Nick Scudder, a fifth-year athlete at Charlotte and the reigning champion at the NCAA Division 1 Southeast Regional along with a cross country conference champion in both the American Athletic Conference as well as Conference USA, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss competing Nov. 10 at the regional meet at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, S.C. Scudder is seeking a third career berth at the Division 1 championship meet Nov. 18 at the Panorama Farms Course in Virginia, the site of his first official college cross country race in 2019. He reflects on leading early in the race as a freshman at the Virginia Invitational, before placing 33rd overall. Scudder also revisits placing 16th in the Sept. 23 race at Panorama Farms and his motivation to conclude his collegiate cross country career on the 10-kilometer layout. He examines the second-place finish for Charlotte behind Tulsa by a 38-44 margin at the American Athletic Conference Championships on Oct. 28 at Kristi Lake in Greenville, N.C., and producing the fastest 8-kilometer cross country race of his career by clocking 22:33.4. Scudder analyzes how significant it was being able to train for one month in between racing Sept. 29 at the Joe Piane Invitational at Notre Dame and competing at the conference final, and how it helped establish a foundation for the postseason. He shares the lessons learned from past 10-kilometer performances and being mindful of his efficiency in those competitions. Scudder speaks about the depth of the Southeast Regional field and how much he appreciates racing against Parker Wolfe of North Carolina and Dylan Schubert from Furman, who both earned All-America honors last season, in addition to athletes from Eastern Kentucky, Virginia and Wake Forest. He also shares his inspiration to lead Charlotte to another Division 1 championship meet after the 49ers qualified to race in the March 2021 final at Oklahoma State, placing 28th overall. Scudder also explains his determination to achieve All-America honors Nov. 18 at Panorama Farms after previous near misses in his career in cross country and outdoor track.