Alexi Pappas
Alexi Pappas or Alexia Pappa is a Greek-American runner, filmmaker, actor, and writer. Pappas was an NCAA All-American athlete at both Dartmouth College and the University of Oregon. She represented Greece at the 2016 Summer Olympics, setting the national record for 10k.
Early life and education
Pappas was born on 28 March 1990, to a Greek-American father who has roots from Rhodes and an American mother. She has a brother who is four years older. Pappas grew up in Alameda, California. Her mother died by suicide when Pappas was four years old.Athletic career
Bishop O'Dowd High School California Interscholastic Federation
As a sophomore at Oakland's Bishop O'Dowd High School, Pappas placed fourth in the Division III girls 5K race at the California Interscholastic Federation State Cross Country Championships in 2005.Pappas's high school coach refused to let her participate in multiple sports, even though boys at the same high school were permitted to do so, and stated that this affected her physical development.
NCAA
Pappas was a two-time NCAA all-American at Dartmouth College. She was one of nine finalists for the 2012 NCAA Woman of the Year award. She also won the 2012 season's Ivy League title in the steeplechase and qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene. Pappas graduated magna cum laude in creative writing and English from Dartmouth College in 2012.Pappas attended the University of Oregon as a master's student, where she earned three NCAA Division I All-American awards. She finished eighth individually at the 2012 NCAA Cross Country Championships with a time of 19:43.9 helping the Oregon Ducks women's cross country team win the national title. She graduated from Oregon with a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing in 2013.