Big Ten cross country champion George Kusche of Nebraska, representing South Africa along with being an NCAA Division 1 All-American in the indoor mile and 3,000 meters, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss becoming the first Cornhuskers athlete to capture the conference cross country championship and the first Nebraska male runner to achieve the feat in any conference since Jonah Kiptarus won the Big 12 crown and went on to be NCAA runner-up in 1996. Kusche reflects on the tradition and legacy of Nebraska distance running in the 1980s and 1990s, and the significance of joining that list of champions after eight top-four finishes at previous Big Ten cross country and track finals. He revisits the final stretch of the Jan. 30 race at the Blue River course in Shelbyville, Ind., and the late surge produced by Illinois senior Jonathan Davis to challenge Kusche, forcing him to unleash an all-out sprint to the finish in order to prevail in the 8-kilometer race by a 24:01.2 to 24:01.8 margin. Kusche reveals he does not intend to compete in another cross country race until the scheduled NCAA Division 1 championship meet Nov. 15 in Stillwater, Okla., instead choosing to focus on another long stretch of training, and racing indoors at Nebraska. He also shares his decision is, in part, because of Nebraska not being allowed to fly to events during the pandemic, resulting in a two-day bus ride from Lincoln to Indianapolis for the Cornhuskers in preparation for the conference meet. Kusche, who was racing for the first time in 337 days since the Big Ten indoor track and field championships last year, examines the necessary preparation for competing at the 10-kilometer distance in March. He also analyzes the performances of both Wisconsin and Indiana, and the streak the Badgers extended with their third title in a row. Kusche also speaks about the outcome of the men's 8-kilometer race Feb. 1 at the Silver State Collegiate XC Challenge in North Las Vegas, and the matchup involving Brigham Young and Northern Arizona. He also looks ahead to the spring outdoor season and the possibility of achieving the Olympic standard in the 1,500 meters to represent South Africa in Tokyo during the summer.