Pandemic Papers: An interview with Lisa D'Aniello Chase

Some of the best athletes in high school are multi-sport or “two-sport” athletes. Technically, most runners are multi-sport athletes – cross country and track (indoor, outdoor or both). But really, they are just engaging in different versions of the same activity, altered and adjusted by the calendar, the venue and the weather. Two-sport athletes are rare in college, but Lisa D’Aniello Chase was exactly that here. During her time at Marist in the 2000s, Lisa was a championship caliber rower (she went on to row at a national level) and a championship caliber runner (she was on ECAC qualifying relays and was a school-record holder). She worked hard, in the early morning (on the Hudson River) and in the afternoon (wherever we would be practicing) -- in the fall, winter and spring.

We are thrilled to include Lisa in the now-sporadic (but still ongoing) Pandemic Papers series. Lisa does a wonderful job here in this interview of recounting her busy and successful years at Marist, and her many post-collegiate athletic accomplishments. She gave birth to her second child just before the pandemic lockdown began, and she describes what it was like to be sheltering in place with two young children, including an infant. Not easy! This is good stuff, and we’re so glad that Lisa took the time to answer these questions and send along some awesome photos. Another fun trip down memory lane with Lisa D’Aniello Chase, Class of 2008.

 

Take us back to the beginning: What was your introduction to sports and what sports did you play growing up as a kid? What was your "favorite" sport?

My dad is an avid cyclist and encouraged my brother and me to ride our bikes around town with him when we were very young.  By the time I started first grade, I was in great shape from all the biking and ended up winning the mile run we did in P.E. class - the first time a girl had ever won.  This encouraged me to participate in some local races throughout elementary school and later, cross country and track in middle school.  I also played softball and soccer through eighth grade, but it was always the running part of each of those sports that I was best at and enjoyed the most.

 

What sports did you participate in during your high school years and what are some of the highlights from that time?

 

In 2000, I moved from Rocky Hill, CT, to Niskayuna, NY, right before beginning 9th grade.  With the exception of swimming, I think I did all the other “racing” sports that were offered at Niskayuna.  I started off running cross country but felt somewhat burned out by the end of the season. So, for my sophomore fall season I switched over to rowing, which had really intrigued me.  I kept up with track in the spring, mainly competing in the 400/800 meters (highlights were running sub-60 and sub-2:19, respectively).  In the winter, I raced on the downhill ski team for a couple of seasons and then did Indoor Track my senior year.  Competing in the super competitive Section II, my ultimate goal was to qualify for State Championships in track, but I knew going into my final season that my chances were slim for both the 400 and 800.  In March of my senior year, my coach suggested I try the 400 hurdles - despite never having done it before and lacking natural coordination - but with extensive practice, I managed to clinch a spot to States in that event. 

 

How and why did you choose Marist and what other schools were you considering?

 

Going into my senior year at Nisky, I had pretty bad plantar fasciitis and honestly didn’t think college running was in the cards for me.  I hadn’t yet stood out as a rower so didn’t use that to my advantage in looking for colleges either.  I knew I wanted to major in elementary education and my high school guidance office had a computer program where you could select a desired major and it would produce a list of all the colleges that offered that major.  Because elementary education is actually “psychology/special education” at Marist, Marist never made the list and therefore was never on my radar.  It was a chance meeting that landed me there - my parents went to a college info night at my high school in November and the speaker happened to be Sean Kaylor (then VP of Admissions at Marist).  They ended up chatting with him and realized Marist might actually be a great fit for me (they were right!).  We went down to visit the school a week later and I applied early action.  The only other schools I applied to were Tufts (got waitlisted) and Boston College (accepted, but received very little financial aid).  I marvel at how that chance encounter with Sean changed the trajectory of my life. 

 

What was your major at Marist? Did you plan on majoring in that coming out of high school? And how did it prepare you for your career?

 

Much of this I answered in the previous question, but as far as preparing me for my career, Marist did an excellent job.  There were so many amazing psychology and education professors- Dr. McAdam, Dr. Stivers, Dr. Gatins, and Kristen Stephan, to name just a few.  We also spent a great number of hours in real elementary classrooms, right from the start of freshman year.  That was such a big help for when I had my own classroom.

 

You had a remarkably successful career as a rower -- both at Marist and beyond. How did that come about? What are some of your favorite memories (early-morning practices?) and highlights (biggest wins as a team, etc.) from your time as a Marist rower?

 

I wouldn’t say I’m a morning person, so the early practices were challenging. But that was when the water conditions were best.  We saw many amazing sunrises and it was always a satisfying feeling, returning to campus at 8 a.m. with a good workout already completed.  Kelly Harris took over as women’s coach at the start of my sophomore year and she worked us HARD.  It paid off, though, and by the end of that fall our varsity boat really felt like it clicked.  Head of the Charles, the largest two-day regatta in the world, is the highlight of the fall season.  Top five get medals, and we shocked ourselves and everyone else by coming in fourth out of about fifty colleges.   That was one of my favorite moments, because it was so unexpected.  We also won MAAC Championships my sophomore, junior, and senior years, alongside the men’s team.  A couple of the years it was pretty close, coming down to just one or two events, which always makes it even more exciting.  Our spring break training trip in warm Clemson, SC was a highlight for me every year.  My senior year, Tom Sanford took over coaching the women and turned practices into truly entertaining experiences, regaling us with numerous stories from his past and exclamations of the wildlife on the Hudson while we rowed our hearts out up and down the river.

 

While rowing is the ultimate team sport, during my sophomore year I started to stand out nationally as a lightweight rower with my ergometer times, and with Kelly’s encouragement, applied to and was accepted at some National Team Development camps.  I rowed for the New York Athletic Club the summer of 2006 and for Pocock (in Seattle) in 2007 and 2008.  In 2007, I came very close to qualifying for the Under 23 national team, and succeeded in 2008.  My partner, (future Olympian) Kristin Hedstrom, and I raced at the 2008 World Championships in Germany, placing 12th in the lightweight double after rowing together for just seven weeks.  

 

How and when did you transition to running on the cross country and track team and what was that transition like?

 

I mentioned how I had a lot of foot problems in high school and so didn’t really consider running competitively in college.  Once I decided to go to Marist, I connected with the rowing coach and planned to walk onto the team (there were no scholarships back then). However, I had my best track season in the spring of my senior year and suddenly realized I didn’t want to stop running at all.  The thought crossed my mind that maybe I could do both sports, and I filled out a prospective runner questionnaire on the goredfoxes website, but never heard back.  Later in the summer while at a local recreational track meet, I ended up meeting rising Marist junior Christine Peltier.  She gave me Phil’s email address, so I reached out to him and he put me in touch with Chuck, who was coaching the non-cross country runners.  Chuck was totally cool with me training with the track team when it fit my schedule and just racing the indoor season (plus a couple outdoor meets when I didn’t have any regattas).  

 

So I started both sports pretty much right away, balancing rowing in the morning six days a week and track in the afternoon 2-3 times a week for the hard workouts.  Most of my weekends had a race in at least one of the sports.  It was certainly crazy at times but the two sports complemented each other so well and I definitely would not have been as successful in either if I had only been doing one.  As my senior year was wrapping up, Pete, you managed to convince me to participate in cross country for the fall of my fifth year as I completed the five-year program for teaching.  I’m definitely more of a track runner than a cross country runner, but the appeal of competing for Marist for one more season was tempting.  Knowing it was a Disney year clinched it for me but the irony, of course, was that I tested positive for mono the week before Disney and my career as a red fox was suddenly over.

 

What differences did you find between the programs (crew and track/XC) and how our day-to-day operations were alike or different? Looking back, did you have a "favorite" between the two sports?

 

Hmm, well, given the audience of this blog, I’d have to say running is my preference, right??  Haha.  I love both sports, and running for nearly three decades now has shaped my life so much.  Ultimately, though, being in a boat, gliding through the water, is where I am most at peace.  It’s definitely hard to compare the programs - both had a great set of coaches (obviously) but rowing, being a non-impact sport, lends itself to significantly harder practices.  No running coach would give athletes hard workouts to do every single day, but that’s essentially how rowing works.  Then add in the piece about constantly trying to perfect your technique, and rowing as a whole ends up being much more demanding, physically and mentally.  I always appreciated the challenge though, and over the years have noticed that runners often turn into great rowers when they try the sport!

 

You did some great running for us in your short time on the team. What were some of your fondest memories and highlights from that time period?

 

Relays were always my favorite events and I was part of either a 4x8 or DMR that qualified for ECACs every year.  I was really proud to also run an individual qualifier in the 1000 my sophomore year, breaking 2:57.  I always loved the unexpected successes - a 15 second PR in the 1500 at the 2007 Yale Invy was a shocking win for me, as well as a school record at the time.  The non-running piece of being part of the team was great, too.  I loved being on campus for intersession, not having to worry about schoolwork, and having fun with team bonding activities.  I lived in a house of mainly runners my junior and senior years and always appreciated their friendship and the support that comes from living with other athletes.  Sarah Domermuth and Heidi Richards, my two roommates, are still good friends of mine all these years later. 

 

Tell us about your post-collegiate athletic career -- both in rowing and running. You joined the ARE and had some strong road races there. Tell us how that transition went and what some of your top road performances were on the roads and beyond.

 

My bout with mono while finishing my Masters sidelined me for a good year.  I slowly started to build back my fitness and got back into both sports purely recreationally, rowing for Saratoga Rowing Association for a few years and running with the Albany Running Exchange (ARE) club.  ARE also has a racing team component, led by my friend Josh Merlis, and he invited me to join the team in 2013.  While I worked hard academically at Marist, my athletics were always my top priority. Since then, however, they’ve dropped considerably: behind family, teaching, and trying to stay healthy (especially regarding getting enough sleep) and I’m okay with that and knowing that I’ll never be quite as good as I once was.  There is no pressure to being on the team, and I appreciate that.  I’ve delved into longer distances, running 18:40 for the 5k and 1:29:32 for the half marathon, both in my late 20s.  I was especially proud to run a 5:09 mile (yes, it was the full distance) as a 30-year-old.  Regardless of my performances, it’s been really nice to be a part of a team again in these post-collegiate years, even befriending Marist runners of later generations (shout out to you, Christine Coughlin), and having Dick Vincent as a supportive coach and friend.

 

You have a young family now -- two young children! -- how has that impacted your running and other athletic pursuits and what future goals do you have in that area?

 

I’ve had four pregnancies in the past four years, two of which resulted in my children, Addison (born March 2018) and Will (born February 2020).  Throughout my pregnancies and in the months postpartum, running was not a pleasant experience, so I listened to my body and gave myself a long break.  When Addie was 9 months old, I felt re-inspired, physically and mentally, and trained for the inaugural Heldeberg to Hudson Half Marathon while teaching full time.  Focusing on one easy workout, one hard workout, and one long run each week, I averaged just 16 miles a week of running (quality over quantity!) while training and was thrilled to run a 1:32 half.  I’ve run a little bit since Will was born and hope to race with the ARE again in a year or two, depending on how I feel and how things are pandemic-wise.  Lance is a thrower and it’s been fun supporting each other on each end of track and field in the six years we’ve been together. Addie ran her first track race last year, a 50m dash, just a couple months after learning to walk.  She has an endless amount of energy and these days likes to jog ahead of the stroller on our daily walks with the dog.

 

Talk about your post-collegiate work career. What have you done, where have you worked and how did you land in your current location?

 

I finished my teaching degree in December of ‘08 with my B.A. and M.A.  I was fortunate to land a long-term sub assignment in a first grade classroom right away, and was looking for permanent assignments in 2009, which was virtually the worst time to enter the teaching profession in New York state due to mass layoffs.  I had one job offer, working with emotionally disturbed 4th and 5th graders in Queensbury, and stayed there for four years.  It was extremely challenging, but gave me a unique perspective that I value to this day.  In 2013, I applied for my dream job - the position of elementary math specialist in North Colonie schools (in Albany County) - and got it.  It’s a great joy to work with students in all grades K-6 and to focus solely on making math meaningful.  I’m on an extended (unpaid) maternity leave until September of 2021 (a plan we had pre-COVID) but ultimately hope this is the job I retire from.

 

How has the pandemic affected you and your family? You had a baby right before things started getting "interesting" ... what has that been like?

 

I’m very thankful Will was born a few weeks before COVID hit New York and therefore could have as normal a birthing experience as possible.  Pandemic aside, I think a lot of parents of newborns would say it can be a very exhausting, isolating experience - even with friends and family coming by, you feel very much alone in keeping this incredibly needy human alive (plus a toddler, in our case). With that in mind, the first two months of the pandemic were really hard on me, as we stayed completely isolated, even from our families who live close by and whose presence and help we would have otherwise readily welcomed.  That being said, I recognize that we were some of the least affected people in the pandemic - I was already out on maternity leave, and Lance simply continued working (as an IT Specialist) remotely from home.   Several of my friends have been working the front lines since the beginning and we are grateful to all the essential workers who have continuously put others’ needs before their own.

 

Where do you see this all going in the short- and long-term? When will we return to "normal" in your opinion?

 

I was a teenager when September 11th occurred, and I don’t think we ever returned to the “normal” that was before the attack on our country; instead, the increased security and diminished sense of invulnerability became our new normal.  COVID-19 may follow a similar parallel.  We are a social species and I think ongoing social distancing could be just as detrimental to our livelihood as this virus could be to our health.  So I sincerely hope that with medical advances and people acting smarter and more respectfully, we can return to closely interacting with others without anxiety and fear.   Nevertheless, the after-effects of COVID will likely reverberate throughout society for years to come.  But that doesn’t mean all bad things - if, going forwards, habits like wearing a face mask when feeling even slightly unwell become a new standard in the US (as it already is in several Asian countries), I’m all for that.

 

What's your feeling on the future of college sports? Right now, we have no short-term future but is there hope for future seasons, in your opinion?

 

Boy, I hope so!  Athletics has been such a vital part of my life and I’d hate to think present-day college students will be deprived of this experience on a long-term basis.  I’m optimistic that by the winter, outside sports (like skiing) will be deemed acceptable and hopefully by spring, all sports can resume.  Fingers crossed for you guys!

 

As I ask everyone, think back to your final few months of your senior year and what that was like. What message can you send to our recently graduated seniors?

 

When everything shut down in March, my very first thought was of the college senior athletes.  Your final season, the pinnacle of your career, suddenly vanishes before it even begins - it’s truly heartbreaking.  Maybe by now, some of you are over it and have moved on, while others are still mourning the loss.  Either way, I hope you can obtain some sense of closure on the abrupt end of your days as a student athlete at Marist.   Similar to what many others have said, hold tight to all the great memories you do have.  Those can’t be taken away. 

 

Anything else you'd like to add ...

 

If you made it this far, thanks for reading!  And thank you, Pete, for turning this depressing pandemic into an opportunity.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading about Marist runners - people I knew in addition to those I’ve only read about - and it’s an honor to be included in the Pandemic Papers.  If anyone has any questions about teaching, rowing, or just wants to say hi, please feel free to email me at lisachase459@gmail.com.