For Alice Johansson, the similarities between her hometown of Bollnäs, Sweden and Pullman, Wash., are numerous.

During this cold and snowy February morning, one is especially evident.

"This is Sweden weather," she said.

While staying warm inside the Washington State University Golf Office at the Bohler Athletic Complex, Johansson, a sophomore on the Washington State golf team, is thankful for another similarity.

"Everything is so close here," she said "I'm also from a small town in Sweden. It's similar to here. I can walk to everything."

One of the facilities Johansson can walk to is the indoor golf facility, a venue receiving good use during the winter weather; however, Johansson and her teammates know that warmer weather is on the horizon.

"Everyone is excited to get going again," she said of the upcoming spring season.

As Johansson prepares for the spring, she looks back on a fall season highlighted by back-to-back victories.

The first win occurred at the opening tournament of the season, the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational in Kentucky, in early September.

In the opening round, Johansson struggled from the tee but managed her short game well to salvage a four-over 76.

"I made a lot of up and downs during the first round," Johansson said. "It wasn't my best game, and I knew I could play better."

After the round, Johansson met with Coach Kevin Tucker on the practice range to, as she explained, "get in another mindset."

"A lot of it was getting her to understand that tomorrow's a new day and not to worry too much about what happened in the first round," Tucker said.

In addition, Tucker worked with Johansson on her tee shots.

"She was concerned how she hit the ball off the tee in the first round," Tucker said. 

The work paid immediate dividends when Johansson fired a second-round score of 4-under 68 to vault into a tie for third.

The next day, Johansson picked up where she left off, beginning the final round with a birdie.

"This is going to be my day," Johansson remembered thinking after the birdie.

As she played her final holes, and in the midst of a packed leaderboard, Johansson knew she had to finish strong to have a chance to win.

On the penultimate hole, she hit her approach shot to within a foot from the cup, resulting in a tap-in birdie. 

"Stepping up to last hole I was a little bit nervous," she admitted.

However, the work put in the day before paid off under pressure.

After she hit her tee shot, Johansson got the approval from her coach. 

"Kevin ran up to check my drive, gave me the thumbs up," Johansson said with a laugh. "After that I hit my second shot to three feet. 

"I knew if I made this one, I will be up on the top, Johansson said. "I was so nervous standing over that putt."

Johansson once again overcame her nerves to make the putt, securing a birdie-birdie finish, the punctuation mark for Johansson's first career collegiate victory.

"Amazing," is how Tucker, in his first season as head coach of the women's golf program, described Johansson's win.

"I was very excited for her," Tucker added. "We talked about winning a tournament when we first sat down in the fall semester and for her to get her first collegiate win under her belt was a big deal." 

Two weeks later, at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic win Colorado, Johansson once again experienced immediate adversity.

"I started first hole in first round with a double (bogey)," she said.

Johansson learned from the lessons learned in Kentucky.

"I was thinking I still have 35 holes today to play," Johansson said.

Johansson recovered to shoot a three-under 69 highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 hole 16. 

During the second round that afternoon, Johansson discovered the pin positions were the same as in the first, and she took advantage.

"I knew where all the pins were and was trying to go for everything," she said.

"I'm an aggressive player," she said. "When I'm playing, I'm trying to play more for birdies than afraid of making bogeys."

It's a mindset Tucker encourages.

"She's not afraid to take on a flag," he said. "I think it's good to play to your strengths and if you're an aggressive player and want to take something on, go for it. Everybody on our team has a different style of play that works best for them and for Alice it is to be a bit more on the aggressive side."

The aggressive mindset equated to a school-record second-round 65. Johansson closed the tournament with a one-under 71 to finish with a 54-hole school-record 205 (-11) to secure a share of the individual title, her second consecutive tournament victory.

As Johansson looks forward to the opportunities ahead for the spring season, she is grateful for the opportunity to play at Washington State.

"I always wanted to go to college. It has always been one of my biggest dreams," Johansson said. "Now, I'm here fulfilling my dreams. I love the support I receive from the school and the community. I am so proud to be a Coug. My dream has come true."