she told our cameras this was not the life she had planned. >> you know, i was just a really happy-go-lucky kid. you know, outgoing. had a lot of friends. played a lot of sports. was really active. >> raised in rural michigan, dana personified the all-american girl. studious and athletic, dana wasn't just good, she was exceptional. >> i was always a bright child, very athletic. anything i picked up i excelled at very quickly. >> looking back now, dana says the punishing physical grind and pressure to succeed as a star athlete led her to abuse alcohol. >> you train rigorously. you're playing sports seven days, six days a week, you know? that's hours-long practices, you know, and tournaments and, you know, just different training sessions. you know, weight lifting. you know, running. everything. it's just, you know, it kind of consumes your life. >> big 10 schools and duke came calling. offering dana full athletic