Marlena Tresnjo's high school track and field career at Handsworth Secondary may have come to an end, but the senior is just getting started. A University of Missouri - or Mizzou, as it's affectionately known - commit for high jump, she's ready for the journey ahead. Milesplit BC caught up with Tresnjo on taking your career at your own pace, finding where you belong, and her goals for 2024.
Personal Bests
High Jump: 1.80m
Long Jump: 5.56mm
Shot Put: 8.19m
Javelin: 22.66m
100m: 13.54
200m: 26.59
800m: 2:33.85
100m Hurdles (33"): 15.53
Career Accolades
2024 BC High School Champion- Heptathlon, Long Jump, High Jump
2023 U18 Legion National Championships Silver- Heptathlon
2023 BC High School Champion- High Jump
2023 BC High School Championships Bronze- Heptathlon, Long Jump, 4x100 2022 BC High School Junior Champion- Heptathlon
Like many athletes, Tresnjo discovered the sport of track and field in elementary school. "I started doing competitions in elementary school, as it was the sport everyone was doing."
That early experience began to solidify a love for the sport, which carried her through her high school years and led to a growing desire for excellence in track and field as she acquired competitive experience. As Tresnjo reflects, "In the winter of my grade 9 year, I joined NorWesters Track Club for some recreational fun. I went to practice once a week and took it very casually. In grade 10, I was still doing track and I was able to compete as COVID-19 restrictions had been lifted. Since competitions started for me in grade 10, I have fallen more in love with the sport every year. I increased the training I went to and my resolve every year. Now I go to every practice I am able to and I take it as seriously as I can while still having fun."
This resolve led Tresnjo to make Team BC for the U18 Legion Track and Field National Championships. Making a team is special for any athlete, and Tresnjo cites the experience as one of her favourite memories from her career thus far. "It was amazing and such an honour to be part of the team, and we had so much fun getting to know each other and the athletes from the other teams. It was an incredible experience and I'm so glad I got to be a part of it." While passionate about her sport and working hard towards her goals, the possibility of collegiate athletics was not yet on her mind. "I did not start track with the intention of getting a scholarship or continuing with it post-secondary. It just sort of happened."
But when she realized that competing collegiately was a possibility and began to look into universities, she found that the path to becoming a collegiate athlete is not so straightforward. Finding the right fit and the right school can be a process of trial and error. "I had coaches who ghosted me after one call, and I met coaches who were looking out for me and gave me honest advice."