Athlete spotlight: Dylan Willett

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Willett is in his third year running for the Texan Cross Country team.

Hilaree Foreman, Sports Writer

Dylan Willett runs for the Tarleton State University Texan Cross Country team. Willett is a junior from San Antonio, TX and was named an All-American for the 2013 season. He is currently in his third year running for the Texans and is a family and consumer science major with an emphasis in family and child studies.

JTAC News: How long have you been running cross country?

Dylan: Since seventh grade, so eight years.

JTAC: Cross country is a lot of running, how did you start?

Dylan: I’ve always had a ton of energy, so when the time came, I figured I’d just start running.

JTAC: What made you choose to run at Tarleton?

Dylan: My coach pushed me to run at the collegiate level and suggested I try Tarleton. I came to visit the campus, and I liked it, so I chose it.

JTAC: Are you involved in anything else on campus?

Dylan: I also run indoor and outdoor track. For outdoor I run the 1500m, the 5k, and sometimes the 800m. For indoor, I run the 1500m and the 3k. I like to run indoor because there’s no wind, but I prefer outdoor because it’s more serious.

JTAC: So do you prefer cross country or track?

Dylan: Track, definitely.

JTAC: What do you do in your free time when you’re not running?

Dylan: I just hang out with my friends, watch TV, play games and listen to music. I also enjoy biking around the city, which I started doing when I got to TSU.

JTAC: Guilty pleasure?

Dylan: I don’t eat at all like a runner should. I eat a lot of candy, junk food, and drink Red Bull. My coach is probably going to kill me, but I do hydrate like I’m supposed to, so I guess that makes up for the bad food I eat.

JTAC: You have pretty big hair for a runner, do you think it slows you down any?

Dylan: No I don’t believe so, not at all. I think it’s my strength. I might trim it a little next fall, but I probably will never cut it.

JTAC: What do you plan to do with [your major] when you graduate?

Dylan: I’m not really sure. I know for sure something with kids. I’ll let Future Me figure that out – it’s Future Me’s issue to deal with.