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— Kevin Artiles Fernandez UNLimited Sports
LINCOLN — A familiar name to Husker fans is woven onto the back of jersey No. 98, but the player representing it is a blur. For a generation of fans, “Wistrom” enlightened the sold-out crowds of Memorial Stadium, a standard of excellence set in stone by a Hall of Fame defender during the mid 90s.
Now decades later, Charlie Wistrom dribbles to make the legacy of that legendary surname her own at the Hibner Stadium pitch.
Nebraska was a natural connection for Charlie—a respectful nod to her father, College Football Hall of Famer Grant Wistrom, whose two-time All-American career (1994-1997) remains a gold standard for Husker Athletics. But while the ‘Wistrom’ surname is a preeminent staple in Nebraska history, Charlie is defining its next chapter on her own terms.
A Sports Media and Communications major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she is already commanding airwaves at 93.7 The Ticket, where she hosts her own show. Combining her experience representing the scarlet and cream alongside a passion for media, Charlie is working to ensure the Wistrom name is no longer a tribute to the past, but a breathing part of Nebraska’s future.
“My parents encouraged me to try everything out,” Charlie said. “I tried soccer because some family friends’ daughters were also doing so. I came o the field the first time with this feeling of ‘this is what I want to do,’ so I dropped everything else and just focused on soccer.”
Charlie’s love for soccer was quickly realized by her parents, who encouraged her to pursue her passions. Soon after, she joined Sporting Springfield, which competed in the Springfield, Missouri area where the Wistroms resided.
As time passed, however, her desire to pursue a soccer career grew larger, and she had to move to the next level. She chose to transfer to Sporting St. Louis and made the time commitment of a three-hour round-trip to travel twice a week for practice and matches. The move came with the benefits of a higher level of competition and more visibility for her, but it didn’t come without its consequences.
“If you want to become great at something, you have to be selfish in some aspects, hence some things fall o the priority list," Grant said. "Her relationship with her friends suered a lot. She had a great group of friends at her former club in Springfield, and when she joined Sporting St. Louis, she just didn’t have time for them—it was school, soccer, and travel. Even through all of that, she graduated early, so I am very proud of her. Her time management skills are truly remarkable.”
Her passion for ‘the beautiful game’, as soccer is often called, didn’t mean she had no interest in football. While she attended Glendale High School, Grant coached the high school’s football team, and it just so happened that they needed a player for a key position: the kicker. It was an experience that was highlighted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which the Wistroms represent.
“She has always wanted to try out football, and I never let her," Grant said. "No oense to anyone, but I don’t consider kickers real football players. But, as little credit as I like to give them, it’s a huge part of the sport. She did awesome, and the guys were very protective of her. For her to go out there and stand in front of those boys and compete was amazing to see, and it showed me that she sees uncomfortable situations as an opportunity for growth.”
Charlie described the experience as a ‘lot of fun’ but remarked that it was a lot on her schedule, and while short-lived, she enjoyed it. Her sophomore year of high school came to an end, and she transferred to her third club, Lou Fusz under coach Lindsey Bryant. The 2023 season was an incredible year for Charlie and Lou Fusz, who crowned themselves 2023 GA National Champions, an achievement that led universities to start ringing the phone.
A moment every aspiring athlete looks forward to arrived for Charlie as the recruiting period began, as universities worked to secure the best young talents around the country. What she experienced with the recruitment process left a lot to be desired, and she noted that the only true reward is knowing where one will be calling him in the end.
“I will always say that the recruitment process sucks, no one enjoys it,” Charlie said. “It is a very up-and-down emotional rollercoaster. One day, everyone wants you to play for them, and a week later, you get ghosted. It comes to the point where you start doubting yourself and thinking ‘where did I go wrong,’ and there is not a lot of transparency, which makes it hard.”
In 2023, Nebraska reached the NCAA Elite Eight following a last-minute winner from fullback Ella Guyott against Tennessee in the NCAA Second Round and a dominant 4-0 victory over UC Irvine in the Third Round of the competition. The Huskers fell in extra time to No. 3 Stanford and matched their all-time best finish in the national tournament.
Charlie had been in contact with former Nebraska goalkeeper coach Marty Everding, as she had attended previous Husker Soccer camps. She asked the now-retired coach if he could attend a showcase she was participating in at California. Following Husker Soccer’s elimination in the NCAA Elite Eight, Marty became available and attended.
“I was blessed with my situation with Nebraska, but before them I felt like I didn’t know what to do or where to go,” Charlie said.
A few weeks following the showcase, Husker Soccer head coach John Walker contacted and invited Charlie to an upcoming ID camp. After a great display which captured assistant coach Ian Bridge's attention, the coaching sta decided to move forward with her recruitment.
“She (Charlie) is a hustler, and at Nebraska we want players that work hard and put the eort in even if they aren't having a great day," Bridge said. “She is very smart—recognizing her strengths and weaknesses and understanding what needs extra attention are traits of high-caliber players. She has very high potential.”
Charlie sealed her decision by choosing Nebraska as the place she now calls home. For Grant, this decision filled him with happiness and, unexpectedly, a sign of relief.
“During a visit, I made a comment along the lines of ‘Chaz, I can do whatever I want in this place,’ and I thought that put an asterisk on Nebraska,” Grant said. “I was afraid that because of that comment she’d become negative about choosing to come here so when she revealed to me that she had chosen to play at Nebraska.”
