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2024 Men's Cross Country Roster

Nick Melanese

Nick Melanese

  • Class:
    Redshirt Senior
  • Hometown:
    Scripps Ranch, Calif.
  • Prev School:
    Scripps Ranch HS

Summary

Biography

Career Stats

ACADEMIC AWARDS
  • NCAA Elite 90 Award Winner (2024 - Track & Field)
  • CCAA Elite 13 Award Winner (2025 - Track & Field)
  • CCAA Elite 13 Award Winner (2023 - Cross Country)
  • D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award (2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25)
  • CSC Academic All-District (2023, 2024)
  • CSC Academic All-American (2024)
  • CCAA All-Academic (2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24)
  • CCAA Fall Academic Honor Roll (2022, 2023, 2024)
  • CCAA Spring Academic Honor Roll (2023, 2024, 2025)
  • Three-time FAR Cougar All-Academic Team (2021, 2022, 2023)
  • Mangrum Award for Academic Excellence (Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023)

ATHLETICS AWARDS (XC)
  • All-West Region (2022)
  • 2022-23 CSUSM Men's Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year

ATHLETICS AWARDS (T&F)
  • USTFCCCA All-Region (800m - 2023, 1500m - 2024)
  • CCAA 800m Champion (1:50.11 - 2023)
  • CCAA 1500m Champion (3:48.17 - 2023)
  • All-CCAA (800m - 2023; 1500m - 2022, 2023, 2025)
  • CCAA Track Athlete of the Week (April 11, 2023; May 2, 2023; April 9, 2024)

AS A REDSHIRT SENIOR IN 2025 DURING TRACK & FIELD
  • Competed in nine meets.
  • Earned bronze in the 1500-meter run at the CCAA Championships (May 1-3) with a time of 3:49.04.
  • Ran a season-best 1500-meter time of 3:46.95 at the Mangrum Invitational (March 28).
  • Posted a PR of 14:39.42 in the 5000-meter run at the Oxy Distance Carnival & Spring Break Classic - the 10th-fastest time in program history.
  • Had a season-best 800-meter time of 1:49.94 at the Franson Last Chance (May 8-10).

AS A REDSHIRT SENIOR IN 2024 DURING CROSS COUNTRY
  • Competed in three races. 
  • Placed fifth at the Irvine Invitational (Sept. 6) with an 8K time of 25:28.2. 
  • Ran an 8K PR time of 24:53.3 at the UCR Invitational (Sept. 21) for 109th place. 
  • Took 105th at the NCAA Division II West Regional with a 6.2M time of 33:19.9. 

AS A REDSHIRT JUNIOR IN 2024 DURING TRACK & FIELD
  • Competed in eight meets.
  • Qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 1500-meter run.
  • Ran the second-fastest 1500-meter in program history at the Mangrum Invitational (March 22) with a time of 3:44.80.
  • Had a season-best 800-meter time of 1:49.98 at the Trojan Invitational (April 5-6).
  • Ran 15:07.01 in his lone 5000-meter race of the season at the Ben Brown Invitational (March 8-9).

AS A REDSHIRT JUNIOR IN 2023 DURING CROSS COUNTRY
  • Competed in three races. 
  • Placed 29th at the CCAA Championships with an 8K time of 26:08.2. 
  • Took 48th place at the NCAA West Regionals with a 10K time of 32:05.0. 

AS A REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE IN 2023 DURING TRACK & FIELD
  • Competed in nine meets.
  • Became the first student-athlete from the men's track & field team to compete at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, taking part in the 800-meter run.
  • Won the 800- and 1500-meter CCAA Championships.
  • His winning 1500 time of 3:48.17 at the CCAA Championships (May 4-6) was the third fastest in program history.
  • Broke the program's 800-meter record with a time of 1:48.59 at the APU Last Chance (May 12-13).
  • Ran the second-fastest mile in program history with a time of 4:06.73 at the Steve Scott Invitational (April 28-29).
  • Posted a PR of 14:53.88 in the 5,000-meter run at the Ben Brown Invite (March 10-11).

AS A REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE IN 2022 DURING CROSS COUNTRY
  • Ran in four races.
  • Notched a 10k career-best time of 30:52.3 at the NCAA West Regional (Nov. 19) to place 23rd. 
  • Took 18th place at the CCAA Championships (Nov. 5) with an 8k time of 25:41.4. 

AS A REDSHIRT FRESHMAN IN 2022 DURING TRACK & FIELD
  • Competed in 12 meets.
  • Took bronze in the 1500-meter run at the CCAA Track & Field Championships (May 5-7) with the third-fastest time in program history at 3:48.23 – fourth in the CCAA and 10th in the West Region.
  • Recorded the second-fastest 800-meter time in school history at the APU Last Chance (May 13-14) as he finished in 1:51.28.
  • Finished his lone mile race of the season in 4:09.37 at the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival (March 25) – third fastest in program history.
  • Posted a 5K time of 14:58.71 at the Ross & Sharon Irwin Invitational (March 19).

AS A REDSHIRT FRESHMAN IN 2021 DURING CROSS COUNTRY
  • Competed in six races.
  • Made collegiate debut at the Mark Covert Classic, taking 28th with an 8K time of 25:46.1. 
  • Rank an 8K personal-best time of 25:03.6 at the Cougar Challenge (Sept. 25) for 14th place. 
  • Took 17th place at the CCAA Cross Country Championships (Oct. 23) with an 8K time of 25:23.3. 
  • Placed 30th at the NCAA West Regional with a 10K time of 31:44.8. 

AS A FRESHMAN IN 2021 DURING TRACK & FIELD
  • Season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

AS A FRESHMAN IN 2020 DURING CROSS COUNTRY
  • Season canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

HIGH SCHOOL
  • A 2020 graduate of Scripps Ranch High School in San Diego, California.
  • 2019 All-Western League first team.
 
PERSONAL
  • Born in San Diego and grew up in Scripps Ranch, California.
  • Son of Steve and Kathy Melanese.
  • Has an older brother, Trevor and older sister, Amanda.
  • Enjoys formula 1 racing and exploring.
  • Favorite movie is “Goodfellas”.
  • Roots for Red Bull Racing F1 Team.
  • Favorite athlete is Max Verstappen.
  • Favorite foods are pasta, pretzels, bagels and mint chocolate chip ice cream.
  • Most memorable moment in high school was passing eight runners in the last mile of the CIF-South Division Section cross country race to move his team up to third place, qualifying the team for the state meet and later finished 20th for Division 2.
  • Didn’t like sports and did not want to play any in high school before deciding to try out for cross country his freshman year.
  • Favorite CSUSM memory was becoming a double conference champion, breaking the school record in the 800m, and qualifying for the NCAA track championships
  • Likes most about CSUSM is it provides a great opportunity to balance professional, academic and athletic development.
  • Majoring in Business Administration before getting his MBA in Business Analytics. .

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Historical Player Information

  • 2020Freshman

  • 2021Redshirt Freshman

  • 2022Redshirt Sophomore

  • 2023Redshirt Junior

  • 2024Redshirt Senior