Dorie Dalzell has always been a talented runner, and fierce competitor.
But before getting on the track for her final prep season at Skyline, the University of Kansas bound standout for the Spartans had to get in the weight room.
“She’s been a good athlete,” head coach Dawn Geiser said. “But she has taken it to that next level this year.”
Dalzell said a new focus on Olympic weightlifting and core strength has allowed her to push herself to new lengths in competitions. A dedicated post-workout stretching regimen, along with nightly core exercises, has her set to help the Spartans better their third place finish in the 1600 meter relay from the past two state meets.
“I’ve definitely seen the results,” she said, adding she is no longer one of the smaller competitors in the 400 meters. “I’m more explosive and in the final 100 meters, I have the fitness to keep going.”
Geiser, who has led the program since Skyline opened its doors, called Dalzell, “a warrior,” on the track, and said the most impressive aspect of her improvement was the dedication to offseason workouts. While she sees plenty of athletes who talk about the desire to succeed, Geiser said few have backed it up like her senior leader.
“It has come from a lot of hard work, and Dorie understands that,” Geiser said. “She’s a competitor and she just goes out there to win, nothing less is okay for her.”
That mentality now permeates the entire squad for the Spartans’ girls, who recently finished in a tie for first as a team at the ultra-competitive Larry Eason Invitational in Snohomish.
“It’s exciting, and it has come from the girls having that competition in practice every day to push them,” Geiser said of her team’s depth and success so far this season. “They make each other better every day, they don’t have to wait for a meet.”
The most important meet of the year for the Spartans will come at Mount Tahoma High School and the 4A state meet, where Dalzell said the goal is not just to win a relay state title or bring home the school’s second girls team crown.
“We’ve come in third in the 1600 the past three years, and we’re tired of it,” she said. “I think we have a good chance to get the state record, and it would mean so much to this entire team.”
Skyline’s girls team has only one more KingCo dual meet remaining, against Ballard May 8, after taking part in the Lake Washington Invitational May 3 in Kirkland.
