Amari and Alisha in Peru: The story

As stated in the previous post!
 
Record-setting sprinter (and newly minted Class of 2026 Marist University alum) Amari Mathis is currently in Lima, Peru, representing the United States at an international track meet this week. It’s actually more than just a track meet; the FISU American Games are an Olympic-style event. Below (in italics, at the end of this post) is the information we received on it back in the spring.
 
The genesis of Amari (and Coach Alisha) going to this event is a vintage Marist story (at least, in my opinion).
 
Brandon Rizzo is the (very successful) assistant track coach at Penn State University, where his short and long sprinters are NCAA Championship caliber. Rizz is also a Marist alum that most of you may not even remember, thanks to the Dark Cloud of Covid.
 
Rizz graduated from Montclair State University in 2020 (that should be a red flag right there), where he was an outstanding 400 hurdler. He reached out to me about completing his eligibility (and possibly coaching) at Marist in 2020-2021 – you know, that Dark Period in our program’s (and, really, our country’s) history. Rizz was loyal, dedicated and even raced a few times despite barely practicing because of You Know What. He always wanted to coach and he was set to be a volunteer coach for us in the fall of 2021 when a part-time offer at Penn State came about. This soon morphed into a full-time position and his (track coaching) career has skyrocketed ever since.
 
Along the way and improbably, Rizz has been a steadfastly loyal alum and follower of our program, despite being here for a relative blip on the radar. Whenever our paths have crossed, it is Classic Marist – hugs, smiles and well-wishes both ways. Rizz followed our program closely and loved the rapid ascension of our Speed and Power athletes.
 
He became affiliated with this FISU American Games event as a coach, and he reached out to me right away (in March) about Amari being part of the USA contingent. “Gotta take care of my Foxes” was what he said, and this was no sentimental gesture; Amari proved every bit worthy of a spot on this team based on his truly outstanding outdoor track season.
 
Initially, Rizz was going to use Amari as a relay guy, but as his performances improved this season, his stock continued to rise for this FISU meet. As our outdoor track season came to a close, we reached out to Rizz to see if he would be coaching Amari or if Coach Alisha should still be writing his workouts.
 
And that’s when the next surprise came: Rizz asked Alisha if she could be part of the USA coaching contingent in Peru! And so, that’s where we are – Marist track at an international meet in the middle of the summer.
 
Here are the details:  
 
The FISU America Games are a multi-sport event sanctioned by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). Alternating with the Summer and Winter World University Games, which invite all the countries of the world for their biennial events, the FISU America Games are a regional multi-sport event similar to the Pan-American Games for FISU member-countries of North America (including those in Central America) and South America, held in even-numbered years.
 
The 2026 FISU America Games will be the fourth edition of the FISU America Games, held in Lima, Peru from July 20 - August 1, 2026. The Games will have USA Team representation in up to 15 sports against 20-25 participating countries. Athletes and staff will stay in the Athletes’ Village.
 
UniUSA brings together the nation’s most talented student-athletes in global, university-level competition organized by FISU, the governing body for university sport worldwide. With an impressive list of former UniUSA student-athletes going on to compete with distinction at Pan American and Olympic Games, as well as at the highest levels of professional sport, UniUSA provides a platform for future success. Participation selection and priority is given to
individuals and teams that best represent the United States, both on and off the field.