Emily Lamontagne, a North Carolina-bound senior at Arapahoe High in Colorado and a Class 5A all-state competitor in both cross country and track, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss the Warriors competing Nov. 19 at NXR Southwest at Coyote Run Golf Course at Leisure World in Mesa, Ariz. She reflects on Arapahoe making its first trip to NXR Southwest in 2019, in addition to traveling last year to the Desert Twilight Festival at The Links Golf Course in Queen Creek, Ariz., and how well Lamontagne and her teammates have performed at sea level throughout their careers, including Sept. 16 at the 41st Woodbridge Cross Country Classic at Great Park in Irvine, Calif. Lamontagne examines the challenges Arapahoe has faced in not having its full lineup available as a result of illness and injury throughout the season, and how that compromised the Warriors' pursuit of a third Class 5A team title in four years. She revisits winning the program's first state championship in 2019, with Ava Escorcia, Ava Mitchell and Lamontagne all freshmen in the lineup, and being able to triumph again last year after placing second behind Cherry Creek in 2020. Lamontagne explains how proud she is of her teammates that persevered this fall to help Arapahoe finish fifth in Class 5A, less than 10 points behind runner-up Mountain Vista, despite being short-handed all season. She analyzes how meaningful it has been to share the experiences with the Northern Arizona-bound Mitchell and Colorado State commit Escorcia, and how significant it is to have all three seniors continuing their careers at the NCAA Division 1 level. Lamontagne speaks about how inspiring it would be to have Mitchell qualify to compete Dec. 3 at Nike Cross Nationals at Glendoveer Golf Course in Oregon, after the group raced last year at the Garmin RunningLane Championships in Alabama. She also shares the factors in her decision to attend North Carolina and her excitement for the Colorado connection with fellow commits Maelyn Higgins of Broomfield and Megan Kelleghan of Silver Creek. Lamontagne looks ahead to the 2023 track season and her opportunities to improve on her mile and 2-mile personal-best efforts of 4:50.04 and 10:19.68.

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