Wildcat of the Week Hannah Dorman completed her breakout cross country campaign with the best race of her career Saturday at the NCAA Championships, helping lead the Wildcats to a fourth-place finish.
Prior to this season, Dorman's best two collegiate finishes came at the Doc Adams Invitational where she placed first as a freshman and third as a sophomore. Those were bittersweet performances. The Doc Adams takes place on the same day is the team's annual postseason opener–the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships–meaning the Dorman had come up just short of making Head Coach Gary Towne's postseason roster.
Dorman turned the corner this season, however. Her breakout performance came at the Capital Cross Challenge where she was the fourth Wildcat to cross the finish line in 40th place. She was also the fourth Chico State runner to finish at the Triton Invitational, coming in 17th overall.
Those results earned the West Valley High School (Cottonwood) product a postseason roster spot. She excelled, earning All-CCAA and All-West Region honors.
But she saved her best race for last. Dorman was the second Wildcat across the finish line at the NCAA Championships, finishing 46th overall, and helping to fuel the Wildcats' fourth-place finish, which matches the program's best NCAA Championships result all-time. She missed earning All-America honors by just 10 seconds.
Dorman did that despite coming down with strep throat earlier in the week.
Next season will be Dorman's senior season, and if she continues to improve, an All-America finish would not be a surprise at all.
