Isabel Wesman iswesman@ursinus.edu
While the Ursinus Women’s Indoor Track and Field season is just kicking off, senior student-athlete Izzy Deal has wasted no time in showing up with her A-game, breaking both personal and school records left and right.
Deal broke two records at Franklin & Marshall’s Mini-Dip Invitational on January 27th, eclipsing the school’s previous weight throw record of 44 feet 5.5 inches with her score of 44 feet 9 inches, and also adding almost an entire foot to the shot put record which now stands at 42 feet 5 inches. Her throw in shot put was not only the best yet of her personal career, but it also impressively stands at the second-best throw in the entire Centennial Conference this season.
Though the NCAA All-American athlete is currently in her eighth year as a member of a Track and Field team, Deal’s success has come from a tremendous amount of discipline and training both
on and off of the track and field–in other words, it’s not just practice that makes perfect. Of this journey, Deal notes that, along with a host of other regimens, she works with Ursinus’ athletic trainers, actively lifts, and continuously watches her nutrition intake. And it’s all worth it for her to see her own improvement. She says, “I have continued to do track because of the challenges that I’ve pushed through. Working hard to achieve my goals has only grown my love for the sport. The individualistic ways of competing–but also competing for a team–is a rewarding feeling, and throwing has allowed me to push myself past my limits in many capacities.”
That is not to say, however, that improvement has always been a straight and narrow path for Deal. One of her most challenging setbacks in college was when she got injured during the spring season last year. Deal ended up going to Nationals and competed with the injury, though not doing as well as she’d originally hoped. The summer following, she also found out that she tore her lateral meniscus. But rather than letting it discourage her, Deal used this injury as yet another opportunity to grow. Though obviously challenging, Deal talks about her injuries as “[motivating] me more to try and go again this upcoming spring to redeem myself. It was a long road to feeling healthy again… [but] the injury has made me tougher and more grateful for every opportunity I get to compete.” After the setbacks, Deal worked with a physical therapist and did more healing work that has certainly been rewarding. Since then, she has continued to make progress in both the shot put and the weight throw–leading us back up to her record-breaking moment from this season.
“Breaking the school record for shot put felt amazing. I knew right after I saw the shot land that it was my best throw of the meet! The weight record felt similar but I didn’t realize I broke the record until a teammate of mine revealed that I had done it! I am grateful for my coach, parents, and teammates that were supporting me in these moments.” After many years of determination and a commitment to progress, Deal has proven that hard work pays off. And as for the future, Deal looks forward to when the mens’ and womens’ track and field teams compete in the Centennial Conference meet towards the end of February. She is also looking to once again make it to nationals, and perform to the best of her ability. Izzy Deal’s drive, strength, and work ethic certainly all have come together to get her to the skill level that she is at now, and we can’t wait to see what she does next!