Meet Maya Lacamp from USC Track & Field

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Cross-country women | October 14, 2021

Coming to the Trojans from I-5 in San Francisco, newbie to cross country and track and field runner Maya Lacamp is another key cog of a newbie killer looking to take the cross-country team to a new level. With 5th place for the Trojans at the Riverside Invitational, we will certainly leave Maya in the dust for years to come. I was privileged to speak to Maya about her goals for the coming season, the emphasis on cross country as a team sport and her love for table tennis and weekend.

Q: As a freshman here at USC, how have you got used to college life?

ML: It’s been quite a change since I was in high school. It’s definitely more intense here, the coaching and staff here are great and supportive, and I’ve never seen a support system like this before. I’m really grateful to have such great employees and such a great team to help me get through my day.

Q: So when we talk about this team aspect, a lot of people don’t realize that cross country is a team sport. Do you think you could take some time to explain why the team aspect is so important?

ML: When you watch races, the top 5 runners count in the standings, so every single runner in the race counts and it’s an accumulation of points to win. In terms of practice, I really rely on my teammates, and they also rely on me to keep up with certain workouts, especially when I get up at 5 a.m. every morning. My teammates, who I live with, really helped me start my day with a positive outlook on the day. Without them, I don’t know if I could do these exercises on my own and be a successful athlete. If I fall behind in training, my teammates will say, ‘Come on Maya! You can do it!’ and vice versa. The key to being a successful athlete is relying on your teammates and building really good relationships with them.

Q: What are your goals individually and as a team for the cross-country season and beyond?

ML: At the beginning of the season I wanted to see how I like running in college and I really like it. One of my goals was simply to finish the season and see how good I could get as a runner and to change my work ethic on time management, to get up so early and organize my time. Another goal would be to make it to the Regionals and later to the Nationals. This year it’s a whole new team, there are a lot of transfers and a lot of newcomers, which is different than in previous years. This is the first year the base is being dismantled so I think our goal for the next year is to do Regionals and then Nationals.

Q: You were the founder of a ping pong club in your high school, what was the reason for you starting it?

ML: I’ve always loved table tennis, I played with my dad every day, we had a table tennis table in the basement and every day after I finished my work we went downstairs and played table tennis and chatted about how school is going and how his work went. But even in school I really missed that aspect of being with people because the only activity was playing basketball and most of the people I saw playing basketball were boys and I rarely saw girls playing so I really wanted to support and involve girls . I wanted to play table tennis in school so I started this club with my boyfriend and we did seven cake sales and raised enough money to buy a table and ping pong paddles. And it was really nice to play with guys who thought they were really good and then beat them. I was glad I got to have this club all through high school, it was great fun.

Q: Are you even playing here?

ML: Finding time is a bit difficult, but once I manage my time a little better and see through my entire schedule, I will definitely try to find some time to accommodate it.

Q: I know Weeknd is one of your favorite artists. Do you have a go-to-weekend song to spice up yourself with, or maybe another artist?

ML: Well I love the whole Starboy album, every song you play there, I’ll be amazed, he has so many good songs that it’s hard to pick one as my favorite. I like to listen to hardcore rap when I’m exercising, but when I’m just chilling out or it’s more of a gentle workout, I think he (The Weeknd) is a great mix of rap and melody at the same time.

Q: As for food, what’s your favorite place on campus?

ML: I would definitely say cava, I discovered cava last year while visiting my brother at UCLA and I was so happy to find out there was a cava in the village.

Q: If you had to describe your personality in three words, which would it be and why?

ML: That sounds like a college question. I don’t want to be cheesy. I would definitely say inclusive, I really try to make sure everyone feels included because I know what it feels like to be left out sometimes, and it really isn’t a nice feeling, especially when you’re on a team, you have to everyone involve because if one person does that I don’t think the team will be successful. Second, I would say supportive because I get a lot of support from my loved ones and friends, so I really try to give something back to them too. For my last one, I would probably say positively. Of course everyone has their bad days, but especially when getting used to a new environment it is very important to stay positive and see everything that happens positively, otherwise you will be in a bad mood and it will affect your performance. both academically and athletically, and nobody wants that. When someone is positive, it is easier for you to be positive.

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