Marcus Cheema '21 Recruiting Profile

When I was 6, my sister was training in a local park for an upcoming meet, attempting to sprint a 400m as fast as she could. Being competitive by nature, I challenged her to a race. Of course, I came nowhere close to beating her on my first run, but this only encouraged me to try harder.  A year later, I found myself following in my sister's footsteps, participating in Westwood Track and Field. Not long after, I was ecstatic to have qualified for the USATF Nationals in Kansas, where the only thing harder than running the 1500m (and securing a 6th place National medal) was the 23-hour long car ride there. Within the next 6 years, I was able to participate in 3 additional USATF National competitions for the 1500m, the 800m, and even the discus when I was 14! My main events when I was 7 are still the events I take pride in running at the varsity level for my high school - the middle distance events. For most of my life, I've believed that anyone can improve themselves if they give a strong effort to do so, which is why I have consistently improved my timings every year since I began running. This is no coincidence, but rather a result of rigorous training, new experiences, and a supportive family.  I do not plan to stop progressing, and have effectively balanced my academic life with athletics. I would like to run on a collegiate level to see how much further I can improve not only my timings, but my work ethic and mentality as well.