Lady Bulldog senior led team to 6th-place finish at state tourney

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

Ashlyn Stadtlander thought for a second and decided that she and the Lady Bulldogs cross country team reached their goals for the 2011 season.

“We had a good season,” she said. “I’m happy with what we did.”

All St. Cloud did was to repeat as the Orange Belt Conference champion, then win the first regional cross country championship in the school’s history, and, finally, tie for fifth place at the Class 3A state meet.

“We did everything we set out to do. We were the first team (at St. Cloud) to win a regional championship, boys or girls, and that was exciting,” she said.

Named the Osceola News-Gazette Female Cross Country Runner of the Year for the second straight year, Stadlabder repeated as the Orange Belt Conference champion, leading a parade of Lady Bulldogs across the finish line.

St. Cloud scored a perfect 15 points at the OBC meet, taking the top five spots. Unlike last year, when the team seemingly came from nowhere to reach the state meet, this time the Lady Bulldogs were favorites and were ranked No. 5 in the state most of the season.

Ashlyn and her sister, Katelyn Stadtlander, Octavia Gonzalez, Karissa Solorzano, Anaya Reid and Rebecca Davis formed a formidable cross country squad for Coach Kevin Harkema.

Stadtlander won the conference meet at Poinciana easily in 19:40, although she admitted that it wasn’t her favorite course.

“It’s a little monotonous, but it was alright,” she said.

Harkema said one reason for the team’s success was Ashlyn’s leadership.

“She’s a senior, and she’s been there before,” he said.

Stadtlander was disappointed with her run (19:56) at the state meet, held at Dade City’s Little Everglades Ranch.

“I wasn’t even close to my best time,” she said.

She grudgingly admitted to being sick that week.

“No excuses, though,” she said.

A senior, Stadtlander is now focused on graduation and beginning college next fall. She plans to study nursing at either UCF or USF.

“Probably pediatrics,” she said. “My grandmother was a nurse, but it’s something that I’ve always felt that I wanted to do.”

Before graduation, Stadtlander will compete for the Bulldogs track team.

“I really like running, but it’s a love-hate relationship,” she said. “You hate it while you’re out there running, but then when it’s over you realize that it’s OK.”

Stadtlander went to the state track meet last spring as a member of the 4 x 800 relay team with her sister, Reid and Kristen Detroyer. She’d like to do that again.

“I’m going to be focused,” she said.

Even with three of the team’s best runners graduating, Stadtlander said the Lady Bulldogs should be a strong cross country team next year, mainly because Gonzalez, just a freshman. She emerged as one of the county’s best runners this fall.

“I think they’re going to be alright,” Stadtlander said. “Losing three of your top seven is kind of a big deal, I guess, but there are some real good runners coming back, and Coach Harkema is a great coach.”