Nevada Mareno, senior, committed to Stanford University for Track after touring numerous schools around the country.
Mareno is currently the top female (returning) runner in the nation. She had offers from Providence College, NC State, the University of Oregon and Stanford University. On track for the 2020 Olympics, Mareno’s college decision was transformative for her future.
Mareno visited each school for 48 hours (by NCAA rules) to get a feel for the campus, classes and community. She was able to picture what college life would be like at each prospective school alongside a prospective teammate.
After fully considering each option– academics and athletics– Mareno chose Stanford. The educational opportunities that Stanford would provide her, and the money being offered, was too much to pass up. Mareno mostly worries about the distance. North Carolina is home to Mareno and her family and it has yet to sink in that she will be living almost 3,000 miles away.
“The fastest they could get to me is six or seven hours,” said Mareno.
However, despite her nerves, Mareno sees great potential in her academic future. Along with being physically gifted, Mareno is also an extraordinary student. Based on her GPA, Mareno would be a prime Stanford applicant without her running talents.
In the next few years, Mareno sees herself majoring in engineering with a focus on sports product design.
Mareno looks forward to the Winter Track and Spring Track seasons.
