The Commit: Nick Dahl

By: Garrett Zatlin

(Be sure to look at the The Weekend Review and check out the performances from our PA Alumni)

We're trying out something new in the NCAA section! During the next few weeks, we will be attempting to interview some PA seniors who have committed to run at the collegiate level. Our thought process at Etrain was that high school football and basketball players constantly get attention for their college commitments, so why not do it for track and XC?

Our hope is that these interviews will shed some light on what our PA seniors want to accomplish during their time in college. It may also help high school students as they begin their college search. 

Our first interview was with Nick Dahl of Germantown Friends who was nice enough to take some time and talk about his college commitment (and his most recent performance at the VA Showcase). We can't thank Nick enough for his awesome, detailed answers and for taking the time out of his day to do this. 

With that, let's get started... 

Garrett: So before we start discussing your college process/decision, I think a lot of readers and fans would like to know more about Germantown Friends performance in the DMR at the VA Showcase (where you guys ran 10:23). Could you give us splits and talk about how the race played out?

Nick Dahl: Absolutely. With that race, we were looking to get the necessary qualifier while also shaking off some rust, and getting a feel for the relay as a cohesive unit. Our leadoff leg Colin Riley came in to replace Grayson Hepp, a senior last year who had always taken the 1200 leg. Colin has a lot of talent, and he's one of the most consistent runners I've ever had the chance to train with, so we all felt very confident giving him the first leg. He ran his own race and cruised to a 3:14, the best he's ever run over that distance. Next up was our 400 leg Eli Schwemler. He is a senior back from last year who has been our 400 leg for many races, and his 55 second split kept us relatively in contention. Our 800 leg Jonnie Plass then took over, and he ran a tactical race to put me in a reasonable position a couple seconds off the lead pack. His 1:58 split isn't quite what he wanted, but there's a lot of time left in the season to iron out the details. I took the handoff a couple seconds off the leaders, and used the first couple of laps to work my way back up to them. Then, I tried to stay patient, but I got a little eager and made a move too early. Up to that point, my strategy had been pretty sound, but I twitched and took the lead. It was still a good way to open the season, with a 4:14 split on the anchor, but I have a lot more to give, and I can't wait to get back on the track at Yale this next weekend.

G: What is your plan for states? Does Carlisle’s recent DMR performance of 10:21 affect those plans?

ND: I think that we were expecting Carlisle to run a fast time, and it seems as though they had a solid race. If anything, it makes me more excited about having the chance to potentially square off against them in the DMR later in the season, wherever that may come. We feel confident that our relay has significant space to improve, and all of us walked away from our last race feeling like there was something more that we are capable of at this moment. As for states, the plans are still up in the air, but it seems as though the DMR is very likely, and some other event in tandem with that effort is possible, whether that be a 4x800 or an individual event for myself. The focus for us this year will certainly be the DMR, and we have big plans for that relay all the way through outdoor season.

G: How has your training been under new head coach Conrad Haber? What was your reaction to hearing that coach Rob Hewitt was leaving the program?

ND: Under Conrad, training has continued along the natural progression that Rob and I set out through the first three years of high school, and in many ways Conrad and I have taken what worked over those previous seasons and expanded on it. The phasing and mileage have been very similar, and a lot of the auxiliary drills and stretching routines have been preserved, but we've tweaked things here and there to make these final high school seasons count. When I heard that Rob was going to be leaving at the end of last year, I was worried at first. Of course, I was overjoyed to hear that he had gotten a job that excited him, and I always knew that Rob deserved better than the high school coaching job he had with us, but he had been such a definitive part of my running experience up to that point. After talking with him extensively, I came to understand that it would all be alright, and he continues to be involved with our program even though he isn't around in Philly anymore. I can't thank Rob enough for how much he taught me over the three years we worked together, and I believe Conrad has been the perfect replacement this year. The transition went as smooth as I could have hoped for, and we picked up right where we left off. Now, as we begin the track seasons, it seems as though the culture that developed under Rob's guidance is flourishing, and we continue to work as a team as we pursue our goals.

G: Let’s move to your college decision. Where will you begin your collegiate academic and athletic career? What will you be majoring in (if you have declared)?

ND: I have committed to run next year with Yale University, and I couldn't be more excited. I don't yet know what I intend to major in, but my interests have always been in science and business, so I intend to find something that allows me to explore new concepts somewhere in that range.

G: What were some of the other schools you were looking at? What made Yale standout from all the others?

ND: The schools that I took my official visits to were Duke, Penn, Harvard, and Yale. All four schools have fantastic running programs, as well as academics, and I believed that I could have succeeded at any among them. For me, however, Yale stood out because of a couple key factors. The campus is gorgeous, and I fell in love with both the academic buildings as well as the Coxe Cage, their indoor track facility, from the moment I first walked around them. Yale's residential college system is a very attractive model of housing to me, and I thought that the culture of the school, as well as the types of people that it attracts, were exactly what I wanted to surround myself with for the next four years. The team itself has a very positive vibe, and I felt like I belonged right away when I took my visits. At some points the difference felt rather intangible, but I trusted my gut on the choice and I am sure that I made the right decision.

G: Was there any discussion with the coaches as to what your training would be like? How will your mileage change from what you are doing now?

ND: That was certainly a point that I always addressed when I talked with the coaches. Paul Harkins, the distance coach at Yale, and I discussed training philosophy, and I found his strategy to be intelligent and very similar to my own personal school of thought. While nothing is set in stone and plenty will depend on how the rest of the year goes, the plan is to make college training a natural progression extended beyond what I currently do, with no sudden jump in mileage. At this point in my senior year, my mileage continues to be reasonable, usually in the 45-55 miles/week range, and my coach and I focus on making workout days intense, with easy recovery days in between. Yale's program has a pretty similar philosophy, and so while my mileage will definitely increase, I believe the plan is to go about it in an intelligent and productive manner. I've always trained with my entire running career in mind, giving as much attention to stretching and auxiliary drills as to the actual mileage, and I hope to continue that through the next several years so that I can stay healthy and train efficiently.

G: Many PA alumni are running in the Ivy League (and are doing quite well). What are your thoughts about potentially racing your old rivals?

ND: I couldn't be more excited about it! Racing the same people again and again is part of why I love the sport. As a whole, it seems as though distance runners are all genuinely great people (something about the sport just attracts a specific kind of person that I really get along with), and getting to know the guys on other teams is something I always enjoy. So many athletes from PA continue to run on the Ivy League scene, competing in significant ways, and I may even have a teammate or two that will be on other Ivy League teams, which would make the competition that much fiercer. Racing old rivals is something that I look forward to, and I can't wait to see where those fantastic racers in the grades below me end up as well.

G: Have you kept up on some of our PA alumni? If so, talk a little bit about what you’ve seen from them.

ND: I've definitely been in touch with a few guys that I used to race against, including Sam Ritz (now at Columbia) Kevin Francis, and Matt Wisner (both now at Duke). It seems as though they all found themselves at great fits, and I have a lot of respect for the running programs at both of those schools. They have both been finding success in the mid-distance events, and I'm always excited to see them compete at meets like Penn Relays!

G: In most college programs, individuals only race a few times a season. One of our writers (Caleb Gatchell) pointed out that you typically don’t race as much as some other individuals around the state. Do you think that kind of schedule will allow you to better adjust to the training and racing at the college level?

ND: Absolutely. Races are certainly growing experiences, but I tend to see as much if not more value in being able to get consistent training. As I mentioned above, we take workout days very seriously, and the efforts we give on those days are no laughing matter. In that way, I can continue to work on mental fortitude in a structured environment, that furthers my development as an athlete with specific intent. Whenever I go to race, I like for it to have purpose. College is very similar, where each race effort is a significant event. I can handle the pressure of needing to get something done without a backup plan, and I give each race as much focus as I am able, so there isn't a need for me and my experience as a track athlete to fill the schedule with meets.

G: What kind of legacy do you hope to leave on the Ivy League, NCAA, and at Yale?

ND: There are a lot of goals that I have, but all of them end up coming back to the same roots. I want to break 4:00 in the mile, sooner hopefully rather than later, and I want to be part of a few national caliber relay teams. In cross-country, I want to go with my teammates to Nationals as many years as possible, which I think is certainly in the picture given the wave of young and incoming talent at Yale. I want to be competitive through several years at the Ivy League Heps, potentially winning events and bringing home points for our team, and I want to be part of a confident culture. After it all, I want to be able to look back on my years as a college athlete and feel as though I left a legacy of being competitive, loyal, and dedicated, and that I got everything out of myself that was possible. Running defines so much of me, and I want to let it help guide me through the next four years.

G: What is your advice for runners (or anyone for that matter) as they start their own college search?

ND: My only advice would be to trust your instincts. The college search can feel overwhelming, and every place that you consider will have something that makes it special, so you need to allow your gut to have a say in the choice. You can evaluate absolutely every detail (as I attempted to do across numerous spreadsheets), but at the same time you need to consider those intangibles, like how the campus felt when you walked around and whether you felt comfortable when you were there.

G: Finally, any shoutouts?

ND: I'd like to give a shoutout to my coaches Rob, Conrad, and Tanner, as well as all of the guys at GFS who work every day to make this team that we have great. Without all of them, running just wouldn't be the same. They are the biggest goofballs on the planet, and I'm glad I have the privilege of spending practice time with them every day.