Oregon State graduate student-athlete Kaylee Mitchell, an All-American in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track as well as the only female athlete in program history to place in the top 10 in multiple Pac-12 Cross Country Championships, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss competing in her last conference final Oct. 27 at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, Wash. Mitchell won the NCAA Division 1 West Regional meet last season at Chambers Creek by covering the 6-kilometer layout in 19:19.2. She also secured seventh in the March 2021 conference final in University Place in 19:39.4. Mitchell reflects on her fifth-place effort and Oregon State taking seventh Oct. 13 at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, with the Beavers prevailing against Colorado, Utah and Washington, and finishing behind fourth-place Stanford, and how valuable the experience was for her younger teammates. She also revisits her victory Sept. 22 at the Dellinger Invitational and the confidence gained from training for several weeks during the summer in Flagstaff, Ariz., the first extended experience in her career at elevation. Mitchell analyzes how significant it was to earn her undergraduate degree and the journey to becoming a certified dietitian technician, as well as her plans to pursue a Master's degree. She shares the lessons learned from competing in previous conference championship meets and her ambition to win a Pac-12 title, along with helping Oregon State pursue its first top-three finish in women's program history and possibly contend for the team crown. Mitchell reminisces about her impressive stretch run at last year's regional meet at Chambers Creek and how she enjoys competing at the spectator-friendly venue, in addition to looking forward to returning Nov. 10 to the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex for the West Regional, with Oregon State seeking back-to-back NCAA Division 1 Championship berths for the first time in women's program history and the fourth appearance in the past six years by qualifying to race Nov. 18 at the Panorama Farms Course in Virginia. She also speaks about how meaningful her final races for Oregon State will be racing with fellow veteran Grace Fetherstonhaugh and her teammates, along with sharing the experiences with coach Louie Quintana, and how unique the circumstances are with the uncertainty surrounding the conference's future.