By Aaliyan Mohammed
According to the NCAA, only 4.8% of high school track and field athletes go on to compete at the collegiate level. It would not be wrong to say competing at the next level is a statistical improbability.
It’s already hard enough growing up in America and go on to compete at the NCAA level. Growing up overseas, being scouted, and actually transitioning to life in America should be considered nearly impossible. However, Mississippi State has excelled at finding olympic-level track and field talent overseas.
Franck DiSanza was born in Rolle, Switzerland and competes in Javelin for Mississippi State Track and Field. However, Mississippi State is not DiSanza’s first stop in the United States. He competed for one year at Southeastern Louisiana State University where he racked up accolades and recognition.
His phenomenal 2021 season earned him Southland Student Athlete of the Year, NCAA 1st Team All-American Javelin honors and 1st Team All-Southland Conference Javelin honors. DiSanza still holds the Southland Track Complex Facility record for Javelin.
Transferring schools was hard enough, but the transition from Switzerland to the United States was much more daunting for DiSanza. DiSanza attended Gymnase De Morgen in Switzerland before attending Southeastern Louisiana University.
“I think I adjusted pretty easily. I’m very easy going, I get comfortable pretty much everywhere and I never felt like I was not where I belonged,” said DiSanza. “I was welcomed very nicely, both in Louisiana and here in Starkville. I also had a lot of international athletes around me that were also freshman at the same time as me so we went through this together. Honestly, I didn’t struggle very much and the people here helped a lot.”
The seamless transition for DiSanza is unique and speaks to his personality, character and drive. For most, coming to Louisiana from Switzerland would be a huge culture shock and require a long adjust period. His coaches took notice to how easy DiSanza was to coach despite being in an objectively hard situation. His former throws coach at Southeastern, Matthew Tholis, now an assistant coach at Lamar University, spoke on DiSanza’s drive and focus.
“He is incredibly focused, hard working and whatever was on the paper he would do. He would do anything to get better or throw farther,” said Tholis. “He has big goals and whatever he would have to do to achieve them he would make it happen.”
DiSanza’s drive is not the only thing contributing to his success. Obviously he is physically gifted, and even for D1 coaches, who work with gifted athletes all the time, his stature stands out.
“He’s 6’ 6” or whatever and I’m like 5’10 so he was a pretty towering figure. My first thought was ‘I got a pretty big dude to work with here,’” said Tholis. “He saw himself as an elite athlete and he is an elite athlete and I’m happy we were able to get him partially up to the status as one of the best in the sport.”
DiSanza has been competing from a young age and said he wants to compete in the olympics one day. When he left Southeastern he knew he was coming to a program that has helped produce multiple olympians. Despite knowing that, he still feels no added pressure outside of what he demands of himself.
“I put the pressure on myself. I felt extremely motivated to work in a group that has seen olympic talent. I still want to do the best that I can and I want to make this program proud,” said DiSanza. “Pressure? There has always been pressure so It didn’t change much.”
When asked about what he misses about Switzerland, DiSanza mentioned his friends, family and routine. However, he understands that being away from home isn’t something that will last his whole life, and knowing that he is just trying to soak up as much as he can to be the best athlete he can be.
Coach Michael Rheams, an assistant coach at Southeastern when Franck was there, highlighted one thing Franck has in common with other great athletes.
“He turned everything that could’ve been a negative into a positive. That’s really what it takes to get to the next level,” said Rheams. “There are a lot of talented people that are not great because they cannot overcome excuses. Only truly great people overcome excuses and that’s what Franck is, exceptional and great.”