Amina Maatoug, a Dutch athlete and junior at Duke who earned NCAA All-America honors last year for the Blue Devils in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss competing Nov. 10 at the Division 1 Southeast Regional at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, S.C., seeking a return trip to the NCAA final after placing 28th last season in Stillwater, Okla. Maatoug reflects on placing second Oct. 27 at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla., running a 6-kilometer personal-best 19:29.9 to finish runner-up behind reigning Division 1 cross country champion Katelyn Tuohy of North Carolina State. She also revisits her Oct. 13 race at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational and finishing 11th at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, and shares how valuable the experience was competing in the deepest regular-season field in the country this season. Maatoug examines the transition to training for cross country this fall following her competition in track races in July, representing The Netherlands at the European Athletics Under-23 Championships in Finland, earning a bronze medal in the women's 5,000 meters. She explains how special the opportunities have been to represent her country internationally, including competing in June in Poland at the European Athletics Team Championships, and is excited about upcoming opportunities in 2024 and 2025. Maatoug also speaks about how significant it is to compete against several elite athletes in the NCAA who have also competed internationally for their respective countries and how meaningful it is to reconnect with them at events in Europe. She analyzes the development and improvement of the Duke lineup this fall and expresses her gratitude for their support, along with the Blue Devils coaching staff. Maatoug also shares how proud she is of being able to continue to expand her range as an athlete from 800 meters to 6 kilometers, and how her middle-distance speed has continued to benefit her in the latter stages of cross country races. She looks forward to returning Nov. 18 to compete at the Division 1 final at the Panorama Farms course in Virginia, especially after racing in Earlysville three previous times in her career, including last year's ACC Championships, and she is motivated to help the Blue Devils improve on a fifth-place regional performance from last season in Kentucky.