Jon Mark Beilue: The Best by Leaps and Bounds

Affessi, by way of Switzerland, making her mark like no other

The answer to the question for most athletes would be a quick one. But if the athlete is Fatim Affessi, maybe not so quick and easy.

West Texas A&M University track and field coach Matt Stewart was asked just how many medals Affessi has won in her career at the NCAA Division II national meets?

"Well, it’s a good thing (Director of Athletics Communications Tyson Jex) is right next to me," he said, "so he can look this up."

A pause. Some small talk. Another pause as Jex hit a few buttons on his keyboard.

"Here we go. Well, she’s an 11-time All-American," Stewart said, "and 11 sounds about right. Five-time national champion - four individuals and one relay. A bronze and silver medal. Seven-time Lone Star Conference champion. Not too bad, is it?"

And to think the most decorated athlete in WT history still has another year to go.

"She wants to be great," Stewart said. "That’s one thing about Fatim. She wants to be the best she can be. In competition, she’s a fierce competitor. She wants to win and hates to lose. She wants to win not only for herself, but for her university."

In May, at the NCAA Division II national meet in Kingsville, Affessi became just the second woman in NCAA history to win three consecutive Division II national titles in the long jump when she leaped 20 feet, 7 inches. She added a runner-up finish in the triple jump (42-8 ¾) to earn Division II Outdoor Female Field Athlete of Year at the national meet.

That was the fifth national title she’s won in three years - three in a row in the long jump, the triple jump indoor title in 2018, and running the second leg on the Lady Buffs’ national champion 400 relay in 2017.

For a program that’s won a team outdoor national championship in 2017 and an indoor title in 2018, the Lady Buffs have had their share of individual achievement.

But no one can top Affessi, who was recently named the Lone Star Conference Female Athlete of the Year. This covers all sports and makes her the sixth Lady Buff to win the award in the last 20 years.

"There are so many good athletes in our conference," Affessi said, "so I was a little surprised. But it feels great."

Her WT career that has dominated on the national level has been a bit of a surprise to her despite being highly sought by a number of colleges. Some 5,567 miles and a new culture away can mean a rocky transition even for talented athletes.

A tough transition at first

Affessi is from Geneva, Switzerland. College track has long had an international flavor, and Affessi was looking to come to the United States for an education and to compete collegiately in the sprints and jumps.

"We got a call out of the blue from a company we work with that helps international students come to the U.S.," Stewart said. "They said they thought about us and told us about Fatim. From that point on, we recruited her really hard because there was some competition to get her here."

Affessi also was looking to make a break after a falling out with a coach in Switzerland. She had about a half-dozen Division I and Division II offers, including the University of Michigan and a Division II power in the same state, Grand Valley State. Ultimately, she selected WT.

"I heard good things about Coach Stewart and Coach Flowers (Darren Flowers, WT’s first head coach now at UT-Rio Grande Valley), and I really liked their vision of track and field practices," she said. "They gave me my chance and believed in me like no other coaches or schools did."

A new culture was a tough transition, especially in the beginning. Though she speaks English, French is her mother tongue. She had to immerse herself in the lesser of her two languages.

"Everyone was speaking English so it was really overwhelming," she said. "I will sometimes reply in sentences that are half in French and half in English, and, of course, with a very strong French accent."

Then there was the food. Goodbye to much of the healthy organic food in Switzerland and hello to Tex-Mex and barbecue.

"The hardest thing was I was just out of my comfort zone," Affessi said. "I missed my family and friends."

And, too, she was not coming to Canyon with much confidence because of a rocky relationship with her coach in Switzerland, who cast doubt on her chances in the U.S.

"When I left, my coach said that my track career would soon be over and I would not be able to improve," Affessi said. "So I was not confident at all. But I guess God had another plan for me."

The indoor season of her freshman year in 2017 was a disappointment, which eroded her confidence even a little more. But that spring, in the outdoor season, something clicked.

It culminated at the 2017 national meet in Bradenton, Fla., when she won the first of her three national titles in the long jump with an astounding 21-11 best, which at the time was the ninth-best mark in the world. She also ran on the winning 400 relay to help the Lady Buffs to 64 points and the national crown.

"I like the Texas Panhandle. People are open-minded and very nice," she said. "Of course, I wish the Panhandle would have been a little bit greener with more trees and flowers, but I like it here."

Affessi has long settled in to a full life as a student-athlete with the transition woes behind her even if the homesickness is not. She is currently in Croatia visiting friends. Affessi is a psychology major, hoping to eventually earn her masters and work with children with learning disabilities.

But before that is her senior season of 2020 and the chance to really put an exclamation point on a college career and eventually represent Switzerland in international meets.

"When all is said and done, she will be one of the best student-athletes in the history of WT," Stewart said, "and one of the most decorated jumpers in Division II history."

Do you know of a student, faculty member, project, an alumnus or any other story idea for "WT: The Heart and Soul of the Texas Panhandle?" If so, email Jon Mark Beilue at jbeilue@wtamu.edu.

—WTAMU—