by Marta Gomez, Cowgirl basketball senior

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (March 2, 2019) – There are three conference games remaining in the Cowgirls' season and six seniors who will play their last game in front of the Wyoming fans on March 4^th in the Arena-Auditorium. Each game day leading up to Senior Night, one of the seniors will share her favorite memories, both on and off the court, from her career at the University of Wyoming. Today is Sladjana Rakovic who talks about her experience as a Cowgirl.
 
Sladjana was supposed to go to Wyoming as a freshman, but because she did not take the SAT and TOEFL exams, she was not eligible to play Division I. She started her American career at the Western Nebraska Community College where she played her freshman and sophomore years. Far from regretting not taking the admissions exams, she is really happy for the experiences she had in Nebraska.
 
"There are so many people that I am thankful for," Rakovic explains. "Amy and Scott (her dorm family at WNCC) were the first ones who made my life in the USA way easier. There are so many people from my previous school that I am still in contact with and I am thankful for all of them."
 
Sladjana's first weeks in Laramie were similar to what everybody else talks about, a lot of snow. Even though she got to Laramie in May, she remembers that it was snowing when she arrived. The first days were really busy because she needed to take care of her classes for the fall, she was enrolled in summer classes and she was already practicing with some teammates who were still on campus.
 
When she went to Nebraska, she had a clear goal in her mind, she wanted to be a Division I basketball player. The University of Wyoming gave her that opportunity, and even though her career has been tainted by injuries, she has accomplished the goal she had when she first set foot in the U.S.
 
"My first game against a D1 opponent will always be one of my favorite games," she says. "Just because I was able to accomplish my goal. On the other side, injuries have been the worst thing for me, they have really impacted me both on and off the court."
 
Sladjana has been through difficult situations during these years because of her injuries. She has learned how to handle these situations and how to deal with different people. She knows that she has become an independent person and she is ready for everything that is coming up for her in the future. But she also knows that she has had a lot of help from different people to be able to get this far in academics and in her basketball career.
 
"I will be forever grateful with the coaching staff for giving me the chance to be a Cowgirl," Sladjana explains. "Coach (Mike) Cotterman and Megan (Jensen) have done everything to help me get through injuries and become a better player. Shalee Leaning, Al Reiser, and Mattison Maisel have really helped me to get through classes, and they have worked hard for me to be able to graduate in May."
 
Sladjana's career as a Cowgirl has been short, but she has fully understood what it means to play for the great state of Wyoming and in front of incredible fans every night. For her, being a Cowgirl is something special, and it cannot be described with words.