Mehra, Rebecca — Track & Field
Rebecca Mehra was a high school cross country and distance standout at Palos Verdes High School, and earned the rare qualification for eight California State Meets (4 in CC/4 in TF). She was the California State Champion in cross country and led her team to the State Title, as well as to 2nd and 4th-place finishes. She was second in the state at 1600 meters and set seven school distance running records. She was a three-time qualifier for the prestigious Nike Cross Country Nationals, finishing 3rd in 2009. Rebecca set a California State Record that still stands in the 2,000-meter steeplechase. She also played soccer and was the school’s Offensive Player of the Year. As a scholarship distance runner at Stanford, she was a three-time All-American. She is among the all-time best leaders in the 800, 1500, 3000, and the mile. As an eligible graduate student, she was a 2017 All-American in the 1500 meters when she finished 6th at the NCAA Championships. She was a 2015 NCAA Indoor All-American on the distance relay. She helped the Cardinal place 3rd at the NCAA Cross Country Championships as Stanford’s #5 runner in her first year.
Rebecca competed in the 2021 USA Olympic Trials in the middle distances. She finished 11th in the 1500 meters as a finalist, and 11th in the 800 meters as a semi-finalist.
After graduating from Stanford, she won two silver medals at the Maccabiah Games in 2017. She also won two prestigious academic awards: the Award of Excellence, and Best Honors
Thesis in her program. She recently won the 1500 meters at the 2021 Prefontaine Invite in Eugene, Oregon, and plans to keep running through the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Rebecca holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Stanford in international relations and communications, respectively. Rebecca currently works as a law clerk for an indigenous rights firm, and in the past has served as a campaign manager and in other public policy jobs.