The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2010
- Class:
- 1995
A three-time NCAA shot put champion, Vanisi is one of the most decorated throwers in school history. During her four seasons in Austin, she claimed eight All-America honors in the shot put, recording top-six finishes in the event in each of her four NCAA Indoor and four NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship appearances, and eight Southwest Conference individual titles (four shot put and four discus). Vanisi paced the Longhorns to four top-three team finishes at the NCAA Championships and eight consecutive SWC team titles, as Texas claimed both the league’s indoor and outdoor crowns in each of her four seasons. In her freshman season (1991), she won the shot put national title at the NCAA Outdoor meet after recording a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor meet, and the Longhorns placed second at both the NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor meets. Vanisi also claimed a league indoor crown in the shot put and SWC outdoor titles in the discus and shot put. As a sophomore (1992), she placed second in the shot put at both the NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor meets and claimed the SWC outdoor discus title. Vanisi finished second in the shot put at the NCAA Indoor meet and sixth in the event at the NCAA Outdoor meet and again claimed the SWC outdoor discuss crown during her junior season (1993). She concluded her collegiate career by sweeping the shot put national titles at the NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor meets and winning the SWC indoor shot put crown and outdoor discus and shot put titles as a senior in 1994. Vanisi paced the Longhorns to a tie for third place at the NCAA Indoor meet and a second-place showing at the NCAA Outdoor meet. Her shot put of 60-0.5 during her senior season still stands as the top throw in UT outdoor history. To this date, Vanisi holds seven of the top eight outdoor shot put marks and the seventh-best outdoor discus throw in school history. Following her collegiate career, she claimed the bronze medal in the shot put at the 1995 USA Indoor Championships, the 1995 Outdoor Championships and the 1997 USA Indoor Championships. Vanisi earned her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology in 1995 and went on to earn her Master’s degree in Technology Education from Ashford University in 2009. She resides in Euless, Texas, and assists area youths with shot put and discus training.
