MERRILL, Ore. --- Before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the 2020 schedule short for spring sports, it appeared Emily Alvarez' final outdoor season of eligibility would bolster an already-impressive tenure as an NAIA track & field student-athlete at Westmont College.

Alvarez, née Parks, already earned seven NAIA All-American honors to go along with three GSAC team titles and six individual GSAC championships during her three full seasons with the Warriors. But given the circumstances, Alvarez has leveraged her last segment of eligibility for another purpose. 

She will compete as a graduate-transfer in sprints and hurdles at Biola in order to begin an MBA and make headway toward her vocational goal of combatting sex trafficking. 

"I was drawn to the mentorship program, which is an integral part of the MBA, and I am excited to train another year since my senior outdoor season at Westmont was canceled," said Alvarez. "I also look forward to meeting new people and learning about Biola culture and LA life."

Alvarez served as the Women's Track & Field team captain at Westmont during the 2019-20 academic year and earned NAIA All-American honors in the 4x800m relay and the 600m run at the Indoor Championships this past March. Those accomplishments gave Alvarez All-American recognition in each of her four years at Westmont in addition to individual GSAC Championships in all three of her outdoor seasons. 

The Oregon-native also holds a program record in the 4x800m and top-10 performances in four other events as she transitions to Biola. Moreover, her All-American time in the 400m hurdles at the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Championships (1:01.14) would have won the event at the 2019 PacWest Track & Field Championships by over two seconds and set a program record at Biola had Alvarez been competing for the Eagles. 

After graduating cum laude this past May and marrying former Warrior multi's athlete Marcus Alvarez in early July, Alvarez has a large part of her future aspirations set on improving sex trafficking policies and providing safe homes for girls and young women. She hopes the mentorship and training she'll receive at the Crowell School of Business will help prepare her for that work. And she's so determined to become a leader for positive change that she is willing to commute from Santa Barbara to fulfill her commitments at Biola. 

Her expansive list of successes at Westmont certainly indicates that Alvarez has the work-ethic to excel in this next season.

Emily Alvarez is one of three student-athletes transferring into the Biola track & field program who have previously won conference championships (Jahquez Durham and Kiersten Huitt). More information on the rest of the student-athletes that will join her at Biola in 2020-21 can be found on the Committed Athletes page.