Finding Her Stride: Milaina Almonte Qualifies for NCAA West First Round Meet

Milaina Almonte '27 runs in the Bronco Invitational, a cross-country race, where she came in first place and recorded a personal best on Oct. 3, 2025. (Nina Glick/The Santa Clara)

Milaina Almonte ’27 knew she wanted more following her sophomore year at Santa Clara. The Broncos distance runner had already shown flashes of potential, but months of dedicated training left her feeling different. 

“I started to realize how much I really loved this sport and had big goals for myself,” Almonte said. “I felt ready. I felt ambitious and excited.”

That mindset has fueled one of the most successful seasons in recent Santa Clara track and field history. Almonte earned a spot at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships West First Round, where she will compete in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on May 30 at the University of Arkansas. The top 12 finishers will advance to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, next month.

Almonte enters the meet coming off an impressive performance at the Franson Last Chance Meet, where she finished the steeplechase with a time of 10:23:35, the second fastest steeplechase time in school history. Almonte’s time is just 0.13 seconds behind Grayson Murphy’s school record of 10:23:22 set in 2016. 

Instead of dwelling on the narrow miss, Almonte saw the finish as an opportunity.

“I was mostly just really excited,” she said. “I still felt like I had more. Even with those point-one seconds, making a jump a little cleaner or accelerating one step faster could take off that time. It made me want to do it again.”

Almonte’s achievement is even more impressive considering that she only began running it in her freshman year at Santa Clara University. 

The 3,000-meter steeplechase is one of track and field’s most demanding races, combining distance running with 28 fixed barriers and seven water jumps spread across 7.5 laps around the track. Unlike hurdles, the barriers do not move when stuck, posing a new challenge for competitors.

Santa Clara head coach Pete Cushman saw Almonte’s potential to succeed in the program long before her hard work began to pay off. 

“We knew Milaina was going to be a special runner when we recruited her,” Cushman said. “But it takes time adjusting to college running. By her sophomore track season, we started to see what she could become.”

The steeplechase, however, presented a new, unique challenge.

“She’s got the running part down,” Cushman said. “But we’ve really had to hone in on the skills of hurdling and getting over the barriers. That’s been a process. What’s exciting is that every week she can make huge improvements because there’s this whole other technique she’s still learning.” 

Cushman noted that Almonte’s mentality made her even more qualified to compete in the steeplechase than simply her physical talent.

“The steeplechase is one of those events where, first and foremost, you have to want to do it,” he said. “It takes athleticism, but it also takes a certain mentality.”

Almonte has embraced the challenge that the steeplechase presents, noting that even though it’s brutal, there’s a lot of variability that keeps her on her toes. 

The breakthrough in the steeplechase is a testament to the remarkable year that began for Almonte during the cross-country season in the fall. 

Almonte earned first-team All-West Coast Conference honors with a sixth-place finish at the conference championships. She also earned all-region recognition after placing 20th at the NCAA West Regional. She won the Bronco Invitational with a school-record time of 20:06:5 and later posted four top-five marks during the indoor & outdoor track seasons.

She credits much of that success to the confidence she has gained throughout the year.

“Cross country helped me find more confidence in myself,” Almonte said. “I started trying to attack races more and set higher goals for myself.”

Now, with a chance at Nationals on the line, both Almonte and Cushman are approaching the NCAA West First Round with a simple mindset.

“I feel like for Milaina, pressure’s off. She just needs to go and try her best and have fun,” said Cushman. “She has all this room for growth. The learning curve is so steep in this event, and so we don’t know what she’s capable of doing. I think the sky’s the limit.”

Almonte shares a similar perspective going into the meet.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be here,” she said. “After everything I’ve put into learning the steeplechase and all the work that’s gone into this year, I just want to leave it all on the track. I don’t have to do anything but go for it and be fearless.”

Whatever happens in Arkansas, Almonte’s accomplishment has already made an impact on the program. She is the fourth Bronco woman to qualify for the NCAA West First Round and the first Santa Clara runner to compete in the steeplechase since former Bronco Katie Castelli in 2024.

Cushman hopes that her success will continue to inspire others.

“It’s a really big deal to make this meet,” he said. “Hopefully she’s a trendsetter, and we can continue to have representation at the NCAA Championships.”

Although Almonte has been crushing records and accumulating accolades, they’re not what motivate her the most.

“I don’t want to settle or limit myself,” she said. “I just want to keep improving.”