Gulf Breeze’s Ashton Dahlem is leading the girls cross country team as a sophomore, pushing the Dolphins to a team appearance at the Class 3A state meet this weekend in Tallahassee.
By the way, this is her first year running cross country. Not bad, right?
Dahlem has had a strong individual postseason, most recently placing 10th at the Region 1-3A meet in Panama City with a time of 19:08.65. While that’s her personal best, Dahlem also had a top finish at the District 1-3A meet in Niceville.
Placing seventh at the meet, pushing Gulf Breeze to a fourth-place finish, Dahlem ran the 5-kilometer course in 19:49.90. For her efforts, Dahlem won the PNJ Athlete of the Week award for the week of Oct. 28-Nov. 2, securing 63.57% of the poll’s votes on pnj.com.
Here’s a quick question-and-answer session with Dahlem after speaking with PNJ sports reporter Ben Grieco.
Q & A with Gulf Breeze runner Ashton Dahlem
PNJ: You’re gearing up for the state meet this weekend in Tallahassee. How excited are you to go to the state meet as a sophomore?
Ashton Dahlem: “I’m very excited. This is my first year running cross country, so I’m excited to experience this, especially with all my teammates because we’re all really close this year.”
PNJ: What’s the week been like training for the state meet this weekend?
AD: “We started tapering off a little bit. But, up until districts, speed workouts were really intense.”
PNJ: What does it mean to go to state as a team? Not everybody gets to enjoy their first state experience with their whole team.
AD: “It’s very unique. I just love that we’re all going. … A lot of us are new to cross country this year. We’ve gotten really close over the season.”
PNJ: So what made you want to run cross country for the first time this season?
AD: “My brother ran track his junior year. He made me want to do it my freshman year. I ran track last year, but he didn’t do it last year. I decided to run cross country to stay in shape for soccer, as well.”
PNJ: Individually, the week you won Athlete of the Week, you had a top finish at the district meet. Was there anything special that stood out about that race?
AD: “That was my first time breaking 20 minutes. It was really exciting to see when I was coming across the finish line to see under 20 minutes.”
PNJ: Had that been a goal all season?
AD: “At the beginning of the year, I didn’t really have a goal. I just wanted to come out here and work hard. As I started realizing how fast I could go, I really tried to get under 20 minutes.”
PNJ: Is it weird to be near the end of your sophomore season?
AD: “It’s very strange. But I’m excited to end it with the state meet.”
PNJ: Do you have any individual goals for state?
AD: “Not necessarily. I just want to go out there and run my hardest. I have some goals for next year. A long-term goal is to get the school record (18:33) and definitely get under 19 minutes next year.”
PNJ: Some quick ones: do you have any pre-race superstitions?
AD: “I always braid my hair the same. Every time I’ve done it, I’ve PR’d. I have one of my teammates slick back my hair and the other one braids it.”
PNJ: Any go-to pre-race snack or meal?
AD: “A peanut butter bagel. … A mini everything bagel.”
PNJ: Do you listen to any sort of music before a race?
AD: “No. I just go and run.”
PNJ: Is there a dream course or trail you’ve always wanted to run at?
AD: “Not really. I don’t know too many courses since this is my first year running cross country.”