Women's cross-country and track and field standout Victoria Sanford '14 once enjoyed spending her time on a soccer pitch.

"I actually started running track in high school just as a way to stay in shape during the [soccer] off-season," she said at the start of her running career.

"I had no idea when I started running that I would eventually make it my main sport."

After discovering her talent on the track, though, she ditched her cleats and shin guards for spikes and shoes.

"For a while I tried to balance both running and soccer, but eventually realized that I needed to pick one [of the two]," she explained. "I picked running."

The decision has paid off immensely. Sanford, an All-University Athletic Association honoree in cross-country, has impressed in both cross-country and track, recording personal bests of 22 minutes, 11 seconds for six kilometers in cross-country and 5:03.41 for the one-mile run in track.

As a native of Lagrangeville, New York, Sanford was drawn to Brandeis because her soccer coaches attended the school.

"They loved it," she said of her coaches' time at Brandeis.

"They got me interested and then after visiting the campus and meeting [former head coach] John [Evans], I knew this was where I wanted to be."

Sanford, who attributes her development as a runner to an ability to increase mileage, acknowledges that she most particularly enjoys the simple nature of the sport.

"I love how very straightforward running is," she said. "The more effort and training you put in, the more results you get out of it. The results are tangible and there's no feeling quite like the one after running a [personal record]."

During this indoor track season, Sanford has parlayed that increase in mileage to the most formidable distance event of all: the mile. In fact, she has focused largely on this event throughout her winter season, competing in the mile four times.

That effort and persistence resulted in her aforementioned personal best at the Tufts University Stampede on Feb. 1.

Sanford also has illustrated her diverse skill set this year, competing in both the 800-meter run and the 3000-meter run.

Yet, while she has shone in all three seasons, Sanford's biggest achievement to date arguably came this past fall during the cross-country season.

After earning All-UAA honors, Sanford helped guide Brandeis to its first NCAA Division III Championship appearance since 2001, where the Judges-one of five UAA teams to qualify-finished 22nd in the national meet.

Sanford spoke fondly of achieving a goal that had been a long-term target for the team since she and fellow standout Amelia Lundkvist '14 joined in fall 2010.

"Going to Nationals meant so much to us," she said.

"We had it as [as a priority] since our freshman year, so it was amazing to finally achieve that goal. We all worked so hard over the summer and throughout the season and it was so satisfying to see our hard work pay off."

With the rest of the indoor season and a full outdoor season still to come, Sanford looks to continue to shine in her senior year.