Syracuse fifth-year senior Amanda Vestri, a three-time NCAA Division 1 cross country national qualifier and two-time outdoor finalist in the 10,000 meters, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss her third-place Oct. 29 at the Atlantic Coast Conference cross country finals and looking ahead to the Northeast Regional meet Nov. 12 at Franklin Park in Boston, with both women's and men's teams entering the event as the top-ranked programs. Vestri examines the fourth-place team finish by Syracuse at the conference meet and how beneficial it was to race the nation's top-ranked team North Carolina State, along with Florida State and North Carolina, in order to prepare the Orange for regional competition. A graduate of Webster Thomas High in New York, Vestri shares the significance of four of the top five athletes in the race all representing her home state, along with the North Carolina State trio of Kelsey Chmiel from Saratoga Springs, Katelyn Tuohy of North Rockland and Shoreham-Wading River alumni Allie Hays. Vestri also examines how important the North Carolina State women, who captured a sixth consecutive team title, have been for the conference in terms of raising the level of competition. She also revisits the seventh-place finish for Syracuse at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, and how valuable the Oct. 15 event was not only for Vestri to face elite competition prior to the postseason, but also for her teammates to learn to execute in a field comparable to the size of regional and national meets. Vestri explains how meaningful it was to place in the top 10 along with former Iowa State teammate Cailie Logue. She also shares her reaction to Logue being edged by less than a second Oct. 29 at the Big 12 Championship meet by West Virginia's Ceili McCabe, who also won the Nuttycombe individual title, and how Iowa State endured a 35-36 loss to Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Vestri speaks about her motivation to earn All-America honors at the Division 1 championship meet Nov. 20 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla., and how much she has learned from her previous NCAA finals opportunities in 2017 and 2018 with Iowa State, along with March 15 in Stillwater. She expresses her gratitude to Syracuse coaches Brian Bell and Raynee DeGrio for their support as Vestri recovered and rehabilitated from a sacral stress fracture in her back following the 2019 regional meet, and how her strong faith, along with the encouragement of family, friends and teammates helped her return to compete at an even higher level the past two years, including her first ACC indoor title in February in the 5,000 meters.