For the fourth year in a row Dawson Cross Country had athletes qualify and travel to compete at the National Championship Meet. This year in Tallahassee, FL at the NJCAA DII National Cross Country Championships, DCC had two individuals race.

Dawson's Emberlyn Hoffman-Gaschk began the race in a solid pack and moved into 4th place within the first mile. At the 2800 meter mark she was sitting in 5th place but moved up again with 1000 meters to go into 4th. As she approached the finish line in fourth place she passed one more individual to come across the finish line in 3rd. Emberlyn finished in 3rd place overall in the nation for the NJCAA DII women with a time of 19:14.5.

With increased temperatures following a tropical storm, the humidity was high for these Montana kids and it only increased as the day went forward into the Men’s DII race. Connor Chase was faced with an increase of temperature and humidity compared to the first race of the day. Connor fought hard throughout the 8K race. He finished in the top 50% of the overall field of runners, and moved up over 30 places over the course of 8000 meters. Race officials estimate times for both men's DII and DI races were about 1-2 minutes slower due to heat and humidity.

"Emberlyn and Connor showed up to compete and they did just that. I said before leaving campus our ultimate goal for Emberlyn was a top 3 finish and she did exactly that. I'm so thrilled with the outcome of the races. I coached Emberlyn and Connor when they were back at Billings Skyview and have known both even longer. It was so special to take this trip with them and watch all their hard work unfold. I'm so excited for their futures, but first we focus on track season!" commented Coach Alex Chase Wolff.