Troy University, a beautiful university in Alabama. Home to 18,000 students, as well as the group of student-athletes called the ‘Trojans’. And Slamstox soccer player Lisa Blankestein has joined that group since 2020!
In the Netherlands, Lisa played soccer at Ajax and was part of the Dutch team, in which she played several international matches! Lisa also obtained her school diploma at Sint Joris College in Eindhoven. After that she was more than ready for her American adventure as a student-athlete. Troy University is not the first American university that Lisa is part of, she previously studied and played soccer for the University of Kentucky. We wrote a University Spotlight about that last year!
Earlier we asked Lisa to tell what she thinks of her America experiences so far, she said the following:
“It’s hard work every day. You are treated like a professional, which is really cool!”
Now that Lisa made the switch a while ago and transformed into a Trojan, it is time to zoom in on her university again. In this article you can read more about Troy University!
Campus
Troy University is a public university located in Troy, Alabama. For those who have no idea where to look on the map of America: pretty much bottom right! Top left Florida. The town of ‘Troy’ has about 19,000 inhabitants, of course the students of the university are not included: there are 18,000! The campus of Troy University is therefore an important part of the city, you can see a photo of the campus below. Looks amazing right?
Since 2005, Troy University has been made up of four different campuses in Alabama all under the same name. Troy University in Troy is the main campus, the other campuses are in Montgomery, Dothan and Phenix City. The main campus is located close to the center of Troy. The campus is beautifully situated between the hills and surrounded by beautiful and old trees.
The first two buildings that became part of the campus are John Robbert and Shackelford Hall, both buildings are still on campus today! The campus even has its own lake: Lake Lagoona. The lake runs through the university golf course. Troy University is one of 87 universities in America with a full-service 9-hole golf course on campus!
Below we show a number of sports facilities of the Trojans!
The Veterans Memorial Stadium, the stadium has been renovated for $ 18 million! The renovation took a year and has ensured that the stadium looks amazing and that it contains an extra 12,000 seats. This means that no fewer than 30,000 fans can enjoy the Division I sports level at the same time per game. Below you can spot another photo of the stadium, isn’t this really great ?!
But the American Football Stadium above is not the only cool stadium at the university, since the Trojan Arena is also very impressive! In this stadium the basketball matches of both men and women are played, and it is the place where the volleyball team comes into action. The arena, which was only finished in 2012, is considered one of the most modern basketball stadiums in the southeast of the USA. There are 5,200 seats, various VIP areas and also floor seating for the students. Also, all lighting consists of LED lights that go throughout the stadium, giving great shows prior to matches. But all that cool stuff didn’t come free, it cost 40 million dollars to build! Whut? Yes really. You can see the stadium below!
A special golf course and two mega stadiums, but there is much more beautiful things to be found on the campus. There is, for example, a beautiful baseball and softball field with stands. A large athletics track with the ‘Troy Soccer Complex’ in the middle where Lisa comes into action. There is also a tennis complex, several gyms and much more .. Curious about all this? Then check the atheltic facilities page of the Trojans!
Want to see more of the campus in general? Check the video below for awesome images of the beautiful campus
Athletics
“Troy State Normal School,” that was the original name of the university. She started the sports program in 1909, that year the first American Football match was organized. During the first years, the Trojans had no official nickname, so it differed per sport and coach. It was eventually decided that the ‘Troy State Teachers’ was the official name, but when the athletic teams became part of NAIA the name was changed to ‘Red Wave’. In 1993, the school joined the NCAA and entered Division I, when the student panel decided the “Trojans” would be the best name for the student-athletes.
In 2004, the Trojans became part of the Sun Belt Conference, the American Football team plays in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. In total, the Trojans consist of 7 men and 8 women teams. Where the women also play soccer and volleyball, there is only a men’s team for American Football.
The university colors are red, gray and black. And besides that, Troy University, like all other universities in America with varsity teams, has a cool mascot! His name is T-Roy and you can spot him in the photo on the right.
The fans of Troy University, along with mascot T-Roy, cheer for the student-athletes on a weekly basis. They do this while singing the Fight Song of the university!
Go! Go! Go!
Cheers to T-R-O-Y
We are with you all the way.
So get out there team and
Fight! Fight! Fight!
And win today!
The Trojans have already won a total of 14 NCAA National Championships, spread over 5 different sports. Below you can see a video that the university made in 2017, it gives an idea of ‘Gameday’ for the biggest sport in the university: American Football! Check it out below!
Academics
In total, Troy University offers 46 undergraduate programs, 22 masters programs and 3 doctoral programs. These courses can be divided into five different categories:
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Communications & Fine Arts
- College of Education
- College of Health & Human Services
- The Sorrell College of Business
Are you curious whether the course you would like to do is offered? Then check the list of courses at Troy University.
Do you want to become a student-athlete in the USA, just like Lisa? Reach out, we are happy to help you!
