Sports
Palm Desert Track Athlete Breaks Multiple School Records
The old saying goes that records are meant to be broken. For one sophomore on the Palm Desert High School track and field team, that mindset has become a reality.
Sophomore Marina Avila has already broken five school records this season.
Her first came on February 27, when she ran the two-mile in 11:32.95. Since then, Avila has broken that record twice more (currently 11:18.38). She has also broken the school one-mile record twice, bringing it down to 5:09.76.
Head coach Mark Monroy says he hasn’t seen anything like it during his time at Palm Desert.
“Not since I’ve been here at Palm Desert,” Monroy said. “We haven’t seen anybody just continuously break a record week in and week out.”
With the pace she’s on, Monroy believes Avila’s success could lead to a major college opportunity.
“I can see a big-time scholarship coming for sure,” he said.
Avila says she still has bigger goals ahead this season. She’s aiming to run a sub-5 minute mile and break 11 minutes in the two-mile, both marks she says are within reach.
She also hopes to qualify for the prestigious Nike Outdoor Nationals later this year.
Avila isn’t the only Palm Desert athlete making history. Earlier this month, the boys 4x100 relay team also set a new school record with a time of 43.26 seconds.
With multiple records already falling, the Aztecs track and field program is showing plenty of speed—and several athletes worth watching as the season continues.
By: Caitlyn Kelley
March 16, 2026
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