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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. —Â
Sarah Disanza crossed the finish line, completing the 5,000-meter race at the Stanford Invitational on March 31, the junior for the Wisconsin women's track and field team was euphoric. Yes, her time of 15 minutes, 55.57 seconds was a personal best. Yes, her effort
put her among the top 10 in program history in the event. But Disanza's giddy reaction to placing 10th was more about the journey than the moment. It was her first outdoor race at that distance since her freshman season in 2014. A series of setbacks had forced Disanza to recover and regroup three times, so being able to run fast, free and competitively was a joy. Disanza talked about her journey — its many lessons — while offering other campus-related insights earlier this week
Due to a series of health issues, it had been almost three years since you last ran an outdoor 5,000. What sustained you during that time?
"It was the issues themselves that actually helped sustain me — being in that position where you're actually taken out of the sport and you can't really contribute any other way than just be there for your team. It helps you gain some perspective about how connected you really are to the sport and how important it is to you. Trying to get yourself back into (training), then you really have to think, 'How hard do I really want it? How hard do I have to work?' Coming full circle after each and every injury, having to ask yourself those questions, that really helped sustain me."
Did you ever consider quitting?
"No. It was the opposite. I was faced with each injury and was obviously devastated. It was my reaction to each injury that made me realize how much I really wanted it."
What was it like emotionally? Did you have different experiences coming to grips with each setback?
"They were all fairly similar. One thing that was helpful with each one that I did was that I just let myself have an hour or two to be really upset, to hate the world and everything in it. Then, after that, I told myself, 'That's it. Cut it out. Be optimistic.'"
Based on your effort in the Stanford race, it looks like you were making up for lost time and that all your pent-up energy was poured into that event. Any truth to that?
"A little bit. It definitely was a championship-style race. The first two miles were a little on the slower side and the last mile everyone was kind of kicking it into gear. It was a little tougher because I'd lost a shoe and couldn't kick it in quite as much. I definitely think it was the pent-up energy and the fact there's more to offer because I was so excited and now I can't wait for my next race."
What were the emotions like when you crossed that finish line and saw your time?
"I was ecstatic. It hadn't really occurred to me until just before we were leaving and my roommate reminded me that it was my first outdoor open race since my freshman year. It made me take a step back and think, 'Wow, it's been quite some time and I've come a long way.'"
Included in your bio is the fact you chose UW for its academics and its running programs, but you also declared that the cold "is just an added bonus." Man, what were you thinking?
"My freshman year I was eating my words because that was the year of the polar vortex, which was a cruel, sick joke. But I'm definitely one that likes to run in the cold rather than the extreme heat, if I had to pick one or the other."
You grew up on the East Coast, in Wantage, New Jersey, and now attend college in the Midwest. Is there a cultural difference?
"Yes. I find that the Midwest is much more friendly. There's much more of a familial vibe. If you just walk up to anyone you could easily strike up a conversation with them. They're very friendly. On the East Coast everyone is more fast-paced and not worrying about the people around them. They're just trying to get to their destination and keep their eyes down. It's not quite as friendly of an environment in that respect."
What's something you wish you would have known about Madison before you got here?
"One of the biggest things I didn't know about Madison is just how fun it really is. Hearing 'Wisconsin' to those outside the Midwest, they don't really know it's a hidden gem. They think dairy land and all the farms and cows. Madison has so much more to offer — the Arboretum and all its trails, the Farmer's Market and the (Memorial Union) Terrace — and there's so much you can do, especially in the summer."
What's your greatest personal triumph at Wisconsin?
"I'd have to say it's coming off all these injuries. I feel it's really changed me as a person, just giving me a whole new perspective. Being the person who was always wearing the shoes before — meaning I wasn't injury-prone in high school — I kind of saw the people who were injured at the time (as) just looking to get out of work. I didn't see it for what it truly could be. Now being a person that's been injured all the time made me more of a team player and given me more perspective about how much the sport really meant in my life."
Who's the most impressive UW student-athlete you're encountered outside your sport?
"I had (football quarterback) Alex Hornibrook in the student-athlete counseling class. I was a peer leader and he was one of the kids in my peer group. It was really, really impressive what he was able to do this past season as a freshman (starter). … He had a lot of pressure on him, so I was really impressed with what he was able to do."
What's your favorite non-team-related moment at Wisconsin?
"When our (men's) basketball team made the Final Four (in 2014), being part of the group that went to flood State Street. That was so, so cool. It was such a fun time seeing everyone from all corners of the campus just going in and flooding the entire street. Everyone was screaming and taking pictures and chanting. It was a lot of fun."
What's something you've learned about yourself since you came to Wisconsin?
"Before coming here, I would have really not called myself much of a leader. After being put into this situation, with this team especially, it's really helped me develop my leadership skills."
