Two tragedies brought soccer player to OSU
Two tragedies brought soccer player to OSU

STILLWATER — Yolanda Odenyo used to think this was all a fluke.

Ripples from the Oklahoma State plane crash had come all the way across the ocean to her?

Her?

She was dealing with her own ripples, after all. Her sister had been killed in a team van accident near the Georgia-Florida border. It made few waves in the United States, a soccer team of recent college graduates, but created a tsunami in Sweden.

They were two deadly accidents involving the transportation of young athletes. Thirteen lives were lost.

Three others were connected.

There was Andre Williams, the former Cowboy who became spokesman and comforter in those days after the OSU plane crash. There was Karen Hancock, the Cowgirl soccer coach whose husband, Will, the OSU basketball publicist, died that January night in 2002. Tragedy forged a bond between the friendly big man and the grieving widow.

And there was Yolanda, a dynamic soccer player buoyed after her sister's death by her dream of playing in the States. She clung to that lifeline for almost two years, and when she discovered the dream might be dead, she began to struggle and sink.

You might think that how their paths crossed and how their lives linked was coincidence.

They think otherwise.

"I used to say that I ended up here on accident,” said Yolanda, who led the Cowgirls to a historic season a year ago and became the program's first All-American, "but the more time that has passed, I think it was meant to be.

"All these things just fell into place.”

Ripples sometimes take awhile.

Her sister, Sasja, had been in an accident.

Only a few months earlier in the spring of 2001, Sasja had finished school at Florida International. She played soccer there, ranking as the nation's third-leading scorer as a junior and breaking all sorts of school records. After graduating, she had joined a Miami-area team made up of other former college players.

Returning home from a tournament in Atlanta, one of the two team vans was hit by a U-Haul. Another vehicle hit the U-Haul, pushing it into the van, which went into the median on Interstate 75 and flipped several times.

Sasja was rushed to the hospital where they determined that she was brain dead.

Early the next morning, she died.

Yolanda busied herself with every task imaginable. Doting over her mother and sisters. Finishing her final year of high school. Doing housework. Running errands. Playing soccer.

She did everything but grieve.

"I knew she and I were close before she died, but I don't think I realized how much,” Yolanda said of Sasja, who was five years older. "I was an outgoing person ... but I never really talked serious stuff with many people.

"She was the only one.”

More than a year after the van accident, Yolanda decided to delay college for a year. Picking a college — she had offers from all the best soccer schools — would have to wait, too.

That was about the time she met Andre Williams.

The network of athletes there is small, and he soon crossed paths with Yolanda. They became friends, and eventually, she told him about Sasja. Usually when she talked about her sister, friends struggled with what to say and what to do.

Andre didn't. The two players killed in the plane crash were his former suitemates. Nate Fleming lived in Room 218-A, Daniel Lawson in 218-B and Andre in 218-C. He knew what it meant to lose someone dear.

Because of the plane crash, he also knew something about soccer. Andre made a point of staying in touch with the families, but he became particularly tight with Karen Hancock. He became a regular at her team's soccer games.

Andre knew when he saw Yolanda play that she could change Karen's program.

"I'm in Sweden,” he told the coach over the phone, "and there's a player you guys need to get.”

"Whatever, Andre,” Karen teased. "What do you know about soccer?”

Still, Karen called Yolanda, who told the coach that she had yet to sign but that she planned to play at North Carolina, a decision she would later cement with the powerhouse program. Karen and Yolanda wished each other well and figured the first time would be the last time they spoke.

Then about a month before Yolanda planned to leave Uppsala for Chapel Hill came another bolt-out-of-the-blue call.

This time, it was Carolina blue.

When the NCAA looked at her club experience, it determined she received a stipend above and beyond normal expenses. That meant she'd violated her amateur status, and the Tar Heels rescinded her scholarship offer.

"They really wanted me,” Yolanda said, "but obviously when problems start happening ... North Carolina, they have an abundance of players, so they do not need to work that hard to get me there.”

First, her sister.

Now, her dream.

"She kind of felt like the world was just dumping on her,” Andre said. "Just a bunch of things were falling by the wayside, things that she really wanted in life. She got completely down.”

Andre encouraged Yolanda to call Karen.

Karen: "So, how's North Carolina, Yo?”

Yolanda: "I'm not there. I'm still in Sweden.”

Karen: "What?”

Yolanda: "They say that I've lost my amateur status, that I'm a professional athlete for playing for the club team.”

Karen: "What?”

Karen knew about the European club system, and she just couldn't believe that Yolanda had violated the NCAA's amateur status rules. This was a girl, after all, who was sleeping on her sister's couch and riding her bike to practice.

Karen decided to fight the ruling.

"The one thing that she really loved to do ... was being taken away from her,” Karen said. "It messed with her psychologically. There were some dark times.”

Each found strength in the other, their tragic ties binding them together.

"Learning about her sister ... I really empathized with Yolanda and how hard it is to lose somebody that you love that much,” Karen said. "I was just pretty hell bent on trying to help her get an opportunity.”

Then one July afternoon Karen called Yolanda. She had Scott Williams, OSU's compliance director, on the speaker phone with her.

Karen: "You're cleared.”

Yolanda: "Ha, ha. That's not funny.”

Karen: "No, really.”

Yolanda laughed again, but this time it was real. Karen hadn't heard her laugh in six months.

Yolanda Odenyo is a Cowgirl phenom. A program that had decent success before now looks poised for a breakthrough. After a historic season that included a school-record 17 wins and a first-ever top-10 national ranking, OSU is undefeated headed into today's game against Louisiana-Monroe and ranked 17th.

Yolanda is no lone star, but she is the brightest.

"To be honest, I didn't know how good Yolanda would be,” Karen said. "I just could tell in talking ... that she was a decent human being and she deserved an opportunity. Obviously, it's worked out pretty well for us ... but I would've done it even if it hadn't turned out so great.”

Through tragedy, they bonded.

Now, in triumph, they celebrate.

"This place has given me so much,” Yolanda said. "It's very important for me to be able to give back.”

Leave a Comment

Sports Photo Galleriesview all

Adrian Peterson football camp

Adrian Peterson talks with young football players on the second day of his camp in Norman.

11 photos

Volleyball camp: June 23, 2009

Photos from the volleyball camp in Norman on Tuesday, June 23, 2009.

4 photos

Sunbelt Classic: June 23, 2009

Photos from the Sunbelt Classic in Norman on Tuesday, June 23, 2009.

4 photos

Endeavor Games: Saturday, June 13, 2009

Photos from the Endeavor Games Saturday, June 13, 2009

19 photos

Page 1 of 5

Prev 1 2 3 4 5 Next