Mena Scatchard
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Born | 28 January 2003 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | Middle-distance running, Cross country running |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 800m: 2:03.26 (2025) 1500m: 4:11.09 (2025) Mile: 4:28.43 (2025) 3000m: 9:00.86 (2024) |
Mena Scatchard (born 28 January 2003) is a British middle-distance runner.[1]
Early life
From Hutton Conyers in North Yorkshire, she attended Ripon Grammar School. In 2021, she earned a sports scholarship to attend Princeton University in the United States, initially to study for a liberal arts degree.[2][3] In May 2025, she was announced to be transferring to Stanford University for the academic year starting in the autumn of 2025 for her post-graduate degree.[4]
Career
She ran as a member of Leeds City Athletics Club and Ripon Runners Club, was a three-time Yorkshire age-group champion whilst a teenager in distances from 1500 metres to 3000 metres.[5][6]
Running for Princeton University, she finished ninth at the Northeast Regional cross country championships in 2024, before competing in the 2024 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.[7][8]
She won the women's mile at the Eagle Invitational in February 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts, with a time of 4:28.43 which broke the Princeton school record she set earlier in the season as well as breaking the meet record. She also won the 1500m with a time of 4:11.14, also breaking her own Princeton record. The time for the mile ranked 3rd all-time in Ivy League history.[9][10] She finished second in the mile run at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach on 15 March.[11][12] She qualified for the final of the 1500 metres at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon in June 2025.[13]
Personal life
Her sister Marnie is a field hockey player.[14] Their mother, Brenda, is a former PE teacher.[15]
References
- ^ "Mena Scatchard". Word Athletics. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ Dacey, Ruth (22 April 2021). "Talented runner, 18, from tiny North Yorkshire village wins scholarship to Ivy League college Princeton University in the US". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Students collect A-level results at Harrogate district schools". Thestrayferret.co.uk. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ Stockless, Luke (15 May 2025). "Nation's No. 2 miler Mena Scatchard '25 to transfer to Stanford for graduate year". The Daily Princetonian. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ "Student follows in the footsteps of Michelle Obama and Jeff Bezos with Princeton scholarship". The Northern Echo. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Mena claims Yorkshire crown for third time". Rippingrammar.co.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Ivies Have Strong Showings at NCAA Regional Championships". Ivyleague.com. 16 November 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Several Ivies Punch Tickets to NCAA Championships". Ivyleague.com. 16 November 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Princeton Sweeps Indoor Track & Field Weekly Honors". Ivyleague. 18 February 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
- ^ "Scatchard Breaks Own Mile Record, Several Tigers PR at Eagle Elite Invitational". BVM Sports. 15 February 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Mena Scatchard Finishes With A Surprise Second Place In The Women's Mile". Flotrack. 15 March 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ Hansen, Chris (15 March 2025). "How the Oregon women won their 8th national title at NCAA Indoor Track & Field meet". Register Guard. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "NCAA Women's DI Track and Field Championships 2025 Results & Scores". Flotrack. 12 June 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ "Grammar School Student Has Been Talent Spotted By England Hockey". Yorkshire Times. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "18-year-old girl wins $318,000 scholarship to Princeton University, set to bag bachelor's degree". Scholarshipregion. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2025.