Athlete: Nevada Mareno
Year: 2017
School: Leesville Road, NC
Analysis: Nevada Mareno was one of very few runners who were not scared of Weini Kelati last year. The rising senior from North Carolina challenged Kelati at Foot Locker South and at Foot Locker Nationals -where she placed second and third, respectively, to Kelati's sweep- and nearly broke Kelati's winning streak at New Balance Nationals Outdoor, where she ran 10:00.44 just behind Kelati's 10:00.38 in the two mile. That run came one day after running 4:18.48 for fourth place at the adidas Dream 1500m.
That two mile time makes Mareno the nation's fastest returner in the event (though Kate Murphy's 9:10.51 3K converts to 9:54 for two miles) and her third place finish at Foot Locker makes her the top returner from San Diego. The soccer convert has accomplished a lot in her first full year of distance running and that fledgling success grants her the No. 1 ranking in the pre-season.