"For me, coming to the states was definitely a mental health challenge and I was able to address it and to learn a lot about myself by thinking about mental health. I think it's really beneficial to your performance. So that's something I would like to give to other athletes and help them strengthen and enhance their performance by making them think about things that they haven't thought about before."
 
Merle Weidt
Sport: Volleyball
Major: Global Studies
Hometown: Offenburg, Germany
 
Nearly six thousand miles away from her home in Offenburg, Germany, Merle Weidt's 2020 has been anything but easy. Last December, Weidt made the decision to transfer from Rutgers, where she played her freshman and sophomore seasons. After moving across the world to play volleyball in the United States, Weidt continued her westward trek, moving across the country to continue her career at Arizona.
 
Then, just three months after settling into her new home city, a pandemic began sweeping the globe. COVID-19 hit her home continent with a fury and spread across the United States. While Weidt was just settling into her new home, her new university and getting comfortable with her team, the whole world hit pause. Classes were moved from in-person to online. Spring practice was canceled. Students were all encouraged to leave Tucson and return home.
 
"It was spring break when it happened," said Weidt. "I flew back to New York to see some of my old friends and then flew to Miami to meet two German friends who had come to see me and spend a three-week road trip in the US. It was the first week of their trip and they decided to fly back to Germany. I was able to get back Tucson and then figure out what to do next. It started to get crazy really fast."
 
For international students like Weidt, the next step was not an easy one. How would she return home? International travel had been severely restricted. Would she be able to return to Tucson in the summer? The list of unknowns was too long, and Weidt made the decision to remain in Tucson. And while logistics were a concern, so was something much more important.
 
"My parents live in a state that was really affected," said Weidt of her home state Baden-Wurttemberg in Germany. "They live very close to the French border and France, especially the region close to my parents, was hit really hard. Things got really bad really fast. So, the situation back home was already pretty bad. I was concerned about my parents and I wanted to see them, but  just thinking about it rationally, it seemed like the better decision to stay here."
So Weidt found herself in a city she had just moved to, in a state as recently as six months ago she knew nothing about, in a country halfway across the globe from her home. Her teammates and most other friends she had made in her short time in Tucson had all gone home. Classes, practice and other social outlets she had were no longer available.


"So when I came back from Miami, it was very strange," said Weidt. "I was one of the only ones here. I had only been for here for two months, so I didn't know a lot of people. All of my teammates are gone. And all of a sudden, I'm pretty much alone."
 
But then, in a stroke of good fortune, Weidt found a piece of her hometown in Tucson.
 
"I was actually really lucky because there's a freshman on the football team from Germany," said Weidt of UA football freshman wide receiver Roberto Miranda. "We actually went to the same high school. So, we've gotten really close. We've been doing a lot of things together; we're supporting each other."
 
Through it all, Weidt remained upbeat. Her world has been greatly disrupted, but Weidt continues to find positivity through it all.
 
"There was definitely an adjustment period," said Weidt. "I was talking a lot to my parents and the coaches and just talking to them and accepting the situation that I'm in helped a lot. And also, I just really like Tucson. I really like Arizona. I love the team. I love the staff, which made everything so much easier.
 
"I'm really, really happy here. I would say one of the best decisions that I've made so far was to come here."
 
In the fall, Weidt will join 11 other newcomers to the Arizona volleyball team. The nine-player freshman class has been ranked as the No. 7 recruiting class in the nation and top in the Pac-12. Add in Weidt and two other transfers and the Wildcats' group of first-year players next season can compete with any group of newcomers in the country.
 
Weidt comes to Arizona after two very productive seasons in the Big Ten, averaging 1.44 kills and 1.03 blocks per set in two years at Rutgers. And while head coach Dave Rubio and the staff eagerly await her on-the-court abilities, Weidt plans to make her impact felt off the court as well at Arizona.
 
The middle blocker has yet to suit up for the Wildcats, but is already making her presence felt in the athletic department. Weidt will be Arizona volleyball's SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Committee) representative in 2020-21. This is a very important responsibility as the team's SAAC representative serves as the voice of the team within the athletic department and gives student-athletes a voice on a conference and national level as well.
 
"I think SAAC is a really great opportunity to make the student-athlete environment better and really better the experience for all of us," said Weidt. "It's a chance to support each other and create a family environment. I think SAAC just enables you to have your own impact and just really form the experience that you have in a way that is beneficial for all of you."
 
Despite being months away from the 2020-21 athletic calendar, Weidt already has goals set out for her SAAC duties.
 
"Naturally, I'm really passionate about international student support," said Weidt. "I would definitely like to support international student-athletes and help create an international student-athlete community."
 
In addition to her emphasis on international student-athletes, Weidt will be leading the Health & Wellness Committee with a focus on mental health.
 
"For me, coming to the states was definitely a mental health challenge and I was able to address it and to learn a lot about myself by thinking about mental health," said Weidt. "I think it's really beneficial to your performance. So that's something I would like to give to other athletes and help them strengthen and enhance their performance by making them think about things that they haven't thought about before."
 
In a difficult time for many, Weidt has made the best out of her situation. She has explored all that Tucson has to offer, made new friends, tried new foods. Across the globe from her family and from her hometown in Germany, Weidt is finding a home-away-from-home in Tucson and a second family in her teammates, coaching staff and friends that she has made in Tucson.
 
Tucson is lucky to have you, Merle.