Carlya Sato, who is half Palauan and half Caucasian, earned a spot on the Marian University ice hockey team. Marian is an NCAA Division 3 school where Carlya continues to earn her stripes, now in her second year as a Sabre.

Carlya said she’s been playing hockey for 15 years. After attending a coaches clinic in 2022, her skills impressed a few schools looking for talent to represent their teams well. Carlya said she visited different colleges but ultimately decided on Marian.

“I was just super excited to have found a college that can fulfill my wants and needs along the lines of school and sports,” she said.

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Now enrolled at Marian, she’s studying nursing and savoring as much college hockey as she can.

“I don’t plan on continuing serious hockey after college seeing as there really isn’t anything else for women’s hockey besides the USA team,” she said.

Over the decade and a half that she’s spent on the ice, Carlya said she’s been told she’s developed a keen hockey IQ.

“Meaning that I know what I am going to do with the puck before I get it, knowing where my teammates are and where the opposing team is, and being able to adjust to any situation given to me on the ice — overall hockey sense,” she said.

Carlya’s dad, Tim, is proud of how far she’s come on her hockey journey.

“My dad is Palauan. My grandpa is Baudista,” Carlya said. “My mom is Caucasian and she is from Alabama.”

Tim is among Carlya’s most fervent fans.

“Carlya is such an amazing young lady. She makes me so proud to be her father. She’s brilliant, kind, and even funny like me. Watching her play over the years has been nothing less than a true blessing. People wait a lifetime to meet their favorite athlete, I got to raise mine!” he said.

He added that his main wish for Carlya is that she be successful in school and on the ice.

“More than anything I want her to see that there is so much more in the world than she knows,” he said.