I Knew I was a Cardinal when…
…I Met My Coach
Arantxa Rosainz Caloca didn’t want to party in college.
She didn’t want any distractions.
The field hockey player from Guadalajara, Mexico, was willing to put many of those typical college experiences aside to pursue a singular goal—be the best student-athlete she could be.
Arantxa, who goes by Ronnie in the United States, met the perfect partner to help reach her goal in Ball State field hockey coach Stephanie Bernthal.
If you’re going to do something, do it right. Don’t waste your time. This is what my dad taught me growing up. Coach Bernthal believes in that too. Take life seriously.
In March, Arantxa became one of three Ball State field hockey players to earn a 2019 Zag Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Scholars of Distinction honor. The award recognizes student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.9 or higher through the first semester of the 2019-20 academic year.
Arantxa will graduate in Spring 2020 with a degree in advertising. She plans to stay in the United States to pursue a career in graphic design or advertising.
She came to Ball State after spending two years at a Division II school on the East Coast.
She was an odd fit to play D-II field hockey, having been on the national team in Mexico and highly recruited out of college. She committed to the school not understanding the American collegiate athletics system.
“I really wasn’t happy,” she said. “I wanted to play Division I.”
When she announced her plans to transfer, she again became a center of attention. Harvard, Drexel, Kent State, and others recruited her.
None stood out like Ball State.
“I could tell the coaching staff shared the same mindset that I have,” she said.