Elisabeth Aegisdottir’s story from Iceland to Liberty University

From the small town of Grindavik, Iceland, to the mountains of Liberty University, Elisabeth Aegisdottir’s passion for basketball propelled her to pursue her dreams across the world. 

Growing up in Iceland looked different than the typical childhood in the United States. Aegisdottir described the community she grew up in as safe and small. Walking to school and basketball practice was normal for her as a child, and anytime she went into the grocery store, she saw familiar faces.  

Aegisdottir’s family was a huge part of her childhood as well. Her parents put her into sports at an early age, and from then on, she knew that basketball would become a major part of her life.  

In her younger years, she played with her hometown basketball team. After some development and growth in her skills, Aegisdottir was presented with the opportunity to play for a larger team located outside of Reykjavik, the capital of the country. 

“That was a really big step. I didn’t have my driver’s license, so my mom would drive me to practice in the city,” Aegisdottir said. “From that step I just really wanted to grow my basketball career.”  

During her time with this high-level team, Aegisdottir helped lead them to victory in multiple tournaments, the most notable being the Cup Championship. Additionally, her passion for basketball continued to develop, and Aegisdottir realized that it was something she wanted to pursue after high school. 

After 13 years of primary school, Aegisdottir took a gap year after graduation instead of launching into her college search.   

“I decided to take the gap year because I felt like I wasn’t ready. They (her parents) supported me in that, and they wanted me to take the opportunity because they knew if I didn’t, I would regret it,” Aegisdottir said. 

During her gap year, Aegisdottir focused solely on basketball and working, helping her become more independent before making a life-changing decision — a decision that would take her roughly 3,000 miles across the ocean and away from home.  

As she began her college search, Aegisdottir said that Liberty did not come into the picture until late in the game. Liberty was one of the last schools to contact her, but once it did, everything changed. Visiting Lynchburg and seeing Liberty in person is what cemented the decision for Aegisdottir. The facilities as well as the kindness of the people left a lasting impression.  

After making the move across time zones to play in America, it took Aegisdottir some time to adjust to life in the United States. She said her family was incredibly supportive of her move, but she struggled with homesickness in her first year.  

“I was really homesick last year. I was just trying to survive and take one semester at a time at that point,” Aegisdottir said.  

As Aegisdottir established her life in Lynchburg, she continued to fall in love with basketball. Her childhood dreams were coming to life. She said that she had always heard about the major college programs in the U.S., but having the opportunity to be here and play them is something she never imagined. 

“Places that we have been traveling to and all the big teams that we’ve been playing. I always heard about like Texas, Tennessee — they’re such big teams,”  Aegisdottir said. “But we’ve had the opportunity to play them.”  

During her time as a Lady Flame, Aegisdottir has become a decorated athlete. Last year, as a freshman, she played in all 34 games, made the Conference USA All-Freshman Team and contributed to multiple wins by making crucial rebounds and foul shots.  

Through all of it, her parents have remained supportive and have even traveled to Lynchburg to visit and watch their daughter play multiple times. In return, Aegisdottir tries to travel back home when she can. In the short, four-day break the team had over Christmas, she made the two-hour drive to Raleigh and six-hour flight to Reykjavik. Though a sacrifice, Aegisdottir said she “really needed to go home.”  

With two years still ahead of her at Liberty, Aegisdottir still has much to look forward to. Her plans after school are to move to Europe and play professionally or go home and coach young athletes.  

Throughout her time at Liberty, she has grown as a person and increased her passion for basketball. Her journey is far from over as she continues to chase her dreams on and off the court.  

Mullet is a staff writer for the Liberty Champion.