BRAWLEY, Calif. --- Melanie Sanchez was an exemplary student at Brawley Union High School. Accomplished in two sports and an AP Success student with a GPA better than 4.0, Sanchez bolstered her resume with an Elks Teen of the Month award for community service and a year of service as a team captain.

She is a great example of the type of determination and character that typify the Eagles women's distance group and applicants to Biola's nursing program. And Sanchez is eager to continue growing and succeeding as she studies at Biola.

Sanchez ran three varsity cross country seasons at Brawley Union High and was immediately part of an Imperial Valley League Championship team as a sophomore. Then she competed in her first CIF San Diego Section Division III Cross Country Championship later that season and set a baseline that showed how much she improved by her senior year.

The Brawley, California-native improved 20 spots and finished the SDS Cross Country Championship two minutes faster when she ran the race two years later. And that improvement combined with a fourth-place individual finish at the Imperial Valley League Championship a few weeks prior to punctuate a great senior year. 

With that testament to her diligence in hand, Sanchez highlighted her ability to accomplish big goals as a senior on the Wildcats girls basketball team. Brawley High has a long history of success in girls basketball, with several 20 wins seasons listed on MaxPreps.com and CIF playoff appearances almost every year. But no Brawley team since at least 2004-05 accomplished what the Wildcats did in Sanchez' senior year. 

The 2019-20 team was the first group in a long time to win multiple games in CIF postseason play, advancing to the San Diego Section semifinals after going 6-1 in the seven games that led up to that round. 

And on top of all that competitive success, Sanchez was named to two fall-sport and a winter-season All-Academic Team by the San Diego Union-Tribune for her excellence in the classroom. She also found time to volunteer at food and toy drives in her community and expressed how excited she is to become an Eagle.

"I chose Biola because I love how it is centered on Christ and His Word; it is a great place to grow spiritually, academically, and athletically," said Sanchez. "I am very excited to meet my team and coaches and to represent Biola by doing what I love: running."
 
Melanie Sanchez hopes to have a career as a nurse practitioner after studying nursing at Biola. 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.