College sports have been revolutionized by NIL, the transfer portal and eligibility rules. Meanwhile, the path to professional sports from a collegiate level remains ambiguous to many. Depending on the sport, there may not even be a clear pro route in the United States.

Former Santa Clara women’s soccer player Annie Karich **(Photo illustration by Dylan Ryu/The Santa Clara, Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)**

In some sports, such as volleyball, domestic leagues have only been popularized for a few years. For others like baseball, the route is concrete: the one domestic league is the world’s best, and its minor leagues pick up new players year after year from colleges. Every sport comes with a different route.

There have been over 25 Broncos in the past four years who have left the collegiate ranks to chase their professional athletic dreams. The Bronco women’s soccer team sends numerous players to the country’s biggest league, the National Women’s Soccer League, whilst others are scattered across the globe.

Former Bronco Annie Karich played two seasons in 2022 and 2023 for the Santa Clara women’s soccer team before deciding to forgo her remaining college eligibility and sign with German club SC Freiburg in 2023, halfway through her last season.

“My parents always talked about the soccer team in Santa Clara and how fun it was to watch them,” said Karich.

Santa Clara was always Karich’s top choice. Her parents attended the University; her father competed on the men’s basketball team, and her mother was a member of the lacrosse team.

Karich committed without hesitation in just the eighth grade, looking up to the Bronco greats that came before her.

“My favorite player growing up was Julie Ertz. She was always my inspiration, and that definitely had a part in it as well,” said Karich. “My mind was set on Santa Clara for as long as I could remember.”

When she first stepped foot on campus for her freshman year in 2022, Karich did not even expect to be starting, much less win WCC Freshman of the Year.

Former Santa Clara women’s basketball player Olivia Pollerd ’25 **(Photo illustration by Dylan Ryu/The Santa Clara, photo courtesy of Santa Clara Athletics)**

“I didn’t come in with expectations of playing and expectations of being a starter, but that’s what happened, and my teammates were very supportive. They helped me a lot, and they were nothing but happy for me,” said Karich.

Karich currently plays as a midfielder for the Boston Legacy FC, where she was the first player signed to the NWSL expansion team.

For former women’s basketball player Olivia Pollerd ’25, the journey to becoming a professional started at an early age. Growing up in Australia, Pollerd played for the junior national team, winning gold and silver medals for her country. Eventually, she was introduced to the idea of playing college basketball.

After a year at the University of Washington, Pollerd entered the transfer portal and found a new opportunity at Santa Clara, where she said the coaching staff instilled her confidence while developing her skills.

“They fed a lot of confidence into me,” Pollerd said. “They played me in a position that was exactly playing to my strengths.”

Pollerd had quite the career as a Bronco, finishing with records including second all-time in blocks, fifth all-time in 3-pointers made, 10th all-time in points, and, most significantly, Pollerd was named Santa Clara University’s 2024-25 Brandi Chastain Female Athlete of the Year.

After closing out her collegiate career last spring, Pollerd found her way back home, where she now plays professionally for the Bendigo Spirit in the Women’s National Basketball League in Australia. Much like in college, her path has remained unpredictable.

Beginning the season coming off the bench, everything changed when she was suddenly thrown into a starting role. “At first I was a bit nervous,” Pollerd said.

By the end of the season, Pollerd’s mindset had completely shifted. “I definitely deserve to be here,” she said.

While Pollerd’s path to the pros brought her home, former Bronco volleyball player Julia Sangiacomo ’23 took an opposite path, heading overseas to completely uncharted territory.

After a four-year stint at Santa Clara and a fifth at Northwestern University, Sangiacomo began her professional career in Turkey, then traveled to Indonesia and Vietnam.

Former Santa Clara volleyball player Julia Sangiacomo ’23 **(Photo illustration by Dylan Ryu/The Santa Clara, photo courtesy of Santa Clara Athletics)**

“When I was at Santa Clara, there were not leagues in the United States yet, so the only option was to go overseas,” Sangiacomo said.

Unlike the more established American professional leagues, Sangiacomo described her leap overseas as something she entered with little information.

“I just kind of knew I had the ticket, and packed up my volleyball stuff, and went,” she said.

For Sangiacomo, the transition was not easy. She suddenly found herself living in countries where she was often one of the few Americans on her team. Sometimes, she played with teammates she couldn’t even communicate with.

“It’s definitely a huge adjustment,” Sangiacomo said. “You don’t know anyone.”

Despite this, she credits those difficult experiences for helping her grow both professionally and personally.

“I know that this is so hard, and because of this, something good is gonna come out of it,” Sangiacomo said.

Now, Sangiacomo is back home, playing for LOVB Atlanta during a rapidly growing era for women’s professional volleyball in the United States.

“It’s incredibly special to be given the opportunity to play professionally in the U.S.,” Sangiacomo said.

Santa Clara athletes continue to make waves across professional sports leagues, defying expectations for a mid-major program. From the NBA and LOVB Pro to the NWSL and PGA Tour, Broncos have established a global footprint across a wide range of professional leagues.