Oh there were plenty of doubters! There were doubts that she could qualify through Footlocker South--a course that jinxed her for the prior two years. And then there were doubters after she qualified with a 6th place finish out of the South region. But you'd be hard pressed to find any doubters today!
Ashley ran what was described by many as the "perfect race" and it was exactly what Coach Doug Butler had prescribed that she do. Brasovan went out conservatively, hanging roughly around 10th place. Then slowly she started moving up in the pack... to 7th... to 5th. At about the 1.75 mile mark, she really started to make her move. At that point, Jordan Hassay of California had a big lead and looked like she would take it home--although some said Hassay looked weathered even early in the race despite her leading. Ashley moved into second place just before the 2.5 mile mark. She then whiddled away at Hassay's lead and finally took the lead for good with about 600 to go. Her lead grew and Hassay got caught.
The rest of the Florida girls also ran great races.... four girls qualifiers and national championship! What a great day for Florida!
Foot Locker Coverage
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Florida Specific Video Coverage
Interview with Coach Doug Butler
Interview with Brittany Koziara
Interview with Ashley Brasovan #1
Interview with Ashley Brasovan #2
Interview with All Four Florida Qualifiers
Race Videos
More coverage including photos, dozens of videos, race summaries, and articles.