From 11 in her high school class to NCAA All-American: Iowa’s Megan Gustafson
‘She always makes you feel good’
Gustafson didn’t get to choose her roommate when she arrived at Iowa. She was randomly paired with an athlete from another sport.
Adorabol Huckleby is a black tennis player from big city Detroit. Gustafson is a white basketball player from small town Port Wing.
On the surface, they seemed to have nothing in common. On a deeper level, it was a perfect match.
“Megan is an awesome person. I just love being around her because she makes me laugh so much and we have so much fun,” Huckleby said. “She is not a complainer or anything like that. She is just such a positive person to be around. She always makes you feel good.”
Gustafson and Huckleby try to attend each other’s games and matches. They FaceTime when they are apart during school breaks, and share stories about their upbringings.
“I am so grateful to be at Iowa and get to experience meeting people from a totally different world than I am from,” Gustafson said. “It takes about two minutes to go shopping where she is from, and it takes about an hour from my small town just to get groceries. It’s been so fun to learning more about each other and becoming best friends.”
Huckleby recently returned to their apartment after tennis practice to find Gustafson in her element.
“Megan was cleaning and singing,” Huckleby said with laugh. “She is really silly and goofy and does things like that all the time.”
The musical side of Gustafson extends beyond vocals to instrumental. She began playing the flute in the second grade and continued in band through her senior year of high school.
“It’s something I would love to pick up again for fun,” Gustafson said. “But I really don’t have time in college with basketball and school right now.”
For all the toughness she displays on the court, Gustafson has a softer side away from the gym. Her bed is covered in stuffed animals and teddy bears. She loves dogs — especially Corgis — and can never have enough pink in her life.
“My room is decked out in pink and I love wearing it,” Gustafson said. “My grandmother’s favorite color was pink. She passed away in 2010, so it’s something I have that I can remember her by.”