Collette Lowengrub, a sophomore at UC Riverside and NCAA Division 1 West Regional qualifier in the 10,000 meters who equaled the women's 6-kilometer cross country program record by clocking 20:12.6 on Oct. 15 at the Highlander Invitational at the Ag-Ops course in Riverside, Calif., joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss her preparation to compete at home Oct. 29 at the Big West Conference Championships. Lowengrub, a multi-sport athlete who also competed in swimming at University High in Irvine, explains how significant it is for the Highlanders to be hosting the conference final for the first time since 2019 after placing 24th in her Big West championship debut last year at UC Davis. She shares how meaningful it was to match the 2014 performance of Raquel Hefflin on the Ag-Ops course and her motivation to eclipse the 20-minute barrier at the conference championship. Lowengrub examines how special it would be to join Hefflin from 2014 and Faith Makau in 2015 as UC Riverside female athletes to capture the Big West individual crown. She also analyzes the Highlanders' pursuit of securing the first women's team title since 2008, and her excitement to race in one of the deepest finals in conference history. Lowengrub revisits running 34:03.95 in April at the Mt. SAC Relays and qualifying for the West Regional in May in Arkansas and what she gained from those experiences, in addition to how it benefited her summer training and helped her confidence increase this fall. She reflects on winning her season opener Sept. 1 at the Nevada Twilight and how proud Lowengrub is of placing in the top 10 in all four races this fall. Lowengrub expresses gratitude for UC Riverside coaches Nate Browne and Zach Newsom, especially for remaining loyal in their recruiting of her despite a unique senior cross country schedule as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. She also reveals how beneficial it has been to experience a gradual increase in mileage since first joining the UC Riverside program and the dividends it has paid this fall. Lowengrub also shares her goal to qualify for the Division 1 final at the West Regional on Nov. 11 in University Place, Wash., and being able to fulfill her dream of competing Nov. 19 at the NCAA Championships at the Greiner Family course at Oklahoma State in Stillwater.