OKLAHOMA CITY (May 10, 2021) – The plan was set for Camilla Jarvela in November 2019. She had just signed to play collegiate golf at Oklahoma Christian, and she'd leave her home nation of Finland a few months later to begin a new adventure in the United States.

But the COVID-19 virus began to make its way around the world and soon shut down entire nations. Neither the U.S. nor Finland were spared by the pandemic. In the U.S., schools and athletic seasons suddenly halted. In Finland, opportunities to apply for a travel visa did likewise. The world, it seemed, was in lockdown mode.

Spring and summer 2020 came and went and the pandemic proved relentless. The start of the 2020-21 academic year arrived and even as classes began at OC, Jarvela remained in Finland, thousands of miles from her dream.

But she remained patient, knowing the opportunity remained at OC. She took courses online during the fall semester, then finally was able to journey across the Atlantic Ocean before the start of the spring semester. It didn't take her long to establish herself as a strong collegiate player, as evidenced by the fact she'll represent OC this week in the NCAA Division II Championship.

Jarvela will be in the first threesome teeing off Tuesday at TPC Michigan in Detroit, starting off No. 1 tee at 9:35 a.m. Central time (10:35 a.m. local time).

"It is rare to have the talent she has," OC coach Greg Lynn said. "She's going to do a lot of damage in the next few years."

Jarvela's journey to Oklahoma began the way it does for a lot of international students – through a connection. Her friend from Finland, Wilma Merenmies, had signed to play at OC and did so during the 2019-20 season. As Lynn began looking to recruit players for the 2020-21 season, he asked Merenmies if she had any friends back home who were strong players.

Merenmies told him about Jarvela, and soon enough, Lynn was communicating with Jarvela, asking her if she'd be interested. It didn't take long for her to answer in the affirmative. Jarvela had played several times in the U.S. as a junior golfer and was intrigued by the opportunity afforded by U.S. universities for a student to help pay for her college by playing a sport.

Jarvela, in her trips to the U.S., had never been to Oklahoma, and her first trip to the Sooner State took several months longer than first planned.

"It was OK," Jarvela said. "I trusted Wilma. She said it was good here, so I didn't have to come visit. The visa appointments made it impossible for me to come here last semester. They cancelled three of my appointments and I didn't get one until a week after school started."

By January, "I knew I had to come here, just to show up. I was a little nervous about that. I didn't want to get any injuries or get sick right before I came here."

It hasn't always been easy to focus on golf in the midst of a pandemic, but Jarvela managed to put together an impressive start to her collegiate career this spring. She finished in the top 20 in all six tournaments in which she played and was in the top 10 in four of them – the Midwestern State Invitational (third of 63 players), the Texas A&M-Commerce Lion Invitational (ninth of 75), the Palm Valley Classic (seventh of 107) and the Division II West Super Regional (second of 48).

Her 74.87 scoring average over 15 rounds leads the Eagles and likely will rank as second-best by a freshman in program history at season's end.

"She is the first player I've ever had who can do two things – hit the ball well and putt," Lynn said. "This girl can do both. That's how you can get really good."

During last week's Super Regional at Wildhorse Golf Club at Robson Ranch in Denton, Texas, Jarvela was one of only two players to finish under par. She opened with a 1-under-par 71 and posted a 72 in the second round. She briefly moved into the individual lead in the final round while shooting another 71, but eventually finished as the runner-up.

Even though OC's team fell two shots shy of a return trip to the Division II Championship – for which the Eagles qualified the last time it was played, in 2019 – Jarvela made it into the 72-woman field as an individual.

That helped keep alive a remarkable streak for OC, which has had at least one player qualify for the national tournament in each season since 2016, the program's first as a full Division II member. Audrey Meisch made it in 2016, current senior Abigail Rigsby qualified in 2017 and current graduate assistant coach Kate Goodwin did so in 2018.

In the first round in Michigan, Jarvela will be grouped with two other individual qualifiers, Alice Putoud of Tiffin (Ohio) and Rosie Klausner of Central Missouri. The tournament medalist will be determined with three rounds of stroke play on the par-72, 5,848-yard course, before the team champion is determined via match play.

Jarvela said qualifying for the national tournament would count as her greatest golf accomplishment. She has simple goals for this week: "Enjoy it. And win a trophy."