From the snow of Madison to the chaotic World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England, FloTrack spanned the globe in 2018. Along the way, we picked up quite a few fascinating, hilarious and emotional interviews with athletes and coaches. Here are a few of my favorites:

5) Northern Arizona Men: NCAA Cross Country Championships

After three-peating, the emotional release for the NAU men was more lacrymose than jubilant. Their 33 point victory was another emphatic victory for a team that hasn’t lost a meet since 2015. 

In this interview, Tyler Day kisses Matt Baxter on the head, Matt Baxter’s dad makes a cameo (he traveled from New Zealand to watch Baxter for the first time in-person) and head coach Mike Smith explained how it all came together.  

4) Dawn Harper-Nelson: USATF Outdoor Championships

This summer marked the final year of Harper-Nelson’s sensational career. The 34-year-old had a nine-year span where she won four global medals in the 100m hurdles, including her gold medal in the 2008 Olympics.  Harper-Nelson took fifth at the USATF Championships and spoke after about managing her emotions during her last national championships.  

3) Noah Lyles: USATF Outdoor Championships

After his 100m victory in Des Moines, Lyles hit on a little bit of everything--dancing, anime, his potential in the 200m. If you’ve never seen Lyles off the track, these 11 minutes are a great primer on someone who looks to be a star for the next decade in the sport. 

2) Katie Mackey: USATF Indoor Championships

The title says it all on this one. Mackey has been a consistent player for the United States since her professional career began. But she had never made a national team on the track. That changed this year when she took second in the 3000m and earned a spot in the World Indoor Championships.  

1) Jordan Mann: USATF Outdoor Championships

The most memorable interview of the national championships came from an obscure steeplechaser with a love for anime. Mann shocked himself with a fifth-place finish and his stream-of-conscious magnum opus in the mixed zone after his race captivated the gathered media.