Unlike the majority of Dartmouth student-athletes, however, Pappas' name is now in the Dartmouth record books. She ran a 9:14.75 in the 3000-meter run this past weekend at the Terrier Invitational hosted by Boston University, beating the previous record held by current women's cross-country coach Maribel Sanchez Souther '96 by a little more than a tenth of a second.
Prior to the Terrier invitational, Pappas' personal record in the race was a 9:59.50. Her new record represents roughly a 45-second improvement, nothing short of spectacular in the world of distance running. Pappas' drastic improvement has certainly caught the attention of many. Dartmouth's distance coach Mark Coogan said, Pappas' time has her on track to qualify for the NCAA National Championships in March. Her record time would have qualified for Nationals last season, and nothing seems to be stopping her this year.
She also holds the Big Green record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase for outdoor track. Still, Pappas' track career had a different tone not long ago.
"My freshman year, I was definitely the worst on the team," Pappas said.
Pappas said she attributes her success to her training in the summer and the change in mindset that accompanied it.
"This past summer, I was really able to establish a distance base for my running," she said. "Running is a lifestyle. You need to get your intense training in, but it does not stop there. You need proper nutrition for your body and sleep to recover."
Pappas also credits Coogan with preparing her to be successful.
"Our coach has done a fantastic job preparing all of us to be mentally strong," she said. "He prepares us for the moment in the race when it hurts most so that we can push through the pain and keep going."
Pappas is not the only one to see improvements throughout her time at Dartmouth. The entire women's distance running program has improved as well, because the program was not as focused four years ago, according to Pappas. There was a history of quitting, and the program as a whole was not running at a top level, she said.
"Our team is now more responsible and better capable of maintaining a competitive level throughout the season," she said. "We all do better at maintaining the running lifestyle that we need to be successful."
Coogan, who took control of the program two years ago, said he is excited with the group's development.
"When you have names like Alexi's and Abbey [D'Agostino '14]'s appearing nationally with great times, it helps significantly with recruiting girls and convincing them Dartmouth track and field is the right choice," he said. "Girls want to go where they will be successful."
Pappas' achievements and improvements have many effects beyond the personal level. As a team captain, her performance has inspired others on her team to perform at a higher level. Caitie Meyer '14 cites Pappas as a source of inspiration both on and off the track.
"She is really awesome with approaching people who are having a tough time with anything," Meyer said. "She's helped all of us out with encouragement during meets and talking about non-track related issues. She really leads by example."
Pappas said she takes her captainship very seriously and uses her recent performance and improvement as a way to set the standard for incoming freshmen. Her 45-second improvement also helps show the benefits of her hard work to her teammates.
"She really shows everyone what hard work can do to improve ourselves," Meyer said. "There is a lot of excitement around the team because of our performance so far, and Pappas proves that we can all get better."
In addition to being in season for three terms every year, Pappas is a member of Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority, a member of the Dog Day Players, an improvisational comedy troupe, and writes for the Generic Good Morning Message. She also is a poetry lover and works as a teaching assistant for a poetry class this term.
After graduation, Pappas said she is interested in getting a master of fine arts degree. She said she is also considering becoming involved in making a film.
