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."