LA JOLLA, Calif. – The U.S. Olympic Trials for the marathon are set to take place on Feb. 29, 2020 at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Ga. Among the qualified participants, male and female, are two former scholar-athletes from the University of California San Diego cross country and track and field teams.

Matt Lenehan and Marie (Schaper) Zanderson will further represent the Tritons on one of the biggest running stages in the world.  
 
Matt Lenehan (San Diego/Torrey Pines HS)
Lenehan, a 2014 graduate of UC San Diego, finished 12th overall at the Chevron Houston Marathon on Jan. 19. Out of the 260 men participating in Texas, his time of 2:18.16 secured him the trials' standard.
 
However, Lenehan's journey to Georgia did not follow a traditional training timeline. Six weeks before clinching a spot in the trials, Lenehan came up just short at the California International Marathon (Dec. 7)– one of the last races of the year that serves as a qualifier. He decided to give it one last shot in Texas and that last shot was all he needed before achieving a chance to participate in the Olympic Trials.  
 
During his time as a Triton, Lenehan led the blue and gold to three third-place finishes at the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships in both cross country and track and field. The Tritons were also runners-up in track and field his rookie campaign.
 
As a senior at the CCAA Track and Field Championships, Lenehan largely contributed to his team's points across the board. He came in fifth in both the 10K and the 3000 steeplechase. In addition, when he graduated, he ranked fifth all-time at UC San Diego in the 10K (31:11.48).
 
In 2013, his 12^th-place performance (25:17.0) at conference in cross country earned him All-CCAA recognition. Over the course of two years, he scored in 11 of 12 races run. His highest placement at the NCAA Regional was 37^th, which he obtained in back-to-back seasons as a junior and senior.
 
A two-time CCAA All-Academic as well as a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree, Lenehan successfully upheld UC San Diego's academic and athletic excellence.
 
This past year, Lenehan returned to La Jolla to compete in the Triton Classic and finished in the top-10 amidst various collegiate contenders.  
 
A San Diego native, Lenehan currently resides in San Francisco and works as an Android Developer at Crew App. He is a member of the Peninsula Distance Club.
 
Marie (Schaper) Zanderson (Simi Valley/Royal HS)
Zanderson graduated in 2010, primarily as a mid-distance runner. It was not until her post-collegiate years that she developed into a talented long-distance performer. As a member of the Prado Racing Team, on Sept. 16, Zanderson qualified for the trials in Berlin, Germany. After posting a time of 2:44:38 at the BMW Berlin Marathon, Zanderson qualified for this Saturday's race in Atlanta.   
 
At UC San Diego, Zanderson was constantly in the scoring five of cross country meets and guided the Tritons to three third-place finishes in conference. As a senior in 2009, Zanderson was the second Triton to cross the finish line at the CCAA Championship, assisting in her team's overall second-place effort. At NCAA Regionals, among her team, she followed up with a third-place finish.

Zanderson also played a significant part in UC San Diego's three consecutive CCAA Track and Field Team Championships (2007-09). At the time of graduation, Zanderson ranked 10th all-time in Triton history in the 1500 with a personal record of 4:40.23. In her final season, she finished fifth at the conference meet in the 1500 en route her team's second-place display.
 
From Simi Valley, Zanderson works as the Director of Media at Mindstream Media Group. She currently resides in Encinitas with her husband who is also a top runner in the San Diego area.
 
"Both Matt and Marie were tremendous Tritons and great leaders, on and off the course," said Distance Coach Nate Garcia. "They continue to standout as alumni with their continuous support to the programs. Their balance and approach at life is something we hope to instill in our current and future scholar-athletes at UC San Diego."
 
The U.S. Olympic Trials will be broadcasted live on NBC, here. The broadcast will begin at 12 p.m. and conclude at 3 p.m.

About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country.  The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference.  UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent.  A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.

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