ATHENS -- Taking in the scenery of vintage buildings and the tall, green trees of the University of Georgia’s north campus, Mell Reasco sat in bed as UGA tennis coach Drake Bernstein talked with her via Zoom.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bernstein biked throughout campus to show Reasco what the university and tennis program had to offer.
“When you’re trying to do it virtually,” Bernstein said of recruiting players, “it can be a challenge to show just how incredible this is, but I’m glad that it worked out and glad she’s in red and black.”
Moving away to college is difficult for any freshman. Moving away from your country and family – as Reasco, a native of Ecuador, did – and adapting to a different culture is undeniably challenging. Reasco’s journey to college wasn’t a linear path, but her adaptability is unwavering.
The tennis team celebrated her latest contributions to the red and black with a shower of yellow, blue, and white confetti that fell after the Bulldogs won their second straight Southeastern Conference tournament. Reasco won in singles and doubles.
UGA hosts NCAA first and second rounds this weekend, with Alabama State competing against the Bulldogs in one first-round match and Florida State versus UNC-Asheville in the other.
In her SEC tournament singles match, Reasco beat Texas A&M’s Nicole Kirin, a top-20 player, in two sets. With a beaming smile, the first thing she did was text her mom back in Ecuador.
“Having this reward of all the work that we have put in. It’s just very good and it’s assurance just to keep doing and keep trusting our stuff,” said Reasco, a junior.
Reasco has found a second home in Athens. But at first, she didn’t want to go to college, thinking she would go pro immediately instead. Her mom, though, wanted her to get a degree.
With the support of her friend and pro tennis player María Lourdes Carlé, who played for Georgia for a year, Reasco decided to give Georgia a shot. She is still adjusting to not having home-cooked meals and not being able to see her mom regularly.
“It’s still very challenging,” Reasco said. “But in my head I’m always thinking that I’m doing this for a purpose and that’s what’s helped me every day to get up and try to do my best every day, and I know that this is the best so I can be better in the future.”
Adaptability is not something she’s new to. At 11, she sacrificed time with her family to chase after her dream to one day play professionally. She traveled alone, with only her coaches, to compete in matches where, as a native Spanish speaker, she encountered language barriers.
“My family is very important for me. They always have given me the example to challenge myself to always be discipline and be resilient with my goals,” said Reasco, whose dad, Néicer Reasco, and brother, Djorkaeff Reasco, both became pro soccer players.
Seven of the 10 UGA women’s tennis players are from other countries.
“I’m always so impressed with our international student-athletes’ ability to adapt, and it’s beyond impressive,” Bernstein said. “It is a different kind of culture. And I think that that was tough for Mell in the early days balancing the academics, balancing the tennis, balancing everything that’s going on for a college student. But as she’s grown up, she’s learned to kinda compartmentalize.”
On a team filled with international students, it has made it easier for Reasco to know she is not alone. Her teammates, turned roommates, turned closest friends Mai Nirundorn and Dasha Vidmanova have been with her since freshman year.
The dynamic she has with her friends is filled with sarcasm, love and laughter.
“Since we’re very, very close, we can tell each other anything . We make fun of each other a lot. But you know, we love each other at the end of the day,” Nirundorn said.
After celebrating being an SEC champion, Reasco now heads into the NCAA tournament hoping to add another title to her resume. The challenges and sacrifices, she hopes, will be all worth it in the end as she continues to chase her dreams to play professionally.
“I definitely found my way,” Reasco said. “I can get support from my friends who are my teammates. And the coaches always make me feel like home. My second family.”
Keisha Chestnut is a student in the Sports Media Certificate program at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
