Following a combined three unfinished regional races in as many seasons, Mustangs persevere to overcome past disappointments and qualify for first national finals together

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

On the back of her bib from last year’s NCAA Division 1 West Regionals, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo junior Miranda Daschian wrote two simple, but powerful words: “Don’t forget.”

Daschian and Mustangs’ redshirt junior teammate Katie Izzo won’t ever neglect to remember the combined heartbreaks they endured during the last three seasons in regional competition.

Nor will Daschian and Izzo forget the obstacles they had to overcome in order to qualify at this year’s meet to advance to their first NCAA Division 1 women’s final Saturday at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wisc.

MIRANDA DASCHIAN AND KATIE IZZO INTERVIEW

But after failing to complete a regional race – Izzo in 2015 and 2016, then Daschian last year – prior to the Nov. 2 meet at Haggin Oaks Golf Course in Sacramento, Calif., both Mustangs overcame past disappointments and frustrations by not only placing in the top 25, but securing two of the four available at-large individual berths awarded to West Regional competitors.

In addition to the 31 team qualifiers, Cal Poly joins Eastern Michigan, SMU and UTEP with multiple entries in the women’s championship race.

“I was in disbelief after it happened,” said Daschian, who finished 18th in the 6-kilometer race in 20 minutes, 10.3 seconds.

“I didn’t even know what place I finished. But I had a lot of people coming up to me and congratulating me and telling me I made it, so that was really exciting.”

Daschian’s position was firm, along with UCLA’s Erika Adler and Arizona’s Addi Zerrenner. But Izzo had wait another day to have her berth at nationals confirmed, hoping Oregon State would qualify for the championship meet for the first time, so Juliana Mount would be able to compete with her team, making another individual qualifying spot available.

“(Women’s coach Priscilla Bayley) was booking our flights, so obviously she was pretty confident that I made it, but then finally watching the revealing (Saturday) and seeing that Oregon State made it and seeing my name as the last individual, just seeing all the stars align, I think it’s part of God’s greater plan for me,” Izzo said. “Just both of us getting in that top 25 and looking at that championship photo of all of us with our medals, it’s super cool to see that we were right there with all of these other teams’ top girls. We’re always kind of this underdog program and I’m just so proud that we were able to represent Cal Poly and the Big West among all those big-time running programs.

“The night after it happened, I couldn’t go to sleep. I was too excited. I kept waking up in the middle of the night and I actually had to pinch myself because I thought I had dreamed all of this. It’s really a dream come true.”

But until this season, regional races had been a nightmare for Izzo and Daschian, resulting in a series of emotionally challenging experiences that halted the momentum of a pair of promising careers.

At the 2015 West Regional in Seattle, Izzo encountered a “flat tire” from another competitor early in the race, before losing her shoe and falling an estimated eight times.

“I passed out because of mild hypothermia and (men’s coach Mark Conover) had to carry me off the course,” Izzo said. “That was the first time I’ve ever not finished a race.”

The following year, Izzo returned for Cal Poly, which boasted one of the most talented lineups in program history, led by Peyton Bilo, who earned All-America honors that season by placing 23rd at nationals. The Mustangs had aspirations of qualifying for the NCAA championship meet as a team, but those were dashed when Izzo suffered a broken right tibia and fibula during the race, resulting in a 10th-place finish for Cal Poly.

“I remember going into that race, I was in so much pain from running on a stress fracture. I was rooming with Peyton and we were talking and I was like, ‘What could go worse than last year?’ That injury, it was hard, because going into the race, I couldn’t even do strides,” Izzo said. “I knew I was going to give it everything I had and the stakes were high and we were thinking we could go to nationals, so it was a hard race from the beginning and I just wanted to get through it. I never thought in the middle of the race my leg would snap, but it did. Among everyone’s fears in a race, that’s probably the worst thing that could happen.”

With Izzo taking a medical redshirt year last season after having a titanium rod surgically inserted into her right leg, Daschian arrived at Cal Poly after winning California Community College Athletic Association state championships in cross country, as well as the 5,000 meters, at nearby Cuesta College.

Without Bilo and Izzo in the lineup, Daschian became the leader last season for Cal Poly, placing second at the Big West Conference final and nearly leading the Mustangs to another team title, only to suffer a two-point setback to UC Santa Barbara and individual champion Jenna Hinkle.

Daschian had been able to block out the discomfort of tendonitis in her right leg throughout the regular season, but at last year’s regional race in Seattle, the pain became too much to overcome nearly 4 kilometers into the race, resulting in her falling to the ground and not being able to finish.

“The fact that we were running on a muddy surface forced me to overextend it more and that’s really what got me,” Daschian said. “It was over halfway through and I couldn’t bend my knee. I couldn’t extend it or contract it, so I just kind of crumpled up on the side and fortunately there were some people there who helped get me to the medical tent.

“That was awful, just the combination of that injury and the fact that it was the first time I had run regionals and I hadn’t really had any big-race experience, it was just kind of the nail in the coffin for that whole situation. It was the race first ever that I’ve ever dropped out of, so I was very upset.”

Daschian recalled being carried after the race by coach Bayley and former Cal Poly athlete Ashley Windsor, an image that prompted her to write down that humbling reminder of “Don’t forget” on the back of her racing bib.

“I realized at that point that I’m at a very low low right now and I shouldn’t be here and I don’t know how I let myself get to this point,” Daschian said. “It was kind of a rude awakening. It was definitely a wake-up call.”

With Daschian enjoying an encouraging track season during the spring – including a second-place finish in the 5,000 and third-place effort in the 10,000 at the Big West finals – along with Bilo and Izzo both returning to cross country after both spent more than a year away from competition because of injuries, Cal Poly was again prepared to contend this fall for another conference title and a potential NCAA berth.

Although Daschian suffered a broken nose and a bruised left knee Sept. 30 during a recovery run following an 11th-place finish the day before at the Stanford Invitational, she recovered in time to win her first Big West title and help the Mustangs, with Izzo placing third and Bilo fourth, reclaim the team championship.

“I knew what it felt like to have success before and I wanted to get back there,” Daschian said. “Making sure to keep myself healthy for the whole season, besides the broken nose, was definitely a goal. By the time I got to regionals, I was definitely prepared for it.”

But returning to Haggin Oaks took on added significance for Izzo, who was more determined than ever to demonstrate her resolve and toughness when she needed it most.

“When I found out at the beginning of the season that it was going to be at Sacramento, I was actually stoked. I felt like this would be my redemption race. I was going to re-do everything that happened at that course and even the regionals before that,” Izzo said. “Redshirting last year and just this whole entire season was leading up to this regionals race. It was honestly a dream come true, going back to the same course and running by that same spot where my leg literally snapped, there are literally no words to describe that feeling.

“When we previewed the course, I thought I found the exact spot or at least I’m pretty sure I did. During the race, I was in the zone and I didn’t really think about it, but it was just so cool being back on that course and it was just a full circle.”

Bayley called Izzo’s comeback performance in Sacramento, “One of the most amazing things I’ve seen in the sport in my career.”

Daschian and Izzo will also see their seasons come full circle by racing again in Wisconsin after competing in the women’s white race Oct. 13 at the NCAA Division 1 Pre-Nationals on the same course.

Izzo placed 50th in 21:13.3 and Daschian was 61st in 21:24.1 in a field of 240 athletes, with a similar number competing in today’s championship, and temperatures again expected to be in the low 30s, along with an unforgiving wind chill.

“Coming from California, where it’s almost 80 degrees outside, going to 30-and-lower degree weather was a shock and it definitely messed with me a lot, but Katie still did amazing,” Daschian said. “I think I kind of let it get to me personally and I wasn’t prepared for it. I felt like I couldn’t breathe because it was so cold and my body was just in shock. But we’ve had a really fortunate experience to be able to make it back and we’re just so lucky, having that previous experience is hopefully what we need in order to succeed this weekend.”

But after neither individual competed in a state cross country meet in high school, not to mention their earlier struggles at Cal Poly in regional competition, just having the honor of being an NCAA finalist isn’t lost on either Daschian or Izzo.

“I think my background has made me stronger. Not having the resources or opportunities that a lot of these girls had growing up or coming into college, I think it’s just been something that I’ve had to overcome and it’s kind of boosted me to where I am now,” Daschian said. “People take for granted the work that a lot of other people have to do when you’re not automatically a top recruit because you can still build yourself up. I think a lot of people might discount that and if you are running in high school and you’re not that good, you might give up on the dream. But I think Katie and I both kind of display, ‘Hey, you can still do this and you can make it to nationals if you work hard enough and believe that it’s possible.’”

Although a hip injury to Bilo prior to regionals impacted Cal Poly’s opportunity to challenge Oregon State for a team bid to compete at nationals, Izzo is relishing not only the journey that it took to qualify, but every moment that she and Daschian are sharing together in Wisconsin.

“With each workout, with each race, I just feel like I’ve gained more and more confidence. It’s been all about single steps at a time, and all of the sudden, you’re here,” Izzo said. “Everything happens for a reason, I really believe that, and throughout these past two years, I’ve been able to find my faith again and that’s what has got me through all of this. The experience has just been unreal.”