She must have shed a tear for every mile away she was from home.
Her begging and pleading fell on deaf ears. America, a symbol of freedom for many, became a prison cell, holding her captive against her will.
From the footsteps of Springs Hall, she watched, through teary eyes, her family begin their trek home to Australia.
Genevieve LaCaze was alone.
Born to Tony and Donna LaCaze, a former Australian professional rugby player and ballerina, respectively, Genevieve seemed destined for athletic success at birth. And with three brothers within two years of her, she grew up playing sports with the boys, pushing her to compete harder and stronger.
“For fun, she and her younger brother, Henri, literally used to chase each other around the outside of the house for hours,” Tony said of a young Genevieve growing up in Tamborine Mountain, Australia. “She was always exposed to sport. I (used) to take her and her brothers to the local pool before they were 6 months of age.”
But the enthusiasm for running began with a move to a tiny town in Queensland called Daisy Hill. With a population of about 6,000 people, Daisy Hill was merely a blip on the map, but it was here where Genevieve struck gold.
The LaCaze family made the move in her fifth-grade year, and immediately Donna wanted to get Genevieve involved in sports. She signed her daughter up for the school’s running club, and it became a family event.
“At school in Daisy Hill in the early days, all the children, including Tony and I and Gen’s dog, Oscar, would go to her training sessions and run with her,” Donna said. “Out of the children, she excelled right from Day 1 at running.”
Her mother was not exaggerating. Genevieve won her first competitive race, the school-wide cross country meet. From there, she competed in district, regional and state meets, crossing the finish line in the top-10 every time.
Genevieve’s potential, pinned on her at an incredibly early age, appeared to be met at just 10 years old. In the following years, there was no doubt she surpassed it.
In sixth grade, Genevieve was runner-up in the national meet, and a year later she claimed her first national title. Starting in ninth grade at John Paul College in Daisy Hill, Genevieve took home her school’s honor of Athlete of the Year all four years.
Along the way in high school, she won national titles in cross country, track and triathlons. As Australian competition proved to be an insufficient challenge for Genevieve, she had her chance to shine worldwide during her senior year of high school.
Under the leadership and success of Genevieve, John Paul College represented Australia in the 2006 cross country world championship in Italy. A sixth-place individual showing, which helped lead her team to a fourth-place finish, was the pinnacle of her high school career and garnered interest from universities across the globe.
Todd Morgan, at the time an assistant coach for Florida, was intrigued.
The young coach called Genevieve “tough” and “hard-nosed” coming out of high school and was eager to steal her away from Australia. However, he understood how difficult it is to make a major transition in life.
“You never know how quickly someone is going to adjust, especially moving from the other side of the world,” Morgan said. “There is a different environment and different training.”
Coming from a strict private Catholic school, Genevieve enjoyed the thought of coming to UF, where the lifestyle is more free and relaxed. However, it was moving 10,000 miles away that frightened her. Being alone was petrifying to the girl who so closely relied on family.
“Even though I was given all the freedom, I didn’t really want it at the time,” Genevieve said. “I was more willing to stay home and just be around my family.”
But her family pushed her to leave.
“Donna and I both knew it was too good an opportunity to miss,” Tony said. “Although we hated not having her around, we kept insisting to her that she should go. She was very reluctant.”
Leaving her home country, where she accumulated myriad accolades and awards, was inconceivable to Genevieve. More importantly, leaving her comfort zone made her feel vulnerable.
The fear of loneliness was Genevieve’s chink in the armor, almost preventing her from competing in the states.
So why not stay?
“Trust me, I tried,” Genevieve said.
“I was offered a few scholarships over here (in America) and I came over and looked, and I did love Florida. The minute I saw it, I loved it.
“But I just wasn’t willing to make that massive transition to leave my family and be over here. I was really petrified of the whole thought of it. But my parents wouldn’t have any of it, saying, ‘You’re going; that’s the end of it.’”
Just like that, Genevieve became a Gator. Just like that, Genevieve was in a country that was as unfamiliar with her as she was with it.
From being the darling of Daisy Hill, Genevieve became just another athlete for the Gators. This realization and strong desire to return home drove her into a spiraling depression that dominated the first few weeks of school.
Running was the only thing keeping her head above water.
A first place-finish at the Mountain Dew Invitational, the Gators’ annual home meet, kicked off her collegiate racing career. She went on to finish first for Florida twice more that year, including the regional and national meet. Her excellence on the course led her to winning Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, and earned her spots on the All-SEC and All-SEC Freshman Teams, as well as on the All-South Region Team.
“I think, 100 percent, if it wasn’t for running so well and being so successful in that first year, I honestly don’t know if I would have made it,” Genevieve said. “I just didn’t know if I could stick it out. But running was the only thing I could escape to that made me feel a little bit more at home.”
Clinging to her sport as her lifeline, she pulled through the difficult first year. Each year came easier to Genevieve, gaining comfort and confidence along the way, as well as awards.
Boasting five of the top-10 times in Florida history, Genevieve has earned her spot among the elite runners of the sport. Four years of work culminated in her final race, the NCAA National Championship on Nov. 21. Her 42nd-place finish gave her the school’s second best national championship performance since 1997.
But maturing outside the sport has been Genevieve’s proudest accomplishment. A college experience marred early by loneliness has come full circle, with her becoming a leader, mentor and friend to others, like sophomore Cory McGee.
“Even away from running, Gen is one of the most enjoyable girls to be around,” McGee said. “She’s a good friend and good teammate so it’s going to be hard not having Gen here. She’s like the glue of the team; she keeps us all together.”
The team will move on, as will Genevieve.
But with the clock winding down on her college experience, she can’t find the heart to say goodbye, not to her new home.
“I never thought that I would find somewhere else that I could consider home. But I actually find myself calling Gainesville my home all the time.”
Florida distance runner Genevieve LaCaze (151) runs with team members Florence N’Getich (153) and Cory McGee (152) during the NCAA Championship race on Nov. 21. LaCaze finished in 42nd place and posted the second best time for a Gator since 1997.
Florida senior Genevieve LaCaze poses with, from left to right, her brother, Henri, her mother, Donna, and her brother, Ollie, after the NCAA Championship race on Nov. 21.
