Megan LaCamera is a rising sophomore cross country and track runner from Burbank, California. Her fastest 6K of 22:28.1 last fall was the 17th-best time in Pepperdine women's cross country history. She also showcased her skills in track, as she posted team bests of 10:21.94 in the 3,000 meters and 17:41.43 in the 5,000 meters:
 
Q: Coming in as a freshman, did this season meet or defy your expectations?
 
A:  I think it exceeded my expectations. Last year, I had to run by myself a lot through COVID. So this season, it was so nice to have a team to run with again. I got really close with all the girls, and we built a really good team dynamic. We got so much closer than I would have ever expected and you felt it the whole season.
 
Q: How refreshing was it to finally have a normal year not as hampered by COVID restrictions?
 
A: I'm thankful that this year was very routine. COVID happened during my junior year which is the prime season of recruiting and visits. It was really hard for me to show colleges what I could do. Finding Pepperdine was such a blessing because of the team dynamic and the great academics, so aside from running, it's the ideal school for me in general and I felt it was a really good time to be a freshman here.
 
Q: The cross country and track teams have gone through some adjustments in terms of staffing and leadership, how do you think some of the upperclassmen on the team responded to that?
 
A: It's always hard going from different coaches and leadership positions but I think our team did a really good job. You saw the resilience and like, all of the upperclassmen teammates, they were determined not to not let that affect them. Now, it's nice to have stability on the team and a solid foundation to start building up our program.
 
Q: You had a lot of success this year, in track with the 3,000 and 5,000 meters as well with the 6K in cross country. What were your strengths coming into Pepperdine and what do you feel you've improved on the most?
 
A:  I always knew I was a distance runner. The longer the distance, the better in most cases! But I was not expecting my 6K time at all. In high school I was a 19-minute 5K runner. So to run 17:41 was way beyond my expectations. I was just trying to go sub-18, but a big reason for the time was having a great team to train with. We all put in a lot of work and I guess it paid off toward the end of the season.
 
Q: What was your favorite moment from this year?
 
A: That's a hard question. I think the cross country was really fun because we get to travel as a whole team. Track is fun, too. But it's more of an individualized sport. So getting to travel, and have kind of those stupid moments on the bus, really bonds our team, which is really fun for me.
 
Q: The cross country/track bond is definitely something that's evident on campus and throughout athletics, what else would you attribute that to?
 
A: A lot of our seniors. Guys like Karl (Winter) and Jackson (Felkins) do a lot for that and watching them leave was so hard because the rest of us got really close to them. They were such a big part of the team and everyone knows them around campus. It'll be hard to fill their shoes, they left such a mark on the team.
 
Q: What's your recruiting pitch for any athlete that wants to come to Pepperdine?
 
A: I would tell them that the biggest thing for me was I could tell that Pepperdine really cared about its athletes on a personal level. They care about their well-being and how they're doing, not just on the surface level. I think that's really rare, I'm sure there are a lot of Division I schools that care more about your performance than other aspects of your life.
 
Q: What are some team and individual goals next year?
 
A: In cross country specifically, we're definitely hoping to place much higher in conference. I think we're fully capable of that, and last year, we had potential, too. I just think we weren't quite ready mentally. So I think next year is going to be different, our team goal is making a big conference jump. Individual goals, I haven't really thought that far yet. I'd say to keep cutting down on some of my best times and run as fast as I can!