“She’s very consistent with all the little things that matter,” said track and field head coach Robert Williams about Sadie Dalgleish.
Dalgleish, Clark’s steeplechase record holder, will be transferring to Division II Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington, for track and field.
Dalgleish steamrolled past the competition at the 2016 NWAC South Region Championships.
She took first place in the 3000-meter steeplechase, breaking the school record by 13 seconds with a time of 12:06.97.
“I was ahead of the next girl by 46 seconds,” Dalgleish said with a smile as she recalled that day. “I don’t even know where that energy came from.”
Along with her record, Dalgleish consistently placed well, earning sixth place in the 5000-meter and third place in 1500-meter in the 2016 championships.
“I’ve always kinda been a runner,” Dalgleish said. “My grandparents will tell you I would always be running around the farm.”
Dalgleish began her track and field career at 15 years old when a girl from her high school track team urged her to join as a freshman. “I remember the first day,” Dalgleish said. “I wanted to quit, I wanted to go home and quit, but I decided ‘No, you need to do something and this is it.”
“She never gives up,” fellow teammate Justin Knowles said. “She’s someone to look up to.”
Along with that mentality, Dalgleish maintains a rigorous schedule. Between studying and classes, Dalgleish has a daily routine of stretching, running and drills, with Tuesdays and Thursdays being the most arduous workouts.
“She’s very responsible with her school and her health,” coach Williams said. “It’s all the things we talk about all the time to the team about what it takes to be a good athlete, is that consistency. I think that’s, in a nutshell, what’s helped her improve.”
Despite her training, Dalgleish stressed her career goal of becoming a teacher of world languages. She is currently working on becoming fluent in Mandarin Chinese and hopes to eventually study abroad.
Her second focus is to take those teaching skills and apply them to coaching track and field. She hopes to help younger students learn about the same discipline and passion for the sports she’s found over the years.
But between all her races, classes and aspirations, breaks are a must. For Dalgleish that means catching up on hobbies like watercolor painting, crocheting and watching the occasional B-rated horror film.
“I just enjoy how bad they are,” Dalgleish said. “Even if it is a really scary movie, there are still some things I can find laughable about it.”
Despite the occasional movie, Sadie has a full schedule. Her consistent workout regimen of six days a week continues to benefit her events.
On May 6, Dalgleish finished second in the steeplechase while breaking her own record, with a time of 12:01.96. She now qualifies for the NWAC Championships in the 5000-meter and the 3000-meter steeplechase.
