MOBILE, Ala. – Kaitlyn Beans knew she would enroll at the University of South Alabama the day she set foot on campus.
"It instantly felt like home," said Beans, who grew up in Montgomery. "I felt, 'This is where I belong.' I knew I was going to be able to be a part of this school."
Beans, who ran track in high school, had considered other schools before South. Then, a week before her high school graduation, track coach Paul Brueske shot her a Facebook message. "Come by and check us out," Beans recalled Brueske's note. By the end of her visit, Beans had an offer for a scholarship, and she accepted.