Cameron Martensen '26 Recruiting Profile

Covid shut down the world in 2020, but it opened the door for my running career.

 

My name is Cameron Martensen.  I am a sophomore at Rolla High School in Rolla, Mo.  Prior to 2020, I played competitive soccer for six years.  When Covid hit, games were cancelled and I needed a way to stay active.  I started going to the track every day after finishing my schoolwork at home and seeing what times I could hit for the mile and two mile.  I saw progress week after week and I haven’t looked back since then.

 

I saw a lot of success running in junior high (7^th and 8^th grade for Rolla).  I won every regular season race our team participated in.  I placed 1^st at the first-ever Missouri middle school/junior high state cross country meet in Wheaton, Mo.  I then traveled to Louisville, KY and placed 3^rd in the national middle school cross country race in November 2021.  Running was part of who I was, not just what I did.  I was always reaching for that next goal and never took my success for granted.  In fact, I looked forward to competing in high school where I would see more competition and have peers to help push me further and faster.

 

Freshman year brought older and more developed runners as competition.  I continued to do well, placed in medal range, and continued to see a reduction in my times.  Now in the middle of my sophomore year, I am a two-year, all-state runner for cross country in Missouri.  I am learning how to manage my expectations for my development as well as how to manage the expectations of others around my performance.  The pressure continues to build, but I have the resources to help me deal with it.  I continue to have a passion for running and improving my times and my physical performance.  I continue to learn how diet, attitude, and overall physical endurance plays a part in my success.

 

I am looking for a college program that will help me continue to develop based on my individual strengths and challenge me when I get stuck in my head.  I hope to have teammates that have the passion and focus I do---always challenging ourselves and not afraid to do the tough workouts.  Races do not always go as planned, but I am able to rally and fight back with grit and determination to keep pushing and to show myself I can do it.

 

While I like being successful in athletics, I also take school seriously.  I am an “A” student and take courses that both challenge and interest me.  I am interested in a career around athletic training or physical therapy.  I also find studying human behavior interesting, perhaps adding psychology into the plan.  I have learned that studying new material each day helps me to learn it better and I retain it.  Even with a full schedule of workouts and competition, I ensure I complete all schoolwork required and work with my teachers if I need additional help.