Emma Tavella, a graduate student-athlete at Boston College who earned her undergraduate degree at UCLA and is pursuing a Masters degree in sports management, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss making her debut Nov. 18 at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships at the Panorama Farms Course in Earlysville, Va. Tavella became the first Boston College female athlete to finish in the top 10 at the Division 1 Northeast Regional meet since 2016, earning eighth place in a 6-kilometer personal-best 20:02.4 on Nov. 10 at Van Cortlandt Park in New York, leading the Eagles to a runner-up finish behind Syracuse by a 98-109 margin. The Eagles secured their first NCAA qualifying berth since 2019 and the 20th all-time in program history, which ranks second in the Atlantic Coast Conference behind North Carolina State, which leads all women's teams in Division 1 with 37 appearances. Tavella, who traveled throughout the summer following her graduation from UCLA before arriving in Chestnut Hill, Mass., analyzes the late start to her fall schedule and how it has benefited her during the postseason. She expresses gratitude for the approach to training and the leadership and guidance of Boston College coach Pete Watson and allowing Tavella to continue to keep a low-volume approach to her mileage, with emphasis on tempo workouts. Tavella also explains how significant the chemistry of the Boston College lineup has been, especially with several middle-distance athletes developing and improving to compete at the 6-kilometer distance in cross country. She shares how special it is to have younger sister Sofia Tavella as part of the Boston College program, and highlights how formidable the Eagles will be in the coming years. Tavella examines how beneficial competing at the ACC Championships and Northeast Regional have been in her preparation for the NCAA championship meet, and how valuable racing against the depth of elite athletes has been for her in building confidence and belief ahead of participating at the Division 1 final in Virginia. She also speaks about the support of her family at events throughout her career, along with her teammates and how instrumental that has been in her success. Tavella also looks forward to racing indoor track in Boston after being sidelined with mononucleosis during her last winter season and shares her goal of competing at the Division 1 indoor championship meet in March at the TRACK at New Balance in Massachusetts. She also shares her determination to advance to the NCAA final in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in June at Hayward Field in Oregon after reaching the semifinals last season in Texas following her 9:52.68 personal-best effort at the West Regional in Sacramento.