Danielle Orie has a pretty fascinating resume, one item in particular distinguishing her from the rest of her teammates on the Wisconsin women’s cross country team.

The fact she’s licensed to be a professional triathlete?

Nope.

The fact she graduated summa cum laude from Penn – the highest distinction of the three traditional Latin honors – before transferring to UW?

Nope.

The fact she’s enrolled in UW Law School where she’s a managing editor for the law review and currently prepping for a moot court competition?

Nope again.

How about the fact Orie began her career as a Division I student-athlete seven autumns ago?

Now you’re on to something.

Orie, who turns 25 in January, is, amazingly, one of nine Badgers runners currently enrolled in post-graduate studies. It’s a badge of ageism she wears with good-natured pride.

“We are a team of grannies,” she joked, “and I’m the oldest of the bunch.”

Orie, from Buffalo, N.Y., made her collegiate debut with the Penn cross country team in 2017. A recurring series of injuries to both legs coupled with the COVID pandemic disrupted her career on multiple occasions before she transferred to Wisconsin in the fall of 2021.

The move to Madison from Philadelphia came about even though Orie never visited the campus before making her decision where to go. She wanted a place with a rural-ish, college-town feel and an accomplished running program. She found it via online research.

“It felt right,” Orie said of UW. “I had this feeling in my gut that I made the right choice.”

Now Orie finds herself in the middle of a major project that’s endured for more than two decades and brought a lot of frustration to the program. The last time the Badgers won the Big Ten women’s cross country crown was in 2000, which finished off a run of six consecutive titles. Since then, UW has finished second four times and third three times. Five of those top-three showings have come since 2017.

Lindsay Crevoiserat, the UW assistant coach who oversees the women’s distance corps for program director Mick Byrne, expects a duel with Michigan State and believes a team title for the Badgers is very realistic.

“On paper we’re very similar teams,” she said. “It’s just who’s going to have a better day.”

Wisconsin has the home course advantage – the Big Ten men’s and women’s meets will be held at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Verona on Oct. 27 – but the proper level of energy has to be there. 

“Everyone has to run to their ability,” Crevoiserat said.

“I would absolutely love to be a part of that scoring,” Orie said. “With the depth that we have, it’s undeniably a possibility. If we could make that happen, I’d be so happy.”

One of the strengths for UW is its quality depth. Thirteen runners have at least one top-five effort among team finishers this season. Orie has three, while nine others have two such showings. Four are grad students: Vivian Hacker of Madison; Victoria Heiligenthal of Milford, Mich., Maya Raley of Portland, Ore., and Lexi Westley of Washington, N.J.

“I have a lot of leadership on this team,” Crevoiserat said.

One of those guides is Orie, who approaches running the same way she attacks her studies.

“She’s someone who wants to be the best,” Crevoiserat said. “She’s always asking how she can be better.”

How did Orie get so smart?

“It’s not the smartness,” she said. “It’s the work ethic it takes to be smart. I have to study a lot. I have to work for everything I get.”

Orie, whose twin sister Gabrielle runs at Colorado after transferring from Cornell, said her parents set the tone for her academic and athletic evolution. Her father, Joseph, is a pediatric cardiologist. Her mother, Kathleen, is a pediatric oncology nurse.

Danielle said her parents are humble, giving and loath to any complaining.

“Both give their whole heart to whatever their doing,” she said.

Asked how his daughter got so smart, Joseph astutely directed the spotlight elsewhere in the family home.

“It certainly wasn’t her father,” he said. “She got her looks and her brains from her mother.

Danielle started out wanting to be a nurse, but became enamored with the law while a sophomore at Penn. Upon graduation, she said her focus will be on the process of bringing food from farm to table, whether it’s a dairy producer, environmentalist or a restaurateur.

“I’ve always been good at arguing,” she explained of the move. “I love what the law has taught me and the tools it’s given me.”

Danielle swam in high school and relied on that activity as a recovery tool for her injuries while at Penn. That gave way to her desire to become a world-class triathlete. Her goal is making the American team for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Danielle remembers watching Gwen Jorgensen, who swam and was a distance-running standout for the Badgers, win the Olympic gold medal in the triathlon in 2016. In addition to securing her license, Orie said she’s trying to connect with Jorgensen.

Her father described Danielle as independent and disciplined, someone with an “incredible” imagination. He was asked the last time she surprised him.

“I’ve never stopped being surprised,” he said. “Everything she touches turns to gold.”

Danielle chose an unusual word to describe her greatest gift.

“It’s not an eloquent word, but I’d say I’m a pusher,” she said. “I want to make things happen.”

Crevoiserat said Orie craves feedback – “constructive criticism” – and always seems to be busy with something important.

“We only see her at practice,” the coach said.

Orie said she embraces running and training workouts because they give her an outlet from her intense academic pursuits. Her presence is more than welcome.   

“She’s someone who shows up and is always a light of joy,” Crevoiserat said. “She’s a fun person to have around.”