Dana Hills TC (CA)

Team Website / NTN Profile

Top Athletes: Blake Ahrold (distances), Vince Fusco (hurdles & jumps), Jesus Molina (distances), Cody Meddaugh (throws), Devin Harrison (sprints & jumps) and Conner Ito (pole vault).

Team Strengths: Facing stiff competition all year in California, Dana Hills comes battle tested and ready to push for the win.  While the team trails in a couple events, they have their strong points.  Blake Ahrold and Jesus Molina showed time and again this season why Dana Hills is considered a premier distance running powerhouse, while Vince Fusco showed his versatility when it mattered most, and will compete in both the hurdles and jumps in Eugene on July 2.

Key to Success: How big of points can Ahrold and Jesus Molina score in the distance events?  That is the key to Dana Hills’ success, as both runners finished their state seasons on very high notes.  Both are fully capable of winning their respective events, while putting up huge marks.

Q&A with Coach Craig Dunn

NTN: It's been a few weeks since the California state series.  What have you had the team do over the past few weeks to stay sharp for NTN the first weekend in July?

Craig Dunn (CD): We actually competed at the Portland Track Festival the week after the California State Meet, and Blake Ahrold went to New Balance Outdoor Nationals this past weekend. We are also continuing to practice 4-6 days a week.

NTN: Even as one of the best teams in the country, it doesn't mean you just run through the best competition in California.  Do you feel being from California, where you see many of the top teams in the country, makes Dana Hills a better team?  If so, how?

CD: Yes, the better the competition, the more we have to strive to compete. No one wants to settle, and it's been great getting to mix it up with the best.

NTN: Your squad is extremely well rounded this year, what are some of the keys to building such good depth across a variety of track and field disciplines?

CD: We have a great coaching staff that rivals any college program. We have 20 coaches on our staff that could be the head coach on any other program, we just happen to be fortunate that they are all at Dana.

NTN: What would it mean to you and your squad to bring home the first ever Nike Track Nationals title?

CD: Could you think of a better ending to an already incredible season?

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.