Getting your pilot’s license before your driver’s license is not the typical experience in America, but it’s one of many stories Charlotte Ljungkrantz has from hailing overseas.

Although Ljungkrantz plays tennis far from home, she isn’t the only Cyclone to have made a big move to come to Iowa State.

None of the seven members of the tennis team are from Iowa. In Only three are from the Midwest.

Ljungkrantz, a junior, hails from Taby, Sweden. She was initially drawn to Iowa State because of her interest in the school’s aerospace engineering program. After communicating with coach Michele Conlon and other team members, she said she decided on Iowa State because of the compatibility she felt with the team.

“I had to have both [academics and team cohesiveness] in the school I chose,” Ljungkrantz said. “My teammates and I are all so different, but we all ended up at Iowa State, so we must have something in common.”

A diverse roster that spans the globe makes the college tennis experience unique. Conlon said the lack of players from Iowa is because the state does not have a large pool of players to pick from. She said the state does have good players; however, it is hard to find players to compete at the caliber of play found in the Big 12.

“It’s nice to have diversity because I think it’s part of their experience to learn about other parts of the country and other parts of the world,” Conlon said.

Conlon’s recruiting philosophy is to start local and then expand. The expansion has increased the team’s diversity with players from Florida, Texas, Arizona and Sweden.

Freshman Caitlin Loprinzi and sophomore Jill Palen from Rochester, Minn., and freshman Chrissy Derouin from Moline, Ill., are the only Cyclones from the Midwest.

In order to find the toughest competitors, Conlon does the bulk of her recruiting at national tournaments, which players must qualify for locally. Junior Beth Chermel and sophomore Danielle Uscinski are among the players Conlon discovered at national tournaments.

Chermel, who came to Ames from the small town of Southlake, Texas, decided on Iowa State because of its affiliation with the Big 12, along with the positive atmosphere she experienced on her visit to the school. Uscinski, a Scottsdale, Ariz. native, agreed.

“People in Iowa are so friendly and so genuine,” Uscinski said. “[Iowa State] is a big school with a small-town feel. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Conlon said her strategy is to get people to the campus.

“Once you can get someone to campus and talk to their parents about Iowa State, they realize it’s a safe environment, a collegiate environment and a strong academic institution,” Conlon said. “It’s not a big-city environment where they can get lost in the shuffle.”

Although the team is made up of players from the West, East, South and Midwest, the women said they have found a common bond.

“We are all type-A personalities,” Uscinski said. “We want to succeed in everything we do; we all like to have fun, too, and can balance those things well.”

The team attributes its compatibility to Conlon’s recruiting strategy.

Though she places a large emphasis on athletic ability and potential for academic success, she also looks for players that fit into the team’s atmosphere.

“Michele does a good job of making sure personalities will mesh,” Palen said. “We all have the same value system, positive attitude and work ethic.”

Conlon said the team emphasizes doing things together, and that kind of team spirit also attracts people to Iowa State’s program and makes them compatible even though they are from completely different places.

“I have found that, regardless of how diverse the group is, they always have a common thread,” Conlon said.

“Tennis, the academics and the team environment.”