Mariel Mendoza will join the Bears for the 2019-2020 season as a volunteer assistant coach. Mendoza will join first-year head coach Bobby Lockhart and assistant Chas Davis to coach the middle distance and distance groups throughout the cross country season.
Mendoza returns to Cal after playing an integral role for the women’s cross country and track & field program during her collegiate career at Berkeley. In 2016, Mendoza ran distance for the Bears’ track lineup in the spring and recorded a personal best 3,000-meter time of 9:55.10 at the Stanford Invitational. She also recorded a second personal record of 16:32.65 in the 5,000-meters at the Pac-12 Championships.
During the 2015 cross country season, Mendoza battled back from a preseason stress fracture in her shin during the fall to become one of the Bears' top runners towards the end of the year. She ended the campaign racing with the top group for the Blue and Gold and posted one of her best times of her career in the 6,000-meter race at the NCAA Regionals that season. During track & field, Mendoza recorded a first-place finish in the 5,000-meter race with a then-personal best time of 17:29.59 at the Hornet Invitational.
Academically, Mendoza is often praised for her commitment and dedication in the classroom. In 2014, Mendoza earned a Pac-12 Track & Field All-Academic Honorable Mention selection. She followed up her recognition with Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention honors in both cross country and track & field during the 2015 season. Mendoza finished her career at Cal with Mountain Pacific Sports Federation All-Academic Scholar Athlete honors during the 2016 track & field season.
A native of Riverside, Calif., Mendoza recently started her Master of Public Health (MPH) program at Berkeley’s School of Public Health. She completed her undergraduate studies from Berkeley in 2016 with a degree in public health while minoring in public policy.
