It’s virtually impossible for two University of Evansville cross country runners to escape each other’s shadow.
Former Indian Creek runners Tucker and Izzy Dawson compete in the same sport, practice on the same course and take instruction from the same coaching staff.
Neither sibling is complaining.
“I like having him there,” said Izzy, an Aces sophomore who is 15 months younger than Tucker, a junior. “People know we’re good friends. He pretty much gives me my own space, but he’s protective, too. He looks out for me.”
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Tucker ran in six races as an Evansville freshman, his personal-best time being 28 minutes, 18:56 seconds at the Greater Louisville Classic. He clocked a low of 29:30 last season, but has since been slowed by injury.
Last spring, Tucker began experiencing pain in his left shin. It turned out to be a stress fracture, which limited his preparation for this cross country season.
Accustomed to running between 50-60 miles a week, Tucker currently runs approximately 25. He’s competed in various meets this season, including the team’s own UE Invitational this past weekend.
Izzy Dawson, who stands 5-foot-2, put together a good freshman season with a low time of 20:12.6 in a 20th-place finish at Austin Peay. She’s progressively getting faster this season and inching toward a new personal standard after being timed in 20:38.69 at Austin Peay and 20:43.8 at the UE Invitational.
Before graduating from Indian Creek in 2017, Izzy was contemplating pursuing her academic and running careers at either Hanover College, St. Mary-of-the-Woods College or Union University, a Division II program in Jackson, Tennessee.
The tipping point, she said, was Evansville having the major she wanted to pursue (supply chain management and logistics). Both she and Tucker, a management economics major, carry 3.6 grade-point averages.
Like a lot of brothers and sisters, Tucker and Izzy grew up arguing over the unimportant and learning to laugh about it later.
“I think maybe when mom and dad aren’t around, they see each other differently,” said their mother, Erin.
Trafalgar residents Kirk and Erin Dawson find comfort in the fact their two youngest children — the eldest, Elaine, is 22 — are on the same college campus. They find themselves there often as Tucker and Izzy also compete in track and field for the Aces.
“We were ecstatic,” Erin said. “When Izzy decided on the University of Evansville, we were very happy. We love following them around to their events. I’m going to miss it, for sure, when it’s over. It definitely brings the family together.”
Initially, Tucker wondering if having his younger sister on the same campus for no less than three years would crowd his space.
Those concerns were short-lived.
“At first, I was kind of thinking, ‘Ah, man,’” Tucker said. “But then I was pretty happy she was coming here. We’re probably closer than we’ve ever been. I think it’s cool Izzy and I can do it together, and we’re close enough where our parents can come to almost every meet.”
The price of admission gets them two runners to cheer for, not one.
