Fiona Hawkins, a freshman at top-ranked Adams State and member of the 2019 California Division 2 state championship team at Newbury Park High, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss the Grizzlies looking to add to their Division 2 record with an 19th women's cross country national championship Nov. 20 at Abbey Golf Course in Saint Leo, Fla. Hawkins reflects on Adams State winning both the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships and South Central Regional events in convincing fashion and her improvement at both events. She shares how significant the spread was among the Girzzlies' top five scorers in both races and the confidence gained from being able to perform at such a high level against No. 4 Colorado School of Mines. Hawkins examines the versatility and depth of the Adams State lineup, which includes Brianna Robles, Franziska Althaus, Precious Robinson, Ava O'Connor, Morgan Hykes and Nicole Lawrence, along with alternate Sarah Wills, and how the Grizzlies have developed into a national title contender again despite not returning a single competitor from the 2019 championship lineup in Sacramento. She revisits her collegiate debut Oct. 1 at the Paul Short Run in Pennsylvania and the preparation for running in an NCAA final with more than 250 athletes. Hawkins also shares how much the team has benefited from being able to run at sea level at the South Central Regional, and how she expects the Grizzlies to thrive again at the national final. She analyzes the legacy of Adams State, with 56 national titles including cross country and track field, and the pride both women's and men's teams have to add to that tradition. Hawkins explains how much she gained from training at elevation in Big Bear during the summer with Newbury Park coach Sean Brosnan and her former Panthers teammates, and how that helped her transition to joining Adams State and training with the group in Alamosa, Colo. She shares how much she is looking forward to both Newbury Park teams competing Nov. 27 at the Division 1 state final at Woodward Park in Fresno, especially with her sister Ailish running for the Panthers and father Steve as one of the assistant coaches. Hawkins also speaks about her collaboration thus far with Adams State coach Damon Martin and his ability to motivate, inspire and train student-athletes to peak during championship season, in addition to her academic pursuits in biochemistry.