Oussama El Bouchayby, the reigning NCAA Division 2 indoor 800-meter champion and the division record holder in the event at 1:45.31 representing Angelo State and Morocco, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal ahead of his final competition for the Rams before transferring next year to Alabama, when he competes at the Division 2 outdoor championship meet May 25-27 in Pueblo, Colo. El Bouchayby shares that he was approached about competing May 28 at the Diamond League Meeting in Rabat, but decided to represent Angelo State in the 800 and 4x400-meter relay at the Division 2 final in order to conclude his season with the Rams. He speaks about the inspiration gained from fellow Moroccan athletes competing at Division 1 programs, such as Fouad Messaoudi at Oklahoma State, Anass Essayi at South Carolina and Ayman Zahafi at Miami (Florida), along with Moad Zahafi at Texas Tech last year. El Bouchayby explains how challenging the weather conditions were May 4-6 at the Lone Star Conference Championships at Lubbock Christian, and what the experience was like racing at elevation for the first time this season. He also revisits the back injury that compromised his training and racing in April, and expresses gratitude that he feels the strongest and most fit at any point this year entering the Division 2 championship meet. El Bouchayby reflects on not competing last year and how he was able to still improve and progress in preparation to compete during the indoor and outdoor seasons for Angelo State. He shares how meaningful the support has been from the Rams' coaching staff and his teammates, as well as from his family and those who continue to follow his career in Morocco. El Bouchayby looks forward to competing in his home city of Marrakech this summer, and explains how significant it was in his career development to be able to watch Usain Bolt and other global track and field stars competing in Morocco when he was younger to inspire him to pursue his goals in the sport. He also analyzes the athletes from Kenya, Botswana and Brazil running sub-1:45 and his ambitions to compete against them this summer, after racing Wes Ferguson of Nebraska-Kearney, Reece Sharman-Newell of CSU Pueblo and Butare Rugenerwa of West Texas A&M in the 800 at the Division 2 championship meet.