SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara University women's cross country and track junior
Milaina Almonte was selected last month as one of seven student-athletes nationally to participate in the inaugural NIL program from Leonid Capital Partners (LCP), an investment firm committed to supporting driven individuals in science, business, and innovation.
Almonte is studying mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering. She is one of only seven collegiate student-athletes chosen for LCP's inaugural cohort, which includes athletes from institutions such as MIT, Georgetown University, Tufts University, and the University of Richmond.
Almonte delivered one of the strongest cross country seasons in program history this past fall. She earned first team all-West Coast Conference honors with a sixth-place finish at the conference championship and added all-region recognition with a 20th-place finish at the NCAA West Region Championship. Santa Clara's No. 1 runner in all five of her races, Almonte won the Bronco Invitational on Oct. 18 in a school-record time of 20 minutes, 6.5 seconds. She was also named WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention, carrying a 3.803 cumulative GPA.
Almonte has already run four top-five all-time marks this spring for the Broncos' indoor and outdoor track programs. Her 16:25.89 indoor 5,000 meters she ran in December was nearly the fastest 5,000 ever run by a Bronco in indoor or outdoor. She ran 16:35.04 at the Stanford Invitational on April 3 that ranks fourth on the all-time outdoor list. She also ran the third-best-ever mark in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on March 6 (10:59.36) and the third-best time in the indoor 3,000 at 9:44.40 in February.
"These student-athletes represent the next generation of builders, operators, and leaders," Leonid Capital Partners said in announcing the program.
Through the program, Leonid Capital Partners provides participants with mentorship, brand visibility, and professional development support. The firm cited Almonte's discipline, leadership, and academic focus on the future of aerospace and innovation as reflective of the values central to the program.
