Alex Phillip of John Carroll in Ohio, the reigning NCAA Division 3 cross country champion as well as an All-American in the outdoor 5,000 and 10,000 meters, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss becoming the first student-athlete in program history to capture an individual title Nov. 20 by covering the 8-kilometer course in 23:27.6 at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park in Louisville, along with leading the Blue Streaks to their first podium finish at the championship meet by placing fourth with 179 points. Phillip reflects on finishing 15th at Division 3 nationals in 2019 at the same venue and how much that experience benefited him in his return to the final. He also examines the growth and development of his teammates, who elevated from 19th in 2019 to ascend to fourth this season, especially after the Division 3 championship meet was not held last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Phillip shares how significant the achievement is for the John Carroll program, especially with a collection of student-athletes from Ohio competing against other schools with established tradition in the sport and rosters with competitors from throughout the country and, in many cases, showcasing international standouts as well. He analyzes the All-American performance of teammate Jamie Daley, who finished 16th, in addition to the consistency of No. 5 scorer Ian Pierson, as well as the composure demonstrated by freshmen Ryan Champa and Barrett Scheatzle to also place in the top 70 overall.  Phillip also explains how Andrew Miner and Jared Arnold both returned from not competing at regionals to add significant depth to the Blue Streaks' lineup at nationals. He shares how the stretch run unfolded against Elias Lindgren of Williams and when Phillip knew to make the final decisive move to take the lead and surge to the finish. Phillip expresses gratitude to head coach Kyle Basista and the John Carroll coaching staff for their sacrifices and dedication not only throughout the season, but during the pandemic, in order to help the Blue Streaks remain motivated. He also shares how instrumental graduate assistant Jordan Doore was to the team success and advocates for her to become a full-time assistant with the program in the future. Phillip speaks about competing against several Division 1 student-athletes during his sixth-place finish Oct  1 at the Paul Short Run in Pennsylvania and how that experience benefited he and his teammates in preparation for nationals. He also shares the motivation gained from finishing fifth in the 10,000 and second in the 5,000 in May at the Division 3 outdoor nationals and how that helped him achieve the breakthrough this fall. Phillip looks ahead to an upcoming indoor 5,000 race Dec. 2 against Division 2 cross country champion Isaac Harding of Grand Valley State, along with talking about balancing his academic pursuits in finance and his post-collegiate goal of becoming a park ranger. He also shares the recognition he has received from his high school St. Vincent-St. Mary, also the alma mater of NBA legend LeBron James.