Junior picks land over water

by Krysta Rayford

Wednesday, November 14, 2007 00:41

For many athletes, achievement in one sport at the collegiate level is something to brag about. For UW cross country team member Gwen Jorgensen, excelling in two sports as a Badger can be included thus far in her unique, athletic, collegiate experience.

A junior from Waukesha, Jorgensen left the UW women's swimming team this past year to focus on running for both the women's track and cross country teams.

"I was graciously given the opportunity to try running for UW," Jorgensen said in an e-mail. "It sparked an interest that I prayed a lot about."

A swimmer since the age of seven, Jorgensen was a four-time state qualifier and received three all-conference honors for her swimming achievements in high school. Also while at North High School, Jorgensen was recognized as a two-time all-state athlete and three-year letter winner in another sport — track. Despite her love for swimming, Jorgensen felt pulled in another direction.

"I knew that God was putting something different on my heart," Jorgensen said. "It's hard to know if you are ever making the right decision; however, I just prayed a lot about it and was able to do what was best for me at the time."

Saturday, the women's cross country team scored 93 points to place third at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional at the IU Golf Course in Bloomington, Ind., Jorgensen was named an All-Region honoree, finishing 11th in a time of 21:25.46.

She has come a long way from her track debut last March in the Charlotte 49er Classic, where she impressively placed 14th in the 1,500 meters with a time of 4:43.91. Her improvements, Jorgensen suggests, are due to the overall team focus that she and her teammates embrace.

"We have so many talented girls on the team, which allows us to develop into amazing runners," Jorgensen said. "If one of us is having a bad workout, we have 10-plus other runners who are able to push the others.

"We train as a team so that we can compete as a team. This is really starting to come together, which is allowing us to improve each meet."

Among her many honors athletically, Jorgensen has also been recognized for her achievements in the classroom. This past summer, she was named to the 2007 Division I All-Academic team, an honor designated to student-athletes with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 or better.

According to Jorgensen, her academic focus can be attributed to head coach Jim Stintzi and the emphasis he has placed upon her and her teammates.

"Coach (Stintzi) and all of the women on the team appreciate the importance of balance in a student-athlete," Jorgensen said. "For most of us, after four years, we will have a job that has nothing to do with running. We realize this and understand the importance of our academics, which is why we try to excel in (academics) … as well."

The ever-growing list of Jorgensen's achievements continues to accumulate even at the end of the women's cross country season. By the Big Ten Conference meet a couple of weeks ago, she had taken 25 seconds off of her track time since her first race, finishing 18th in the Big Ten Championships with a time of 20:43.20.

At the NCAA Mideast Regional, Jorgensen finished 12th after running a personal best of 4:21.28 in the 1,500-meter preliminaries.

"Any success I have on the course or track is due to the girls and coaching staff," Jorgensen said. "The depth of talent we have on the team is amazing. The gifted women on the team push me every day to becoming a better runner.

"Every day I am learning from the team. Some women are excellent in workouts, others have a gift for analyzing the course, and others always know how to get the team ready to race. Each and every athlete on the team contributes to our success." 

Sunday afternoon, the Badgers found out they had earned an at-large bid to make their third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships this coming week in Terre Haute, Ind.

Unsurprisingly, the high expectations Jorgensen has for herself off the course will carry over.

"We have been improving each meet, and we are all ready to perform at the highest level this weekend," Jorgensen said. "We know that we are talented and that we can be in contention come Monday." 

Regardless of the results, as Jorgenson’s collegiate career winds to a close, she has no regrets leaving the water for a move to cross country and track.

"Although I miss the swimming team and coaches, I am thankful I made the switch because the talented ladies and coaches I am surrounded by now are able to push me and the rest of my teammates to our potential."