TEMPE, Ariz. -- Alethia Marrero was at peace with her decision to move on from track. A pair of painful stress fractures in each shin, along with some nerve damage suffered in her junior season at Indiana State, made the comeback trail seem too long and arduous.
An All-American who had placed fifth in the 800 meters at the NCAA Championships as a sophomore, Marrero instead turned her attention to graduate schools for justice studies, choosing Arizona State's School of Social Transformation.
By the time she arrived in Tempe last fall, however, her legs were feeling much better and her mind was still curious, so she paid a visit to the Carson Student-Athlete Center and dropped in, unannounced, on former middle distance and cross country coach Louie Quintana (now at Oregon State).
"I was actually in Sacramento because we had athletes in the USA seniors and juniors trying out for the World Championship team," Sun Devils track coach Greg Kraft said. "Louie texted me and said: 'you're not going to believe what just happened.'"
Marrero wanted to resume her career and the Sun Devils welcomed her with open arms. She is already paying dividends on the track.
In her Sun Devil debut at the Baldy Castillo Invitational in Tempe earlier this month, Marrero finished third in the 400 meters in 54.85 seconds, and ran the third legs on both the women's 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
In the Big Ten-Pac-12 Challenge at Sun Angel Stadium on March 23-24, Marrero, whom teammates and coaches call "Alis," ran her way into the Sun Devil record books in the 800 meters, winning the event in 2:05.33, which tied for the fifth-best time in Sun Devil history, and the best time by a Sun Devil woman since 2014.
Just as important as her performance, however has been the impact she has had on the team, Kraft said.
"You're hopeful when you get a graduate transfer that they bring not just experience but some maturity to the group and Alis has definitely been able to do that," he said. "She brings a sense of confidence to that group and we really haven't had someone with that type of personality and that type of success she's had to back it up. Our women's team has always been physically talented but there's a sense of focus and competitive spirit and freshness that she brings."
Marrero admits she was concerned about transitioning to a new program but the fear passed quickly.
"They welcomed me as part of the family from the beginning," she said. "It was amazing to come in as a new face and assume a leadership role.
"I'm not really vocal at all. In practice, I just get down to business. I hope it rubs off on everyone else to keep that focus, but once we get off the track, we hang out a lot. To be able to wind down with people going through the same things as you definitely helps. I have the most support here I have ever had from my coaches and my teammates. "
Marrero has unusual versatility. She runs the 200, 400, 400 hurdles and the 800 during the outdoor season, along with the relays. She also ran cross country for the Sun Devils in the fall. Because this is an off-year with no World Championships and no Olympics, the Devils plan to use that versatility to bolster their national hopes, but there is a greater individual goal in the distance.
Marrero's mother is Puerto Rican. Her parents (Alis's grandparents) brought the family to Indianapolis for better economic opportunity, but she has been back to the island numerous times and speaks Spanish. When she became an All-American, the national team emailed Indiana State to inquire about her ethnicity and then her interest in competing for them in international events.
The summer after her sophomore year, she ran the 4x400 in the Central American Games in Nicaragua. Later that summer, she competed in the Pan American Games in Toronto.
"Just putting on the singlet with your country's name on it is enough to be an awesome experience but to have the history behind it -- a colony for so long, never being a nation and then to be a nation in the sports world -- it makes it special," she said. "The greatest thing I get out of it is when my grandparents get tears in their eyes when they see me on TV or with the uniform on. They always felt badly about taking the family off the island so to see their grandchildren make that connection is really meaningful."
Marrero wants to compete for Puerto Rico in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 800. Her current best time is about a second off the standard for the last Olympics. Assistant coach Devin West is confident she will get there.
"It's not going to take anything special," West said. "She has to continue to work and keep her head on straight -- and I don't have any concerns about that -- but she has all the intangibles. She's a rare athlete with a mix of power, speed and endurance, along with the intelligence to adjust when needed. That fits perfectly with what you need in the 800.
"She has improved upon the little things like power, speed, and she has been in so many situations, whether it's racing tactically or speed races, so I know if I give her a game plan she can execute it."
Marrero wants to get back to the NCAA Championships and help push the Sun Devils to greater heights by, as she put it, "following in [decorated teammate] Maggie Ewen's footsteps."
Once the season ends, she'll get down to individual training with West and assistant Cory Leslie, her pacing partner.
"I've always been reserved about talking about my goals," she said. "It might be a safety mechanism in case they don't happen, but coach West has said not only to have those goals but to take charge of them and be vocal about them because it puts healthy pressure on you and it helps the environment by making it more focused on achievement.
"To compete on the Olympic stage, it would mean more to me because of all the people that were behind that. It's not just my own achievement; it's coach West, all of my previous coaches, my family, my friends and my teammates. If I make it, I'd be able to come back to Tempe and my family and friends, knowing I had done that for them."
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An All-American who had placed fifth in the 800 meters at the NCAA Championships as a sophomore, Marrero instead turned her attention to graduate schools for justice studies, choosing Arizona State's School of Social Transformation.
By the time she arrived in Tempe last fall, however, her legs were feeling much better and her mind was still curious, so she paid a visit to the Carson Student-Athlete Center and dropped in, unannounced, on former middle distance and cross country coach Louie Quintana (now at Oregon State).
"I was actually in Sacramento because we had athletes in the USA seniors and juniors trying out for the World Championship team," Sun Devils track coach Greg Kraft said. "Louie texted me and said: 'you're not going to believe what just happened.'"
Marrero wanted to resume her career and the Sun Devils welcomed her with open arms. She is already paying dividends on the track.
In her Sun Devil debut at the Baldy Castillo Invitational in Tempe earlier this month, Marrero finished third in the 400 meters in 54.85 seconds, and ran the third legs on both the women's 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
In the Big Ten-Pac-12 Challenge at Sun Angel Stadium on March 23-24, Marrero, whom teammates and coaches call "Alis," ran her way into the Sun Devil record books in the 800 meters, winning the event in 2:05.33, which tied for the fifth-best time in Sun Devil history, and the best time by a Sun Devil woman since 2014.
Just as important as her performance, however has been the impact she has had on the team, Kraft said.
"You're hopeful when you get a graduate transfer that they bring not just experience but some maturity to the group and Alis has definitely been able to do that," he said. "She brings a sense of confidence to that group and we really haven't had someone with that type of personality and that type of success she's had to back it up. Our women's team has always been physically talented but there's a sense of focus and competitive spirit and freshness that she brings."
Marrero admits she was concerned about transitioning to a new program but the fear passed quickly.
"They welcomed me as part of the family from the beginning," she said. "It was amazing to come in as a new face and assume a leadership role.
"I'm not really vocal at all. In practice, I just get down to business. I hope it rubs off on everyone else to keep that focus, but once we get off the track, we hang out a lot. To be able to wind down with people going through the same things as you definitely helps. I have the most support here I have ever had from my coaches and my teammates. "
Marrero has unusual versatility. She runs the 200, 400, 400 hurdles and the 800 during the outdoor season, along with the relays. She also ran cross country for the Sun Devils in the fall. Because this is an off-year with no World Championships and no Olympics, the Devils plan to use that versatility to bolster their national hopes, but there is a greater individual goal in the distance.
Marrero's mother is Puerto Rican. Her parents (Alis's grandparents) brought the family to Indianapolis for better economic opportunity, but she has been back to the island numerous times and speaks Spanish. When she became an All-American, the national team emailed Indiana State to inquire about her ethnicity and then her interest in competing for them in international events.
The summer after her sophomore year, she ran the 4x400 in the Central American Games in Nicaragua. Later that summer, she competed in the Pan American Games in Toronto.
"Just putting on the singlet with your country's name on it is enough to be an awesome experience but to have the history behind it -- a colony for so long, never being a nation and then to be a nation in the sports world -- it makes it special," she said. "The greatest thing I get out of it is when my grandparents get tears in their eyes when they see me on TV or with the uniform on. They always felt badly about taking the family off the island so to see their grandchildren make that connection is really meaningful."
Marrero wants to compete for Puerto Rico in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the 800. Her current best time is about a second off the standard for the last Olympics. Assistant coach Devin West is confident she will get there.
"It's not going to take anything special," West said. "She has to continue to work and keep her head on straight -- and I don't have any concerns about that -- but she has all the intangibles. She's a rare athlete with a mix of power, speed and endurance, along with the intelligence to adjust when needed. That fits perfectly with what you need in the 800.
"She has improved upon the little things like power, speed, and she has been in so many situations, whether it's racing tactically or speed races, so I know if I give her a game plan she can execute it."
Marrero wants to get back to the NCAA Championships and help push the Sun Devils to greater heights by, as she put it, "following in [decorated teammate] Maggie Ewen's footsteps."
Once the season ends, she'll get down to individual training with West and assistant Cory Leslie, her pacing partner.
"I've always been reserved about talking about my goals," she said. "It might be a safety mechanism in case they don't happen, but coach West has said not only to have those goals but to take charge of them and be vocal about them because it puts healthy pressure on you and it helps the environment by making it more focused on achievement.
"To compete on the Olympic stage, it would mean more to me because of all the people that were behind that. It's not just my own achievement; it's coach West, all of my previous coaches, my family, my friends and my teammates. If I make it, I'd be able to come back to Tempe and my family and friends, knowing I had done that for them."
Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter