Worcester Telegram & Gazette: "Wise’s Breath Of Victory"

By Jen Toland, College Beat Writer

May 1, 2013

Worcester, MA --- After finishing —and usually winning —races, Worcester State senior Briana Wise always heads right over to assistant coach Andrea Ouellette, who waits for her on the turf to help with her nebulizer treatments.

But when Wise crossed the line in a thrilling close to the 200 at last year's NCAA Division 3 Outdoor Championships, Wise delayed the treatment for just a minute so she could enjoy her great moment. She finished second in the country, just 0.07 seconds off the winning time.

"It must have been all the excitement that built up when I finished," Wise said. "I kind of waved to my coach, 'I don't need it. I'm going to try to breathe on my own.' It took me a little bit longer than usual to catch my breath, but I was fine."

Wise has overcome severe asthma to become the most accomplished female sprinter in Worcester State history.

Last weekend, she won the 100 and 200, and was a member of the victorious 400 relay team, along with junior Christy Deininger and sophomores Brittany Hodgerney of Leicester and Liz Boedensieck, as the Lancers won their third MASCAC title in the last four years and captured the program's first New England Alliance championship, snapping Southern Maine's 12-year reign.

Wise, who was named the MASCAC Female Track Athlete of the Week for the 22nd time in her career, owns school records in the indoor 55, 60, 200, 300 and 800 relay, and the outdoor 100, 200, and 400 relay -— that's every short sprint school record possible.

Wise learned she had asthma when she was a three-sport athlete at Burncoat High, but the condition never became an issue until she got to college and the workouts became more intense. She has the most difficulty breathing at this time of year, which just so happens to be championship season.

"It gets to the point if I walk up stairs, I need my inhaler," Wise said.

It's worse, of course, after she's exerted herself at top speed in a race.

"Finishing a 200, immediately I feel like there's a huge elephant on my chest and I can't get any air whatsoever," she said. "As soon as I finish I immediately look for Andrea, who is sitting on the turf with my nebulizer machine. I immediately go over there and take my medication and wait until everything feels better and I can breathe again.

"We have our routine," Wise said. "We know what to expect going into a race, how to react and how to handle the situation."

Her doctors have told Wise that she will be fine as long as she has her medications handy.

"I'm very determined," she said.

Wise is preparing for this weekend's Division 3 New England Championships at Colby College. She will compete in the 100, 200 and 400 relay. The All-New England Championships are the next weekend, followed by the ECACs.

The NCAA Championships are May 24-26 at Wisconsin-Lacrosse and, as of right now, Wise is planning on being back there. The top 23 in the country in each event qualify and she is currently 18th in the 200 with a time of 25.12 seconds established in mid-April at UMass.

With her second-place finish last year, Wise became the second Worcester State female All-American in track and field, joining Elke Aun, who accomplished the feat in the heptathlon in 1997.

"I worked hard the entire year and it came down to that race," Wise said. "I knew I'd do well, but I was nervous. I didn't expect to come out as an All-American."

Wise should be a top contender again this year.

"I feel like I have more experience," she said. "It's a little bit easier going into competition knowing what to expect, especially if I go to nationals again. I'll be aware of everything that's going on. I was in awe last year. This year, I'll know what to expect and I'll be able to control my nerves."

Wise will graduate this month with a degree in health services, but she plans to return to school to pursue a nursing degree.

Telegram & Gazette Article