What do a competitive figure skater, a star basketball player and a nationally ranked tennis player have in common? They all gave up their first loved sports to run cross country at Northwestern.

The NU women’s cross country squad is a multi-talented group, with members hailing from a variety of athletic backgrounds. Some always have been runners, lettering all four years in high school cross country. But others came to the sport later after spending time focusing on other athletic endeavors.

Whether they have their roots turning double axels, shooting jump shots or ripping backhands, these versatile Wildcats now focus on helping the NU cross country team reach the top of the Big Ten.

For freshman Triphena Wong and sophomores Celia Franklin and Marie Grabinski, their previous careers are over but not forgotten. All three find themselves drawing on past experience from other sports when running gets difficult.

The first thing Wong noticed was the ruffled skirts.

Wong had experimented with several sports as a youngster, including ballet and karate, before seeing some girls ice skating. Initially, it was the sport’s wardrobe that caught her attention. Three years later at the age of 12, Wong’s skating career had progressed to the point where she began working with a private instructor.

By 13, Wong was entering competitions.

“When I first started competing, it wasn’t all that enjoyable because I was so nervous,” Wong said. “But by the time I was 15, I was used to it and I had fun.”

Wong’s athletic career changed forever in 2002, when she suffered a sprained ankle. Although she came back from the injury, she couldn’t compete at the same level as before. During her junior year in high school, she decided to hang up the skates.

After some encouragement from friends, Wong joined the track team her senior year and became a distance runner. Despite lacking experience, Wong helped her team to a second-place finish in its conference.

After having some success at track, Wong thought her athletic career was over once she was accepted to NU. However, she went along with her friends’ suggestion of running cross country and e-mailed NU coach Amy Tush about joining the team.

“In skating, my weakness was nerves,” Wong said. “But I learned how to cope with that and I proved to myself that I could stay mentally tough.”

Everyone plays basketball in the Franklin family, and Celia Franklin was no exception.

Franklin, a Daily staffer, won four letters in the sport in high school and led her AAU team to three state titles.

Although she ran track her last three years in high school, qualifying for the state competition in the 4×400 and 4×800 relays, she didn’t join cross country until her senior year.

Despite her strong ties to basketball, Franklin decided to pursue cross country at NU.

“Basketball was my first and favorite sport, and I miss it,” she said. “But I wanted something new. I had been playing since second or third grade and I wanted a new challenge.”

Cross country gave Franklin a chance to distinguish herself from her sister, who plays basketball at Harvard.

While battling through long practices and races, Franklin utilizes the mental toughness she developed while playing basketball.

“Basketball has definitely helped me in cross country,” she said. “It’s helped a little physically but more mentally. It taught me to be a competitor.”

Tennis provided Grabinski with challenges and time to connect with her sister.

Grabinski’s highly successful tennis career began when she was eight years old, playing with her sister. By the time it was over, she had built an impressive resume on the court. She was a state doubles champion, led her team to a state championship, was named First-Team All-State and won the Barbara Wynne Sportsmanship Award, Indiana’s most prestigious accolade for a female tennis player.

She even was ranked first in the Midwest in doubles for her age group for two seasons by the United States Tennis Association.

At the same time, she also had significant success in track, finishing as the state runner-up in the 1600 and 3200 meters. Like Wong and Franklin, Grabinski didn’t find cross country until her senior year, when she won individual and team regional titles. Because of this success, she made the decision to run cross country at NU.

Grabinski’s past athletic experience is a big boost for her.

“I learned how to make a commitment to practicing every day, ” she said. “This is not just helpful in running but in everything.”

Reach Andrew Simon at [email protected].