Boston, MA (U-WIRE) -- When senior Victoria Botticelli entered Boston University as a freshman on an academic scholarship, she unsuccessfully tried out for the swimming and diving team. Eager to compete in collegiate athletics, she joined crew and rowed varsity as a sophomore. As a junior, she discontinued rowing and walked onto the indoor track team, placing fifth in the 5,000-meter run at the America East Championship. As a senior, she ran cross country, won the conference title and placed 14th at NCAA Regionals, barely missing a spot at nationals.

Botticelli's career as a BU student-athlete is unique, and the story behind her success embodies an internal struggle to surpass academic challenges, meet high athletic expectations and appease God, both on and off the diving board, river, track and trail.

Throughout her high school career in Garden Grove, Calif., Botticelli swam all four years while playing two years of soccer and running one season of cross country. A stellar student, she enrolled in Boston University's College of Arts and Sciences and hoped to extend her swimming career, but the coaches passed. The opportunity to join the crew team emerged, and she rowed varsity the following fall. Unfortunately, the practice schedule and intense academic load got the best of Botticelli. Her scholarship was removed, and she considered transferring.

"I was unable to balance my academics with crew," Botticelli said, best known to teammates as Tori. "I thought about transferring to [The University of California at] San Diego, and I talked to the crew coaches there."

She ultimately decided to stay at Boston University, but did not continue rowing. In the fall of her junior year, she studied hard and earned back her scholarship. Meanwhile, one of her friends created the triathlon club, which Botticelli joined, running in several road races to stay competitive. By the end of the fall, friend and track standout Julia Nazzer, who graduated in 2004, suggested Botticelli run indoor track.

"Julia approached me at the end of fall to do track," Botticelli said. "She said I should join because I was already running on my own anyways, and that I would get free track shoes."

But sometimes the shoes don't fit right away. Well, at least in the eyes of others. Nazzer informed cross country coach and men's assistant track coach Bruce Lehane about Botticelli, and Lehane was initially hesitant about her joining the team because she lacked experience. But after Nazzer told him more about the former rower, he started to come around.

"When Juila told me she had a friend that was interested in running distance, as a junior, I said it was too late," Lehane said. "However, Julia also said that when they trained together, she always had to tell Tori to slow down, which is interesting because Julia's teammates always had to say the same thing to her."

Lehane decided to give Botticelli a chance. He invited her to meet up with the team during its training trip to California just a few cities from her home. Botticelli showed up once, ran a track workout and impressed Lehane.

"After just a few intervals, you could tell she was good," Lehane said. "She showed a natural proclivity for running."

"I thought I was going to be running long distance with the team when I showed up on their training trip," Botticelli said. "But Bruce had me do a track workout.

"I'd never ran track workouts before, but I ran it well and found it kind of fun. Lesley [Lehane, women's head coach], came to me like 'You have never ran track before? You have never run a track workout before?'"

After the break, Botticelli competed in her first season of collegiate track, running the 3,000- and 5,000-meter races at several invitationals. After scoring in the 5,000 at the conference championship, she moved into the outdoor track season hoping for similar success.

Unfortunately, iron deficiency and fatigue from training affected her agenda.

"I crashed and burned," Botticelli said. "I had never been in that much pain before, and I had to take iron supplements."

Despite being set back, she still ran the 10,000-meter race at the America East Championship and placed fourth. But in the first week of May, Botticelli fractured her left hip flexor.

"I couldn't even run to catch a T," Botticelli said, who lived in Boston over the summer, working at Healthworks fitness center. "The elliptical machine became my best friend as I couldn't run until July."

Because the injury limited summer training, running cross country in the fall at full strength may have seemed unrealistic. Botticelli entered the season unsure of her capabilities.

"I really didn't have any expectations for myself," she said. "The [BU] athletic training room recommended I not race yet because of my injury."

Lehane advised her to take it easy for the first meet of the season Sept. 10 at Franklin Park in Boston. It also marked the first collegiate cross country race of Botticelli's career. Eighteen minutes and 21 seconds later over five kilometers, the senior "freshman" finished first.

"I did not start the race thinking 'I am going to win,'" Botticelli said. "I prayed to God and asked him, 'Wouldn't it be so cool if I won this race?'

"When I crossed the finish line it was the best praise to God for giving me back the ability to run after the injury," she added.

Botticelli's faith is what keeps her going. She said she frequently talks to God during races and tries not to think about anything beforehand and just stay calm.

"A lot of runners get really anxious and nervous, but I just try to have fun and run for God," she said. "Racing becomes a burden when it's not fun."

The fun continued as Botticelli competed in the Iona Meet of Champions, placed 10th at the New England Championship and then accomplished perhaps her greatest achievement yet in winning the America East Individual Championship and leading the team to victory.

"After winning the race, I didn't know what to do with myself," Botticelli said. "I just started crying and told God, 'This one is for you.'

"This was the only race my dad saw this year too, so it was the coolest way to end the season."

She raced one final time, however, at the NCAA Regional Championships. Botticelli hoped to qualify for the national meet, but came up just short placing 14th out of 230 runners. Next fall she will try again, as she still has three years of eligibility remaining for cross country.

"Qualifying was a goal of mine," Botticelli said. "Next year I'm going to tear the course up, since this season, I gave 100 percent, but I didn't know the course."

Lehane could not have been more pleased with her effort.

"She's had a lot of success in a very short period of time," he said. "I'm just glad I've had the chance to coach her."

Looking ahead, Botticelli hopes to stay injury-free throughout indoor and outdoor track. Next fall, she will go after her goal of qualifying for nationals, followed by commencement in the spring. When she leaves Boston University, she hopes to pursue one of three different paths: running professionally for Team Nike, working for Athletes in Action (a Christian community for intercollegiate athletes) or becoming an event and wedding planner.

Botticelli's supporters are confident she will reach one of her three career goals based on her abilities both inside and out of the classroom to succeed, despite facing unexpected obstacles.

"Tori has a lot of power and motivation," Lehane said. "If I was her teammate, and saw her calm while winning these races, I would ask, 'Why not me?'"

(C) 2004 The Daily Free Press via U-WIRE