Sugrue played basketball for Harvard in her freshman and sophomore years. She excelled defensively, playing in 50 to 51 games and averaging 3.5 points-per-game.

"I loved it, but college ball is a different game. After sophomore year, I said to myself that I could either go on playing for two years, trying to earn that starting position, trying to just reach that point where I'd be satisfied with my game or it I didn't, I'd go crazy," Sugrue said.

"I gave it a lot of thought, but I couldn't take the chance of playing two years, being unhappy with myself," Sugrue said, "but I do miss the team."

Sugrue also ran spring track in her first two years, and she said that was a factor in her decision to drop basketball.

"I'd come out in April and I'd furiously try to catch up to everybody who had been working out since September. I wasn't running as well as I had been running in high school and I was really frustrated. By late May, I could see myself improving and the season would be over," Sugrue said.

Surprise Success

Sugrue's sudden success came as a great surprise to her.

"When I started running track year round last year, I was shocked when my jumping was improving. Five-ft., 6-in. one meet, five-seven, five-eight, five-10. I was just stunned," Sugrue said, "and it was all because I had done the full training."

Sugrue's work ethic and ability to win in so many events has made her a coach's dream.

"She's very exciting to coach because she can translate our coaching from words into actions," Harvard track Coach Frank Haggerty said.

"She's tremendous," Assistant Coach Walter Johnson said. "She can incorporate what we tell her into her performance right away."

Part of Sugrue's jumping improvement can be traced to a more relaxed approach to the sport.

"I used to get so uptight for every meet. I used to get really upset very easily. I tended to be a perfectionist and that was sometimes detrimental to my performance," Sugrue said. "So, now I'm trying to relax."

Sugrue's improvement has rubbed off on the rest of the team.

"She's not an individual player, which is really easy in track. She's definitely team-oriented," sophomore runner Jackie Ball said, "and she's inspiring."