"Entered the team in 2021, graduating 2025 and have been committed to ccsu under Nicole Dumpson for all 4 years. Dumpson is very welcoming and wants to see you grow as an athlete and student over the years. The team under Dumpson is motivated to win championships and get along very well on and off the track. A memorable story is when I won my event at championships and immediately went and hugged and jumped around with Dumpson right after. Another memory is when she was driving us on the road in North Carolina and hit a speed bump really good and my head hit the roof, very funny moment. "

"Coach Blake has been the heart of the XC/Track & Field program the past 10+ years. As an elite masters runner himself, he offers a different perspective and mentality on the sport than other coaches—one that is very positive. He puts his athletes first, he is very detailed-oriented with training, and knows how to win. The program is very high mileage but if you do the training on top of the little things (maintenance, injury prevention, etc.), every athlete will thrive. He’s a bit tougher on the men’s team than the women’s team but nothing that can’t be changed with a simple conversation. He’s always open to change. Overall Coach Blake is a wonderful coach and even better person! "