Sports is a great unifier, and that is evident at The University of Alabama. People travel from across the country and the world to root for the teams and even to play for them like golfer Emilie Øverås. 

Øverås was born and raised in Ålesund, Norway, where she had a successful golf career. She is a two-time Norwegian Junior Team Championship winner and represented Norway in the Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2018. 

Alabama is the place “where legends are made,” but playing for the Tide was not always an option for Øverås.

“The school was not on my radar till I was reached out to,” Øverås said. 

She was surprised to hear from head coach Mic Potter about the opportunity. After finding out what the University had to offer, the decision to come here was an easy one.

Despite coming from Norway, she had few preconceived notions about America from her brother who attended Coastal Carolina University for golf. 

There were clear cultural differences, like food and language, but the structure of school and golf — the things she came to Alabama for — were the same. 

Øverås made her Alabama debut at the 2019 ANNIKA Intercollegiate. Since then, Øverås has put up impressive performances. This includes a tie for 31st place at the 2020-2021 SEC Championship. Øverås led the Crimson Tide at the 2020 Ally Challenge with a 12th-place finish. 

This season, she finished 28th at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate and 44th at the Mason Rudolph Championship. 

Being a student-athlete comes with responsibilities, like balancing school, practice and games. The pandemic made it even more difficult to navigate the pressures that come with being a student-athlete. Golf is a steady source of enjoyment for Øverås while everything else is changing. 

Øverås strong connections with her teammate were key to winning and  maintaining positivity through bad times. 

“The people I have met are the best part. Being on a team is important, especially in overcoming the past year,” Øverås said.

Questions? Email the Sports desk at [email protected].