Adams State sophomore Brianna Robles, the returning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference freshman of the year, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss her honor at the Division 2 female athlete of the week by the USTFCCCA following her 5-kilometer victory in 17:31.97 at the Colorado Mesa Maverick Invitational in Grand Junction. Robles examines the confidence she gained from a strong performance in a time trial that took the place of the annual Joe Vigil Invitational, which was snowed out, and how she carried that into her first official race since Feb. 28 at the RMAC Indoor Championships. She also shares how instrumental it has been to have reigning NCAA Division 2 individual champion Stephanie Cotter as a teammate, and what it meant to prevail against the junior standout in her season opener. Robles reflects on how she rebounded from a challenging race at last year's Division 2 South Central Region Championships, which kept her out of the Adams State lineup that competed at the national final in Sacramento, and used it as motivation to qualify for the Division 2 Indoor Championships in the 5,000 meters. She analyzes the tradition present at Adams State under coach Damon Martin, allowing the Grizzlies to replace six athletes from last year's lineup that captured the program's 18th national championship and still be among the top teams in the country that are competing this fall. Robles also expresses optimism for the development and improvement of the younger members of Adams State's lineup entering the RMAC Championships on Oct. 24 and NCAA Division 2 national invitational on Nov. 14. She looks ahead to the opportunity to return to her home state of Texas, where Robles attended Palmview High, and compete in front of her family at the national event at Lubbock Christian. Robles also reveals her creative outlet of writing poetry, both about running and other subjects, and the parallels with her running and writing. She hopes to be able to publish a coffee-table book with a collection of poetry at some point following college graduation.