When Karinna Tel arrived on Dordt's campus four years ago, she was a freshman with a familiar last name. Her older sister, Annika, was still on campus then, a link in a chain of Tel family members who had called Dordt home.

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"Mom, dad, sister, brother—everyone in my family came to Dordt," Tel said. "I knew I wanted to play soccer somewhere. It was just deciding if I wanted to try a bigger school or choose a smaller Christian university."

That question lingered longer for her than she expected. Her recruiting process stretched out as she weighed what mattered to her and what "home" could look like after high school. A major part of that decision was shaped by her experience of transferring from a private school to a public one.

"Switching from private to public school made me miss the smaller community feel," she said. "I missed knowing everyone, I missed a Christian education. When I realized that, Dordt just made sense."

And with Annika entering her senior year, the chance to play one season together was another pull she couldn't ignore.

"I thought it would be really fun to get a year with her," she said. "Coming in, it was great just knowing I could go to her apartment. I wasn't going to be alone."

Tel arrived with years of club and high school soccer behind her, confident in her training but unsure what to expect from NAIA competition.

"I kind of assumed it wouldn't be super competitive," she said. "But after preseason started, I realized that wasn't the case at all."

The adjustment came quickly as she found her place and became one of the most dynamic attacking players ever to wear a Defender uniform.

Her left foot was potent, even though she's right-handed.

"I've always been more comfortable on my left," she said. "Every coach I've ever had says I need to use my right more, but I don't know… it's just always worked."

It worked 98 times, to be exact, Tel leaves as the leading scorer and point producer in program history.

Just as soccer defined much of her experience, so did academics. Tel arrived thinking she would pursue nursing, but a single semester shifted her perspective.

"I realized the hospital setting wasn't for me," she said. "But I still wanted to work with people. Both my parents studied social work at Dordt and still love what they do. After talking with them, I switched—and I've loved it."

Professor Leah Mouw became a constant presence, teaching Tel every semester and shaping her academic path as much as the field shaped her athletic one.

"She's been huge for me," Tel said. "All the social work professors have."

This spring, Tel will head to Minneapolis for her senior internship, where she hopes to work with older adults, and ideally, land a full-time position.

"My fiancé lives there now, and we get married in May," she said. "It would be amazing to have a job lined up so I don't have to stress about that right after the wedding."

Talking about her four years, Tel reflects at how much life has changed.

"I'm a different person," she said. "I've had to make big decisions, figure things out, learn how to be an adult. It hasn't always been comfortable, but I've definitely grown."

That growth extended into her final season as she transitioned to a new coaching staff and built a strong relationship with Coach Payton Chitwood.

"It was weird at first," she said. "But he was super intentional with everyone—especially the seniors. He cared about us as people, not just athletes he wouldn't coach again. I think everyone appreciated that."

When her career came to an end in Hastings this fall, Tel felt the full weight of what the four seasons had meant to her with the memories filling one last bus ride with the teammates she'd grown up with.

"That's what you miss—the bus rides," she said. "So we made sure we enjoyed that last one."

Tel's competitive fire won't disappear, though she says her body needs a break before finding a competitive outlet. But she hopes younger athletes take something from her journey.

"If you're not sure what you want to do, college is great," she said. "You grow, you mature, you meet so many people. If you're a people person, or if you want to play sports, or you just want to learn who you are—it's worth it."