With eyes from all over the nation watching, the pressure was no problem for Souhegan freshman Chloe Trudel, who recently attended New Balance Indoor National Championships in New York City, an event that displays the country’s best athletes in the sport.

“Running on a stage is really the best part, and running in front of America,” is how Trudel described the experience.

The freshman distance runner shaved nine seconds off her personal best time in the two-mile, finishing with a time of 11:13.35. This time puts her as the fourth fastest freshman in the country for that event.

Not only did Trudel compete in the “Emerging Elite” two-mile at nationals, she also qualified and competed in the freshman mile, running 5:16.96. In what may be the most tactical sport, Trudel’s gameplan was very simple. “I did want to PR in both races, although I did hit a pretty big PR in one race and I was just happy with that. The mile was an extra bonus.”

The freshman has gradually been making her way toward the top of result lists competing with the nation’s and New Hampshire’s best. At the NHIAA State Championships 3000-meter race, Trudel placed third in Division II and third overall out of the three divisions, just holding off Caroline Towle of Bishop Guertin. At New Englands in Boston back on March 2, she placed ninth overall in 11:12.17 in the 16-lap race.

With the outdoor track season approaching, Trudel has her eyes set on some serious goals. The distance runner plans to stick with the longer events.

“I have a newfound love for the mile, as challenging as it is. It’s really competitive and I like that competitive field.” says Trudel, proving that freshmen aren’t afraid of the competition. She also hopes to get a faster time in the two-mile.

Showing impressive dedication to absorbing the sport, Trudel says. “They say outdoor is faster but considering the weather conditions it could also be slower as well.”

The longtime runner demonstrates the level of knowledge and strategy that goes into it.

Although she is very successful on the track, her favorite season is cross country.

In her first high school season, she qualified individually for New Englands and showed pure grit on the swampy postseason courses.

Runners are often a superstitious lot. In Chloe’s case, she wears the same socks, wears the same hair-do, and eats the same meal before every race. Spaghetti and meatballs every week sounds would be a treat for many, and for Trudel, it’s both delicious and energizing. The days leading up to a race are just as important as race day.

The extraordinary freshman hopes to return to nationals for the outdoor season but did not want to admit it so she didn’t “jinx” herself. With three years of high school left Trudel has already proven herself to be an powerful competitor.