The 2019 class of the UW Athletic Hall of Fame has been selected and one new member will be announced each day from June 25 - July 6.
Visit UWBadgers.com each day to celebrate each new member of this distinguished and historic class of Badgers!
MADISON, Wis. — Before Gwen Jorgensen settled in for an early-morning telephone interview to discuss her latest honor, she made a request.
Would it be OK if she jumped on her stationary bike and got a quick workout in while answering questions?
Well, of course.
For the next 20 minutes or so, Jorgensen pedaled inside her Portland, Oregon, home while her toddler son, Stanley, could be heard playing in the background. It was only near the end of the mid-June conversation that you could hear the two-time U.S. Olympian expend a labored breath.
Jorgensen is the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in the triathlon, a feat she realized in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. That accomplishment understandably sits atop her personal competitive resume, but a "close second" is her upcoming induction in the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame.
"I hold it in such high regard," Jorgensen said of a college career that spanned 2005-09 and included three sports as well as a master's degree in accounting. "It's such an honor. I really can't tell you how much it means to me."
Jorgensen, from Waukesha, Wisconsin, is part of a 12-member class that will be feted on Sept. 6. The ceremony will be held at Union South in conjunction of the football home opener at Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 7.
"I care so very much about my time there," Jorgensen said. "I have so much pride for being a Badger."
Gallery: (7/1/2019) Hall of Fame 2019: Gwen Jorgensen
Jorgensen, 33, had a most unconventional athletic career at Wisconsin. She came to campus from Waukesha South High School as a swimmer, her favorite sport at the time, but spent three seasons toiling in unfulfilling obscurity.
"I remember in high school getting recruiting letters for running and I wouldn't even open them," she said. "I really wanted to follow and do what I loved at the time."
But after failing to qualify for an NCAA meet in the pool, Jorgensen found her way to the track and cross country teams, where she made an immediate impression on then-coach Jim Stintzi.
Jorgensen proceeded to earn first-team All-America honors in cross country and outdoor track (3,000 meters) in 2008 and won Big Ten Conference titles in the indoor 3,000 and 5,000 in 2009. That transformation, coupled with her strong academic record, helped her become a Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient as a senior.
Jorgensen said a lot of lessons came from her time in the three sports.
"I know what it's like to fail and I know what it's like to be the worst," she said. "I also know what it feels like and what it looks like to accomplish my goals."
Upon graduation, Jorgensen was working a full-time job at an accounting firm in Milwaukee when she was approached by USA Triathlon officials in the midst of identifying potential American standouts. After some initial reluctance, Jorgensen debuted as a triathlete in 2010 and qualified for U.S. Olympic Team that competed in London in 2012.
A blown tire derailed Jorgensen's initial medal hopes, but she wouldn't be denied four years later. In the process, Jorgensen became the first member of Wisconsin's vaunted track program to earn an Olympic medal.
Jorgensen married her cycling coach, Patrick Lemieux, in 2014. Stanley was born in 2017.
Video: Gwen Jorgensen: My Rio Highlights (Olympic Youtube)
Before Jorgensen made history in Rio, she reached out to another Wisconsin alum whose star was rising in international track and field circles.
Jerry Schumacher not only attended the same high school as Jorgensen, he ran track and cross country at Wisconsin, coached the Badgers to the NCAA men's team cross country title in 2005 and has worked as a respected distance coach of men and women at Nike's Bowerman Track Club since 2008.
In a series of conversations, Jorgensen asked Schumacher what he thought about her desire to become a full-time marathoner. Not just a good marathoner, either.
"I believe that I can be the world's best," Jorgensen said.
Schumacher didn't scoff when Jorgensen mapped out her thoughts on running the grueling 26.2-mile event at the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo.
"What stood out to me through the conversations and now getting a chance to work with her on that path she's decided to go down is just her absolute commitment to excellence and perfection," Schumacher said.
"It isn't necessarily about being the best in the world, although she's had success and experienced that already in one sport. It's about just doing absolutely everything she possibly can to be the absolute best she can be. Not everybody has that and it definitely sets Gwen apart."
Schumacher said he was surprised when Jorgensen first shed light on her idea.
"My thought was, 'You're the best in the world at what you're doing, so why make a change?'" he recalled. "But I think she just had it in her heart that she wanted to be a runner."
Jorgensen maintains that her intent to become the world's best marathoner isn't a recent development.
"It's something I've been thinking about the last couple of years, ever since college," she said. "For me, it was something I always wanted to do and I finally felt like I had the capabilities to do it.
"I personally believe that putting your goals out there holds you accountable. I don't think you should feel ashamed of going after lofty goals."
Video: A Recap of My 2018 Marathon Season (Gwen Jorgensen Youtube)
Jorgensen refers to Schumacher, her coach, as a "mad scientist" who has the ability to create training sessions that fit the moment and who knows when an athlete is truly ready for competition.
"He's able to look at the big picture and he knows how and what workouts work to get an athlete in shape," she said. "He always seems to get his athletes ready for the biggest race they're focused on."
Having so much in common helps.
"We have an interesting background, an interesting backstory," Schumacher said.
"It's comfortable for me talking to him, interacting with him," Jorgensen said. "It seems almost like family."
Jorgensen is the 11th member of the women's track and field program to be inducted in the UW Hall of Fame, joining Cindy Bremser (1991), Cathy Branta-Easker ('93), Rose Chepyator-Thomson ('94), Suzy Hamilton ('96), Pat Johnson-McMillan ('97), Stephanie Herbst-Lucke (2002), Amy Wickus ('03), Kathy Butler ('04), Pam Moore ('06) and Clare Eichner-Taylor ('09).
"I've learned so much through sports," Jorgensen said. "It's given me so much confidence and allowed me to believe in myself and go after what I dream of and what my goals are.
"I think a lot of times we're scared of failing and sports has given me this opportunity to not be afraid to fail, to go after something I love. I think sports has allowed me to love what I do and see what my potential is."
For the last seven years, Jorgensen has been keeping a journal. One of its staples is a daily rundown — three things she did well; three things she needs to work on — that keeps her focused.
"It's not the results that make us," she said. "It's putting your whole heart and effort into what you do on a daily basis."
Jorgensen offered a message she shares with other women and will pass along to her children one day.
"It's OK to have these goals and state what you want to do," she said. "It holds you accountable to try your best. You're not always going to succeed, but I believe that talking about your goal is the first step toward achieving it."
Jorgensen was asked if she could see herself behind a desk after living the life of an elite international athlete. She described herself as a "huge planner" who wants more children someday, but her focus is on the moment.
"I just want to reach my potential in running and I have not done that," she said. "I'm not going to give up until I reach my potential."
What advice would Jorgensen give an aspiring Wisconsin student-athlete?
"Definitely do what you love and don't define yourself with your outcomes," she said. "Focus on the process. Focus on technique. Focus on doing the little things right and your best outcome will follow. Have fun what you're doing."
Maybe someday that advice will give way to yet another UW Hall of Famer.
"Pretty special," Jorgensen said of her nomination. "That's a big thing. That's a huge thing."
Â
UW Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2019
