ETSU women’s cross-country team welcomed freshmen twins Chanelle and Izelle Kruger (Johannesburg, South Africa) to the team this fall.
The Kruger twins both attended Midstream College High School where Chanelle competed in cross country, track and field, and field hockey and won the 2018 National South Africa Championship for track. Izelle competed in cross country and track and field.
Chanelle explains that after high school in South Africa, there are very limited opportunities for track and field and cross country.
“The opportunities for running-wise and academic-wise are so much better and bigger here, especially what I want to do, which is go into medicine,” Chanelle said. “Once we talked to the girls in the team, we absolutely fell in love with them and once we saw how the campus looked; it was everything I was looking for in a school.”
In every country there are numerous differences, for example, Chanelle has never been to a football game and expressed her interest in going to her first one as well as meeting new people.
“I love meeting new people and doing new things, especially going to a new country,” Chanelle said. “I’m going to miss my friends and my family the most and just hanging out with them.”
Izelle explains what drew her to ETSU. “We set up a zoom meeting with Coach Watts. We really connected with him as a coach, and we really liked what he was saying to us about his program,” said Izelle. “Coach Watts also took us on a virtual tour, and it was amazing.”
Izelle is looking forward to the indoor track season the most since there is no indoor track in South Africa and it will be a new experience.
“Having my sister here makes me feel a lot more comfortable and safe to have someone that I know and that I grew up with. I’ll always have her; I don’t think I would be able to do this alone because you are so far away from home. It’s like a piece of home is still with me,” Izelle said.
