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Whether in academic, athletic or social settings, Mississippi State students, faculty and staff are known for a "can-do" spirit and desire to excel in whatever task they choose. For junior marketing major Lucas Muñiz, every day is an opportunity to do just that.

A Marietta, Georgia, native also pursuing a double-minor in supply chain management and economics, the middle son of Eric and Laura Muñiz says he instantly was drawn to the "warm and welcoming" Starkville campus and its "super-friendly" people.

"My high school guidance counselor recommended Ï㽶ֱ²¥to me because it gives lots of different types of students the same opportunities," the 2012 George Walton Comprehensive High School graduate says, adding, "When I came to visit, I liked it.

"I hadn't experienced that Southern charm before, and I liked the small-town feel," he adds.

Because he wanted to compete in Division 1 athletics, Muñiz sought out Houston Franks, Ï㽶ֱ²¥assistant track and field coach and head cross-country coach. They discussed the possibility of him being a walk-on member of the team.

"Coach Franks was really, really nice," he recalls. "He told me times that I had to hit if I wanted to walk-on, and they were really close to the scholarship qualifying times. I trained on my own the summer before my freshman year. During the second semester of my freshman year, I started to increase the intensity of my workouts and ended up developing a stress fracture in my foot."

After recuperating from the injury and resuming training, Muñiz was able to join the team as a walk-on for 2013 summer workouts. Unfortunately, however, he was unable to achieve the required time at a subsequent trial.

"Even though I didn't get to race for MSU, being part of the team was a fun, maturing process for me," he says, adding "I'm the person I am now because I had to persevere and overcome those obstacles."

Now running on his own, Muñiz has added swimming and cycling to his repertoire, a decision he says has helped him become a "more well-rounded athlete and person." He regularly competes in triathlons "because I get to do lots of things, not just one, with my body.

"Winning is definitely fun, but I just like the variety they bring and the meticulousness that you need to do them," he adds." In the Magnolia State, Muñiz has participated in the Ridgeland-based Heatwave Challenge, Soak Up the Sun in Madison, Philadelphia's Heart O' Dixie and Meridian's Sunfish, among others.

"The farthest away I've gone was to a Revolution 3 race in Anderson, South Carolina," he says. "It was my first full Olympic-distance race, and I placed eighth overall. I didn't race in the collegiate division, but if I did I would have placed second collegiate overall."

Sharing his personal philosophy on exercising and life in general, Muñiz emphasizes, "I don't work out, I just live. If you're working out reluctantly, that's not the way to do it. You have to enjoy it every day and you've got to have fun."