Daphneé Lavassas, a junior at Miami (Florida) representing Greece and the Hurricanes' program record holder in the indoor 3,000 and 5,000 meters, as well as the outdoor 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 meters, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss competing May 23 in the 10,000 at the NCAA Division 1 East Regional in Kentucky and her pursuit of becoming the first female athlete in school history to advance to the NCAA outdoor final in any long distance event. Lavassas, 22, was the second women's competitor in Miami history to compete at the Division 1 cross country championship meet, placing 45th in November at the Panorama Farms course in Charlottesville, Va., after finishing fifth at the NCAA South Regional and achieving the program record on a 6-kilometer cross country layout by clocking 18:49.7 at the Mark Bostick Golf Course in Gainesville. She reflects on placing 109th in her first Atlantic Coast Conference Cross Country Championships in 2020, despite Lavassas later learning she was competing with a stress reaction. Lavassas has since elevated from 109th to 72nd to 28th to 22nd at the conference cross country final, in addition to placing in the top eight in the 5,000 at the past four combined indoor and outdoor ACC championship meets. Lavassas shares how the breakthrough races at the South Regional and NCAA finals during the fall provided increased confidence and belief entering the indoor season, contributing to a lifetime-best 15:54.09 in the 5,000 in February in Boston. She revisits her personal-best 33:00.60 in the 10,000 in April at the Bryan Clay Invitational at Azusa Pacific University in California, and her motivation to not only qualify to represent Greece in the June 11 final at the European Championships in Rome, but also to compete June 6 for Miami at the Division 1 championship meet at Hayward Field in Oregon. Lavassas revisits her numerous opportunities to represent Greece in international competition, including most recently in December at the European Under-23 Cross Country Championships in Belgium. She also speaks about her role as a student-athlete senator, along with her recognition at the annual Hurricane Honors and the school's Celebration of Women's Athletics, and how she is inspired to continue to elevate the profile of Miami women's distance running, in addition to the attention given to female athletics on campus. Lavassas expresses gratitude to her athletic trainers Allison Ross and Rafael Casas, along with being thankful for the support and guidance of Miami head coach Amy Deem and Hurricanes distance coach Jeremy Wilk. She also explains the origin of her "Daphmasterrr" nickname, in addition to how she explores aspects of style, fashion, music and culture into her social media presence, as well as when it comes to expressing herself with teammates. Lavassas also shares her future academic goal of a Master's degree in international business, along with her drive to compete as a scholarship athlete.