nomad career.

We’re finally covering tennis on Pursue Podcast and with us to tell his story, we have Christoffer Greve. Christoffer played D1-tennis at Illinois State University and did remarkably well both on and off the court. On the court, Christoffer wrote himself into the history books of the school with several wins throughout his 4-year spell, got nationally ranked in doubles, and competed against some of the best pro-players that competes in the big tournaments today. We’re going to touch on the differences between playing tennis in the US vs Europe, the massive crowds that turn up for the games, and of course life outside of tennis. Check this episode out on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Youtube.

We're joined by professional footballer Markus Fjørtoft. Markus had an incredible college career at world-renowned Duke University, not only did he play in one of the toughest conferences, but he also managed to get his bachelor’s and master’s degree in a short spell of time. Markus topped it all of when he got drafted to MLS club Seattle Sounders. He then went on to become a professional footballer in New Zealand before eventually ending up in Scotland. He’ll get into great details about playing against Rangers in front of 40 000 fans, his adventure in New Zealand, and of course his fantastic college experience.

We are finally covering one of the biggest sports at the college arena. Track And Field athlete Elise Grong Ruud joins us for a chat about her experience at North Park University. Elise became a very decorated student-athlete, picking up a ton of medals along the way and in her last season qualifying for the D3 National Tournament. On top of her achievements on the track, she became an Academic All-American. Elise will go into great details about her life in Chicago, the traveling, and of course her incredible determination to be one of the better runners North Park University has had.

Former Swedish youth national team player Amanda Hallesjö is our next guest. In this episode, we will cover the differences between top league soccer in Sweden and D1 soccer in the US, the choice of leaving a professional contract in Sweden to pursue a career in the US, and how Amanda fell in love with Richmond, Virginia. Amanda gives us a great look into how life as a student-athlete at Virginia Commonwealth University is and how her years in the states have made a huge impact on her working career back in Sweden.\r\n

Emil Laursen from Denmark joins us for a great chat in today’s episode. Emil had a spectacular college career, took the step from Danish Super League club AGF to playing D1 soccer at Georgia Southern University. He did a 2.5-month spell with MLS club New England Revolution but unfortunately got a career-ending injury straight after. He’s now back in Denmark working for an investment firm.\r\n

We’ve finally gotten a golfer to join us for a chat. Stina Resen started her college career at Lamar University (Texas) before she took the trip up to President Bill Clinton and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Despite not being sunny and clear blue skies throughout her time at college she ended up being the Sun Belt conference golfer of the year and has taken her swing out into the professional arena where she today is playing the Ladies European Tour.\r\n

Charlotte Crisp started her college-soccer career at Pearl River Community College ( Mississippi) before she took the short trip over to Alabama and The University of Montevallo. We’ll be chatting about how she overcame some very tough obstacles throughout her years in college, how she gained captaincy at both schools, and her current life as a PT in London’s most exclusive gym.