Furman All-American Bethany Graham, a Southern Conference champion in cross country as well as the outdoor 5,000 meters, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss competing in the elite women's 3,000-meter race February 5 at the Camel City Invitational at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C. Graham, a graduate of John Champe High in Virginia representing Great Britain, expresses gratitude for having the opportunity to race against professional athletes as well as other collegiate standouts at such a prestigious event, and shares how thankful she is to be running indoors after rebounding from a hamstring injury that she endured at the conclusion of the cross country season. She reflects on placing 40th and earning the final All-American spot in the women's 6-kilometer race Nov. 20 at the NCAA Division 1 Championships at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla. Graham revisits how her goal was to finish in the top 20, but she details the struggles she had with the injury and how it required her to be mentally tough in the final 300 meters in order to secure All-America honors, joining Gabrielle Jennings, Savannah Carnahan and Allie Buchalski as the Furman women to achieve the feat. She reminisces about Furman competing at the Division 1 cross country final March 15 in Stillwater, Okla., with a lineup consisting of six true freshmen and one redshirt freshman and the valuable experience gained to help the future of the program. Graham also speaks about her impressive outdoor season, including a 4:20.57 in the 1,500 at the Tennessee Relays and a 15:57.92 effort in the 5,000 at the Rick Erdmann Twilight at Eastern Kentucky in April, before winning the Southern Conference title in the 5,000 and advancing to the Division 1 East Regional at North Florida and placing 14th overall. She shares the confidence gained during the fall cross country schedule, including an 11th-place finish at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, winning a conference crown and placing fifth at the Southeast Regional in Louisville, Ky. Graham explains how significant it was to be a part of the Furman program during Jennings' final year and how much she learned from the current adidas professional who trains in Colorado under coach Joe Bosshard. She examines the strong recruiting class of Jenna Mulhern, Camryn Wennersten, Carly Wilkes and Emma Jones joining a young roster in the fall, as well as the progress of Megan Marvin and her current teammates, with the goal of winning a cross country title or distance medley relay championship during her career. Graham also talks about her pursuits in the health sciences field and the opportunity to interact with many Furman professors who have done extensive research in the field and are well connected to the sport, along with her aspirations to have a career in physical therapy and her ambitions to race in Europe this summer.

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