ATHLETICS
Running Headlong Into the
National Spotlight
SENIOR KAELA DISHION’S ALL AMERICA CROSS COUNTRY FINISH PUTS STAN STATE PROGRAM ON THE MAP By Lori Gilbert As she stood at the starting line of December’s 2022 NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country Championship at University Place, Wash., Kaela Dishion knew it would hurt.
the 2022 NCAA Division II Women’s Cross Country West Regional Title for the first time, and they won the California Collegiate Athletic Association for the second consecutive year.
For the first time in her 10-year running career, the Stanislaus State senior was suffering from an injury, right hip pain she believes was caused by new running shoes. She hadn’t trained in two weeks, other than on an elliptical.
The women’s soccer team tied for the CCAA regularseason championship, its first title since 2013, and the volleyball team, led by husband-wife coaches Lauren and Stephen Flowers, went 19-10, their .655 winning percentage the best in school history.
“The gun went off and I remember the first step I took, my body was shell shocked,” Dishion said. “I guess there was so much adrenaline that the pain wasn’t really there.”
The cross country team, though, created national buzz with Coach Darren Holman’s seventh season. “We are in that conversation when people mention schools that are the best for running in the west region or in the country in Division II. In the past, we weren’t,” said Holman, named NCAA Division II West Region Coach of the Year and for the second consecutive year, CCAA Coach of the Year.
Talent and desire overcame discomfort, and she finished the 6K race in 34th place in 21:16.5 to earn AllAmerican honors. She’s the third Stan State women’s cross country runner to be among the top-40 finishers at nationals to become an All-American, the first since Carrie Luis in 1994.
The success is built on Holman’s creating a supportive atmosphere, the addition of Assistant Coach Courtney (Anderson) Heiner (a Stan State Hall of Fame member who was the 2014 national champion in the 1,500), individual talent and teamwork.
The Warriors’ 18th place finish at nationals and Dishion’s recognition ended a fall Warrior Athletics season punctuated with great success by women’s teams.
That was exemplified in Dishion’s nationals experience. “I was thinking when we were driving to the race, ‘This is your last cross country race. It’s going to hurt. You can do it. Run for everybody else,’” she said. Cross country depends on individual performances, but also team support. When Dishion and fellow senior Najwa Chouati suffered flu-like symptoms at regionals, their teammates turned in their best races to secure the team championship.
Dishion and her teammates advanced to the nationals for the second consecutive year after winning 24