Bethany Michalak, a North Carolina State-bound junior at Air Academy in Colorado and the third-place finisher at Nike Cross Nationals in December, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss her 9:57.86 performance in the invitational 3,200 meters April 8 at the 55th Arcadia Invitational and the Kadets' upcoming trip to compete at the Oregon Relays presented by AthleticNET on April 21-22 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Michalak, who ranks in the top five all-time among Colorado prep female athletes in the 3,000 meters, 3,200 meters and 2-mile, examines how significant it was to have four competitors from her state eclipse the 10-minute barrier at Arcadia, joining Emma Stutzman of Pomona High (9:56.34), Isabel Allori from Liberty Common (9:56.82) and Brooke Wilson of Valor Christian (9:59.49). She also reflects on her experiences in the mile and 2-mile finals March 10-12 at New Balance Nationals Indoor at the TRACK at New Balance in Boston, and analyzes how meaningful it was to open her outdoor season with such a strong performance in California. Michalak speaks about Air Academy looking forward to attending Oregon Relays and how grateful she is to have another opportunity to race closer to sea level to test her fitness prior to the Colorado high school postseason schedule. She also analyzes how valuable the experiences are for the Kadets to compete at the Arcadia Invitational and Oregon Relays in preparation for the Colorado state meet, as well as the fall cross country season. Michalak explains her decision to make a verbal commitment to attend North Carolina State this spring and revisits her communication with Wolfpack head coach Laurie Henes and how inspired she is by Katelyn Tuohy and many other student-athletes in the program. She also expresses gratitude for Air Academy coach Chuck Schwartz and his training plans and not only helping her prepare to race at an elite level in high school, but also getting ready to compete in college. Michalak also shares how much she learned about proper race preparation and recovery during her prep career, and how impactful those details have been on her performance in races.

WATCH LIVE WEBCAST APRIL 21-22 OF OREGON RELAYS PRESENTED BY ATHLETICNET